The mystery of the 7-11 and the Skittles
Zimmerman didn’t “profile” Martin. It’s clear from the 911 tape (the unabridged one, not the fake NBC version) that Zimmerman didn’t even know Martin’s race, when he decided to check further. (Martin was hiding his face in a hoodie.)
Zimmerman is sitting in his truck. It doesn’t seem like Martin was trying to hide his face in a hoodie at all.
911 dispatcher:
OK, is he White, Black, or Hispanic?
Zimmerman:
He looks black.
911 dispatcher:
Did you see what he was wearing?
Zimmerman:
Yeah, a dark hoodie like a gray hoodie. He wore jeans or sweat pants and white tennis shoes. He’s here now … he’s just staring. [00:42]
911 dispatcher:
He’s just walking around the area, the houses? OK.
Zimmerman:
Now he’s staring at me. [00:48]
911 dispatcher:
OK, you said that’s 1111 Retreat View or 111?
Zimmerman:
That’s the clubhouse.
911 dispatcher:
He’s near the clubhouse now?
Zimmerman:
Yeah, now he’s coming toward me. He’s got his hands in his waist band.
And he’s a black male.[1:03]
911 dispatcher:
How old would you say he is?
Zimmerman:
He’s got something on his shirt. About like his late teens.
911 dispatcher:
Late teens?
Zimmerman:
Uh, huh.
If you listen to the recording, you might get a different impression than you would from just reading the transcript (I did). When the dispatcher asks whether Martin is white, black or hispanic, Zimmerman pauses for a couple of beats before answering. He then stresses “looks” — indicating (to me, at least) that he still wasn't sure; but wanted to provide an answer to the dispatcher.
I made a particular point of listening to the 911 recording; because, the doctored 911 clip NBC played seemed to be such convincing proof of profiling. The actual recording gave me the opposite impression.
“Yeah, now he’s coming toward me. He’s got his hands in his waist band.”
Young black males often do this as an itimidation tactic to scare people into think they are armed, since it is their custom to wear their pistols without holsters and in the front waistband.