“When you see a kid walking down the street, particularly a dark-skinned kid like my son Cruz, who I constantly yelled at when he was going out wearing a damn hoodie or these pants around his ankles,” it creates a look of suspicion, said Rivera.
“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 styling yourself as a gangsta — you’re going to be a gangsta wannabe? Well, people are going to perceive you as a menace.”
He continued, saying “I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngster particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies. I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Travon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman.”
The comments have caused an uproar, and seem to be in such starkly bad taste that some have speculated if some side-motive led Rivera to voice what he himself called a politically incorrect and offensive opinion, such as misplaced parenting angst of his own, or a plot to gain the media spotlight.
Just as President Barack Obama weighed in during the comments made against Ms. Fluke, who Rush Limbaugh had called a slut, he also addressed Martin’s parents, with his empathy:
“If I had a son, he’d look like Travon. I think they are right to expect that all of us Americans take this with the seriousness that it deserves, and we’re going to get to the bottom of what happened.”
“Every parent in American should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this and everybody pulls together, federal state and local, to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened.”
Cynics have characterized the address as Obama’s means to swing Florida votes, but the president’s attention to such public concerns is entirely characteristic.
Rivera is an a** hole. Everyone wears hoodies. Mainly for the convenience of not having to bring an extra jacket. My daughter is a track star at the college she attends and all her team mates wear hoodies during practice and after track meets. By the way she is studying to be a doctor and did I mention she is black. Rivera should do the math before he publicly make a statement like he did.
Everyone wears hoodies? That is a ridiculous statement. I have zero problem with them but don’t wear them. Rivera is making a simple statement that it’s human nature to draw conclusions about somebody based on what they wear. It might be right, it might be wrong, but it’s a fact. Like it or not, that’s the way the real world works. He’s just saying be careful with the image you portray or some hothead like Zimmerman might draw the wrong conclusions. Just be careful. Pretty simple lesson to me. No need to be calling people a**holes.
Geraldo have you lost your mind? Everybody including you has some sort of jacket or something with a hood. Fox has sucked your soul from you.
You are mindless and im sure have kids who are guarded from the rest of Society… but keep in mind all kids follow trends..only a total idiot would blame a kids choice of clothing is the blame VS the act of man who is a bigot a coward
and was looking for a chance to take a life