Congressman Bobby Rush Escorted From House Floor For Wearing Hoodie
By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 28, 2012 3:25PM
Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush was escorted from the floor of the House of Representatives this morning for wearing a hoodie in protest of the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida.
Rush removed his suit jacket to reveal he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, then put the hood over his head, donned sunglasses and said "racial profiling has to stop. Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum."
Rush was interrupted while quoting the Bible by Mississippi congressman Gregg Harper, acting as Speaker, before Harper asked the House Sergeant-at-Arms to enforce the House rule forbidding hats in the chamber.
"The chair must remind members that clause 5 of rule 17 prohibits the wearing of hats in the chamber when the House is in session," Harper said after Rush left. "The chair finds that the donning of a hood is not consistent with this rule. Members need to remove their hoods or leave the floor."
Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus have staged protests of the Martin killing. The hoodie has become a symbol in the wake of Martin's death, with thousands across the country staging "hoodie-ins" in protest that no charges have been filed in Martin's death against George Zimmerman, who was not charged after law enforcement officials determined he was responding within the limits of Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. Florida is one of 23 states to have such laws, including Illinois.
The video below shows Rush being escotred from the chamber, his voice trailing as he says, "May God bless Trayvon Martin's soul, his family..."