Oklahoma residents are concerned that a proposed bill will make wearing a hooded sweatshirt in public a criminal offense.
But it has nothing to do with Trayvon Martin.
You'll remember Trayvon Martin. He was the seventeen year old hoodie wearing African American kid who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in dubious circumstances
back in 2012.
The wearing of hoods and head coverings during the commission of a crime has been against state law since the 1920s, with the original intent of curbing violence perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan but now the new law prevents an individual from intentionally concealing his or her identity in a public place by means of a robe, mask, or other disguise even if he or she were not involved in a crime.
The group above are protesting against stereotyping on the annual National Hoodie Day and asserting their individual rights to choose...
Just remember that in many jurisdictions in the same country, feeding the homeless is a crime. Why do we pass such laws and enforce them? Because we are A) stupid, B) cruel and C) selfish. In a word, we suck.
ReplyDeleteConsequently, from now on anyone caught wearing a hoodie in public will be shot on sight. Duly armed citizens are hereby empowered to enforce this regulation on an individual basis, just like our fave role model Mr. Zimmerman. One universally applicable rule will simplify matters considerably - no muss, no fuss.
Was there *ever* a nation as dumb as this one?
Thanks Val. The laws are criminal, it's all just too much to believe and the madness continues...
DeleteYou must have read the transcript of a different trial. Martin was shot because he jumped and beat zimmerman to the ground. Something forensics, witnesses and the testimony of Martins own girlfriend backed up. He boasted of his intentions in the last phone call he made. A phone he could have easily used to dial 911 were he actually worried.
DeleteThe press behaved disgracefully by hiving a racial narrative to a straight forward case of self defence.
Zimmerman may be an unpleasant fool but the law gives him the same right to defend himself against being beaten to death as anyone else.
I was in the Mason County Washington court room for jury duty, Along the back wall & well down the sides were shelves of law books, tall shelves. As I looked at all those books I realized that here in the land of the free you are always going to break some law just because we have that many!
ReplyDeleteHere in the USA we have an extensive legal industry & a large prison population, both produce lot's of money for someone.
Clothing with a hood attached? Just another paragraph in a book.
If ths law is brought in it will demonstrate the herd istinct in humans.This leads committees to illogical, irrational decissions
ReplyDeleteOklahoma has a simila climate to Hamilton, Waikato, NZ. I would think that as the low night time temperatures can drop below freezing in Winter, there would be very few people who play sport or attend evening functions who don't have a Hoodie in their wardrobe.
I have several, and am 77 years of age. Hooded jackets are a functional garment for people of all ages, including babies, and I have already mentioned grandys.
Sort of puts me off ever taking a tour of the southern states of the USA. I would definitely say the law would discourage tourists.......Jennybee
Oklahoma is just one of a bunch of "special cases" when it comes to asinine laws. It shames me to ever have been involved in a profession that enforces such nonsense.
ReplyDeleteI have a "hoodie." it keeps my neck and head warm. So now they are going to outlaw comfort.
ReplyDeleteIt'll take just a small detour to avoid giving that state any of my tourist dollars. I'm going to be in TX in March.
Has everyone forgotten the terrorists who wore hoodies? Have they also forgotten that Trayvon was not the sweet faced kid portrayed by press, but his Facebook pic showed a grinning, crack smoking, gun totin', thug w cash in his teeth, so defiant his mother & stepfather put him out. He never spent one nite under the same roof as his "grieving" stepdad. He committed a theft & refused to obey the order to "stop"; his record was sev pages long. We are all in danger of violence by terrorists who behead children who are begging for their lives. They vow to subdue the free world & kill as many as possible, & people fret over not being able to wear garments that hide their appearance?? THAT'S what's crazy! Hooray for Okies who are not afraid of Al Sharpton & his ilk!!
ReplyDeleteYes the terrorists wear hoods and masks and so did Trayvon. There are plenty of terrorists, criminals and extortionists who wear tailored suits and commit their crimes under a veil of respectability. Some are called bankers and financiers and politicians. Will city fathers and states bring in mad laws to outlaw that apparel too?
DeleteIt's the same deal, guilt by association.
But I don't think so...
What a ridiculous comparison! How many terrorists wear suits & hide behind respectable facades? White collar crime is hardly the same as crazy, satanic, godless, merciless killers of innocents. Would you go back to the wild west where people wore guns & you were anti-freedom if you wanted a safe place to walk w your children w/o fear?
ReplyDeleteI wonder why you choose to comment while wearing the cloak of anonymity...
DeleteYou see what I mean? From Anchorage to El Paso, from sea to shining sea, what you've encountered here is typical, not exceptional at all. I bet a lot of my neighbors are like this. It's why we do the things we do.
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