Will you look at these hoodlums… these gangsters… these punks are just asking to be shot by guys like George Zimmerman. I mean, they are wearing hoodies after all. Oh wait, is that Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and the rest of the Miami Heat wearing hoodies?
Earlier today Geraldo Rivera caused an uproar after he said that Trayvon Martin was killed largely because he was wearing a hoodie. Rivera said:
“It’s those crime scene surveillance tapes. Every time you see someone sticking up a 7-Eleven, the kid’s wearing a hoodie. Every time you see a mugging on a surveillance camera or they get the old lady in the alcove, it’s a kid wearing a hoodie. You have to recognize that this whole stylizing yourself as a gangsta — you’re going to be a gangsta wannabe? Well, people are going to perceive you as a menace.”
Many people have come out to criticize Geraldo’s comments saying that Rivera is putting the blame on the victim and not on the shooter. Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and the rest of the Miami Heat are just some of the people who disagree with Rivera.
James tweeted a photo (above) today of the entire Miami squad donning hoodies. The tweet was accompanied with the hashtags #WeAreTrayvonMartin, #Hoodies, #Stereotyped”and #WeWantJustice.
Wade, who also posted a solo picture of on his WhoSay account, told the Miami Sentinel that the photo was meant to show his support of Martin and Martin’s family.
“I’m a father. It’s support of the tragic thing that has taken place. No matter what color, race, we’re all fathers. When you think about what that family’s going through, it hits you hard and it hurts your heart to think about it. Just anything you can do, obviously we can’t bring him back, but anything you can do to get behind and support is what we’re doing.”
What do you think of Geraldo Rivera’s comments? Do you appreciate stars like Wade and James weighing in on the controversy?