Geraldo Rivera blamed a hoodie for the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, telling the hosts of “Fox and Friends” that that particular item of clothing is as responsible for Martin’s death as the shooter.
Martin, who was gunned down in Sanford, Fla., by Neighborhood Watch member George Zimmerman, has become a national story over the past few days, prompting a “Million Hoodie March” in New York.
While official blame has been placed on both the police’s handling of the case and Zimmerman — Martin was armed with little more than Skittles — leave it to Rivera to come up with another theory.
The hoodie, he argued, is universally identified with crime, particularly robberies of local convenience stores like a 7-Eleven.
“I am urging the parents of Black and Latino youngsters, particularly, to not let their children go out wearing hoodies,” Rivera said.
In case you were wondering, it took less than a minute to find photos of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, hotel heiress Paris Hilton and teen superstar Selena Gomez in hoodies.
Yet Rivera insists: "You cannot rehabilitate the hoodie!"
"I understand that the reaction might be overzealous or even irrational at some extent," he said. "But you’re not going to rehabilitate the hoodie.”
The "reaction" in that case was the shooting.
Rivera's comments prompted immediate shock both on Twitter and in the press.
Watch below as Rivera make his case for the hoodie.
