Seventeen year old Treyvon Martin's lost his life on the night of February 26th when walking home from a convenient store. The young black man, Martin(who was unarmed) died from wounds he received when Lation neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, shot him. Everyone from President Obama to Geraldo Rivera has weighed in on this one. While Obama receives criticism, Rivera has created an outright backlash which has that lead to an apology for his comments on the situation.
Rivera went on what can only be called an emotional rant. Rivera blamed Martins death on the fact that the 17 year-old was wearing a hoodie. He went on to criticize teens for what they wear, saying that if they dress in a certain way they are inviting violence upon themselves. These comments have spurred outrage in people across the nation.
This is not the first time Rivera has created a backlash, but at least this time he is apologizing. Rivera has not only apologized, but admitted that blaming this horrendous crime of appearance is wrong. Furthermore, he stated that his comments obscured the true race issues that lay underneath.
What about the neighborhood watchmen shooter? Zimmerman did not get arrested the night of the shooting because police felt that he had probable cause. Florida's strict self-defense laws give reason for police not to act. Police say that Zimmerman's claims of self-defence gave him the legal right to shoot. There is no evidence that Martian attacked Zimmerman, yet his story alone is keeping him a free man.
No comments:
Post a Comment