A Democrat was ejected from the House floor this morning after giving a statement on the Trayvon Martin case while wearing a hoodie.
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) pulled off his suit jacket to reveal the gray hoodie, then pulled the hood over his head while decrying racial profiling of young men wearing the garment as “hoodlums.”
Rush also donned sunglasses, even though Martin was shot by George Zimmerman on Feb. 26 after 7 p.m. — after the sun had gone down.
Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.), who was presiding over the House, said that the attire violated the ban on hats on the floor of the chamber. The rule dates back to 1837 and has been protested by Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), known for her flamboyant toppers.
“The chair finds that the donning of a hood is not consistent with this rule,” Harper said after Rush left the floor. “Members need to remove their hoods or leave the floor.”
The hoodie speech comes less than a day after House Judiciary Committee Democrats welcomed Trayvon Martin’s parents to a standing-room-only briefing on the case.
(Photo courtesy of C-SPAN)
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