“This guy looks like he’s up to no good … he looks black,” Zimmerman told a police dispatcher from his car. His father has said that Zimmerman is Hispanic, grew up in a multiracial family, and is not racist.
The quote gives the impression Zimmer was somehow equating the fact that Martin was black with his looking suspicious, or "up to no good." Here is what MSNBC/NBC News left out thanks to a convenient ellipsis.
Here is the actual quote, and a totally different meaning.
ZIMMERMAN: This guy looks like he's up to no good, [begin ellipsis] or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about.
911 DISPATCHER: Okay, is this guy, is he white, black, or Hispanic? [end ellipsis]
ZIMMERMAN: He looks black.
Not only did Zimmerman not equate Martin's skin color with his looking suspicious; he didn't even initiate the comment. It was simply a response to the police dispatcher.
See complete tale here.
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