Hoodies, Racism, And The Urban Community: My Defense of Geraldo

On February 26, George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin. Martin was unarmed. Zimmerman was carrying a 9mm. After the initial call to the 911 dispatch, Zimmerman was told to stop trailing Martin, whom he thought looked suspicious. He didn't. Shortly after, Martin was dead. Truth is, those are really the only facts we know about the case of a 17 year old unarmed black teenager shot to death by a 28 year old Hispanic neighborhood watch leader. It's a tragedy whether Zimmerman was in the right to shoot or not.


This story has caused immense outrage in the last couple of weeks, especially among the black communities. The proverbial line has been drawn in the sand. Incendiary comments have been lobbed from both sides, some calling Trayvon a thug kid while others have placed a bounty on Zimmerman. None of this will solve anything.

"But my mustache is magnificent."

One of the more vocal critics of the case, and I think of urban black culture in general, has been Geraldo Rivera. His statements about the hoodie Trayvon was wearing at the time of the shooting being just as responsible for the boy's death as Zimmerman have enraged many.

I want to get this out of the way before I go any further. I don't like Geraldo. I think he's an unscrupulous journalist who panders to the right wing Statists (mainstream Republicans). He's lied about some of his actions during the "War on Terror." I disagree with him almost 99% of time, and when I do agree, it's usually for a completely different reason.

WARNING: UNPOPULAR OPINION DEAD AHEAD!!!

All of that being said, he's right in this case, and for the right reasons. People view the urban community, specifically the urban Black and Hispanic communities, as menaces. A majority would call this opinion racist. They're more wrong than right. Most bigotry towards those communities have little to do with race (which is just a convenient indicator for most) and more to do with culture. The majority of the recognizable blacks in the United States are athletes and musicians. For every Denzel or Will Smith, there are ten Pacman Jones.

I don't think of either of these communities are menaces, though. It's an unfair assessment for communities stuck in their poverty stricken neighborhoods thanks to, ironically (not really), the "War on Poverty" and, more visibly, the "War on Drugs." Because of these State "wars," the communities are riddled with poor who have enough to just survive and gangs vying to control the drug market. Poverty and gangs are two leading indicators of violent crimes. In case you don't see where I'm going, these communities probably wouldn't have near the bad publicity if it weren't for the State.

I want to take a look at one of Geraldo's quotes from that Fox and Friends bit.

When you, when you see a kid walking — Juliet — 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 those pants around his ankles. Take that hood off, people look at you and they — what do they think? What’s the instant identification, what’s the instant association?

"Exhibit A"
Left: What people think Arkansans look like.
Right: What most Arkansans look like.

This is how a majority of the country views these communities. Is it fair? Hell no! But it's a cultural (note I didn't say racial) stereotype that is prevalent. And you ask, "What do you know about cultural stereotypes? You're a white guy from Arkansas." What do you think the opinion people not from the South think of people from Arkansas? I give you "Exhibit A."

People seem to forget (or were never aware) how poorly the Irish Catholics were treated during Cromwell's conquest of Ireland. Their lands were seized, and many were either executed or shipped to the West Indies as slaves. Or how the Irish immigrants were treated when they came to the United States. They were discriminated against at every turn. It wasn't because they were black. They didn't even look differently from the English or the Americans. It was because they were poor. It was their poor culture that caused them to looked down upon. This prejudiced came to a head during the New York City draft riots in July of 1863, but it didn't end for many years. 

I don't know if the public will every find out what really happened on the night of February 26th. I don't put much faith in the police (local, state, or federal) to really figure it out.

What I do know is that this case is bringing up some racial and cultural issues that have been festering under the surface of America for years. I also know that there are many honest positions out there that are very unpopular among a large faction of the country. Positions that many would view as racist, and most assuredly are politically incorrect.

I hope some good will come out of this tragedy. I hope the minority communities will stop for a second and see how they are perceived, however fairly it may be. I hope everybody else will stop to see how jumping to assumptions and kowtowing to stereotypes will only lead to trouble. Because the sooner we stop viewing each other as groups and start seeing ourselves as individuals, the better off we will be.

Follow me on Twitter: @Jake_Collin
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