Trayvon Martin: Should Geraldo be fired for his 'mind-boggling' hoodie theory?

Geraldo Rivera sparks an outcry by suggesting that the black Florida teen's clothes were as responsible for his death as the shooter was

Geraldo Rivera
(Image credit: CC BY: markn3tel)

Geraldo Rivera, host of the Fox News show Geraldo at Large, is facing an angry backlash for suggesting that Trayvon Martin, the black Florida teen shot dead by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, was targeted because he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt that made him look like a criminal. "Every time you see someone stick up a 7-Eleven, the kid is wearing a hoodie," Rivera said on Fox & Friends. "I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman was." Should Rivera's bosses throw the book at him for making such an "incendiary" remark?

Rivera deserves a harsh punishment: Rivera's "mind-boggling" assertion "sends out a very dangerous message," says Joe Gandelman at The Moderate Voice: That it's "understandable" for someone to shoot a kid who's wearing a hoodie. If Rivera were "on any other network than Fox he'd be demoted." Fortunately, Rivera's own words have already discredited him more than getting suspended or fired would.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us