Tipsheet

Jamie Foxx Offers Opinion in Trayvon Martin Case

When he’s not calling President Obama our “Lord and Savior” or bragging to a Saturday Night Live audience how he got to “kill all the white people” in his film Django Unchained, apparently actor Jamie Foxx likes to judge an ongoing murder case. At this weekend’s BET awards, Foxx waltzed on stage to accept his “Best Actor” trophy wearing a shirt with a black and white picture of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old who was killed in February 2012 by George Zimmerman, who claims he acted in self-defense.

The facts are still being collected and considered, the witnesses are still testifying, and no verdict is yet in sight. But, apparently Foxx doesn’t see anything inappropriate with making such a statement, even a silent one, in the midst of an ongoing trial. This isn’t the first time Foxx wore controversial apparel. At the MTV Movie Awards in April, Foxx wore another shirt featuring Trayvon Martin surrounded by the young victims of Newtown, displayed with the words, “Know Justice, Know Peace.” Foxx may assume the Trayvon Martin trial is a closed case, but last I checked he’s not a member of the jury. But even more disturbing than his wardrobe was his acceptance speech. As Foxx held his BET award, he proudly announced, “We’re living in a world of Djangos.” If you’re unfamiliar with the film, Django is a former slave who gets revenge by going on a violent killing spree. What a nice world we live in.

Recently, at the premiere of his new movie White House Down in Washington, DC, Foxx declared he’s not looking to seek office anytime soon, claiming politics are too “polarizing.” The actor only has to listen to his speeches and look at his wardrobe to see he’s not doing his fair share of helping to bridge the political divide.

Unfortunately, the audience cheered after each of Foxx’s racially charged statements, when he should have been booed off the stage.