Whose Hoodie? Whose Justice?

I've been thinking about hoodies.  So have a lot of other people.  Trayvon Martin was wearing a hoodie  when he was shot in Sanford, Florida, and ever since  news about the case went viral, hoodies have become a symbol of the call for justice.  I saw a picture of the Miami Heat basketball team, all outfitted in hoodies taking a stand in the case.  I read a Facebook post from one of my friends serving a church in New York City calling on folks to wear hoodies to church this past Sunday. In New York and Philadelphia there have been protests called the Million Hoodie March.  And a group of congressional staffers held a protest called Hoodies on the Hill.

Martin, as everyone must know by know, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain who claims to have been threatened by Martin.  Interestingly, according to ABC News carrying a gun violated Neighborhood Watch regulations.  But that didn't seem to matter on the night of the shooting.  For though Martin had no weapon--he was carrying a bag of Skittles and a bottle of iced tea--police did not arrest Zimmerman, even though he was found standing over Martin's body with the gun.  Zimmerman doesn't deny he shot Martin, he simply claims it was his right to do so under the law.

There is an old saying that "Clothes make the man."  In this case, according to some, they appear to have been part of the unmaking of the man, or rather, at age seventeen, the boy.  "I think the hoodie was as responsible for Trayon Martin's death as much as George Zimmerman," says Geraldo Rivera.  (Fox and Friends, 3-23-12)  Excuse me?  And a woman wearing a short skirt is responsible for her own rape?  I'm sorry--I just don't buy it. I wear a hoodie most every morning when I go for a walk.  If it's cold or rainy, I put it up.  Should I leave it home?  Wear something else?  Or is the fact that I'm a middle-aged white man going to make the difference in whether or not I am safe?

We don't know all the details yet in the Martin case.  But an unarmed young man was shot.  That should have been investigated.  Thoroughly.  And such an investigation shouldn't have to be dependent on a lot of people all across the country wearing hoodies and calling for justice.  It should be the way such things are always handled.