In response to the fatal shooting of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin, the Red Hot Chili Peppers donned custom-made hoodies on stage in Tampa last night. The shirts bear Martin’s name and the phrase “stand what ground” - a reference to Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, which states that deadly force used in self-defense does not necessitate arrest. The shooter, George Zimmerman, claims he shot in self-defense after telling police that Martin, who was walking down the street wearing a hoodie, looked “like he is up to no good.”
Flea tweeted the above close-up of the hoodie with the caption, “The hoodies we are giving away to friends in Florida who want em,” and later adding, “Sorry we only made a couple Hun of the hoodies to give away. Don’t wanna sell em. My little heart is happy people like em.”
Here’s a pic of the band in their hoodies on stage in Tampa last night, the opening night of their 2012 world tour. The tour was set to begin January 20, but was postponed after Anthony Kiedis sustained a pretty gruesome-sounding foot injury. The full schedule of U.S. and European dates is available here.
