George Zimmerman, charged (albeit belatedly) and notoriously found not guilty of the killing of Trayvon Martin, is in the news yet again, for another involvement with the law based on allegations of his violence.

For some, this (re)opens the issue of the trial for the death of the 15 year old Martin.  This includes pundit Geraldo Rivera, who famously blamed Trayvon Martin’s “hoodie” and continues to do so.  Rivera writes that although Zimmerman

may be nuts now, but was he nuts then? That’s the bigger issue, whether he is crazy because of the trauma of Trayvon’s death and his trial and being broke and besieged and aimless or was he crazy the night he killed the kid?

This seems within the realm of possibility.  However, the validity Rivera’s obsession with Trayvon Martin’s hoodie as “thug wear” seems less plausible, arguing that even if Zimmerman did not act in self defense but was

a hunter looking for game that night, picking a fight because with his hand near that concealed weapon ready to draw and fire he knew he had the advantage, the verdict would have been closer.

Still, he would have been acquitted, because of the hoodie.

As I argue elsewhere, hoodies are ubiquitous items of clothing having no connection with the propensity to commit violence.

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