Lawmaker wearing hoodie to make Trayvon statement told to remove it as per ‘House rules’
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Bobby Rush donned a hoodie during a speech on the House floor Wednesday deploring the killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, receiving a reprimand for violating rules on wearing hats in the House chamber.
The Illinois Democrat spoke out against racial profiling and, as he removed his suit coat and pulled the hood on the sweatshirt he was wearing underneath over his head, saying “just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum.”
Rush was interrupted by the presiding officer, Mississippi Republican Gregg Harper, who reminded him that the wearing of hats was not allowed and “members need to remove their hoods or leave the floor.”
On Tuesday the 17-year-old Martin’s parents spoke on Capitol Hill at a Democratic-sponsored panel on racial profiling.
I happen to live in MS. I’m seriously considering writing Rep. Harper a strongly worded letter expressing my disgust over this action. I know rules are rules, but Rush had a very STRONG POINT to make with the hoodie. He wasn’t doing it “just because.”
Also, this article comes from Reuters, who despite having an objectivity policy seem to be putting a decided conservative slant on this particular piece:
Rush founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers in 1968 and served six months in prison for illegal possession of weapons when he was in his 20s. He went on to get a political science degree from Chicago’s Roosevelt University, won a seat on Chicago’s city council in 1983 and was elected to Congress from Chicago’s South Side in 1992. In 2000 he defeated Barack Obama, then a state senator, in a primary battle for Rush’s seat.
Rush lost a son to a shooting in 1999 and has been a strong advocate for victims of gun violence.
Now I understand the reasoning for wanting to include some background about Rush, but were all these details really necessary? To me they just scream “red meat for conservatives!” ESPECIALLY the mention of the Black Panthers.
Also, why no brief bio of the Republican who scolded Rush about the hoodie?
This isn’t what I’d called non-biased reporting.
