Rep. Bobby Rush Kicked Off House Floor for Wearing Hoodie in Support of Trayvon Martin
As Rush began his speech, he was in his regular glasses and suit. But as he continued, he exchanged his regular glasses for sunglasses and took off his jacket to reveal a gray hoodie.Rep. Greg Harper (R-Miss), who was presiding over the House floor, repeatedly hit his gavel down saying Rep. Rush was out of order. Rep. Harper repeatedly said, "The member will suspend." Rep. Rush continued his speech.
After Rush was taken off the floor, Harper said he was in violation of a rule that bans the wearing of hats while the House is in session.
"I don't mind being out of order if it means standing up for freedom and justice and human dignity. This is just another part of the struggle," Rush said.
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Watch Rep. Rush Kicked Off House Floor for Wearing Hoodie on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.
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PBS The Rundown: Rep. Rush Kicked Off Floor for Wearing Hoodie in Support of Trayvon MartinNational protests over the shooting and killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in central Florida last month have swept the nation, and Wednesday, they landed on the House floor.
Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., didn't appear out of the ordinary as he began to read from prepared remarks for the sparsely attended session known as morning hour.
Rush called Martin's death an "American tragedy that too often is repeated in the streets of our nation," and then derided "the real hoodlums in this nation who wear quasi-official clothes." Rush then took off his suit jacket, exposing a hooded sweatshirt. He pulled the hood over his head and put on large black sunglasses, a symbol that has been frequently seen on college campuses as the country discusses what happened to Martin.
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