Geraldo Rivera has officially lost his mind.
This morning on Fox & Friends, the once-respected Latino journalist has resorted to stereotypes when commenting about the Trayvon Martin tragedy.
And lest you think this is “liberal spin,” consider Rivera’s own words:
BRIAN KILMEADE (co-host): Let’s talk about the Trayvon Martin case and what’s going on in Florida right now.
GERALDO RIVERA: I believe that George Zimmerman, the overzealous neighborhood watch captain should be investigated to the fullest extent of the law and if he is criminally liable, he should be prosecuted. But I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies. I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.
JULIET HUDDY (guest-host): What do you mean?
RIVERA: 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?
STEVE DOOCY (co-host): Uh-oh.
RIVERA: It’s those crime scene surveillance tapes. Every time you see someone sticking up a 7-11, the kid is wearing a hoodie. […] When you see a black or Latino youngster, particularly on the street, you walk to the other side of the street. You try to avoid that confrontation.
So by Geraldo Rivera’s standards, any unarmed Black and/or Hispanic kid — note how he takes the effort to point out that his son, Cruz, is “dark-skinned” or moreno — is ASKING to be murdered in cold blood by a vigilante if he’s wearing the “wrong” clothes.
And how about Skittles & iced tea, Mr. Rivera? Can a black and/or Hispanic kid carry one of those without worrying about “identification”?
Check the video below:
