From the article: "People in the 'hood die everyday,'' 17-year-old La'Raysha Robinson said. "People don't make a big deal out of it, especially when a black man kills another black man. But now that someone else is killing us, it's a problem.'' _____________________________________________________ Ms. Robinson brings up something that I constantly ask....why is there so much outrage, protests, rallies, appearances by Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson....when a black person is killed by a white person... ...and yet when you have such horrible tragedies like the massacre in Mattapan in which 4 people (including a 2 year old baby) are killed...and not much happens? Do Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and those 'national figures' of the African American rights movement only show up when blacks are killed by other races, but decline to rally for those killed by their own race? Where is the outrage then? Keep on asking those pressing questions about your community La'Raysha, and lets both hope that one day we can see that question answered.

Great point Ron7236! I thought the same thing. And if I read "white" and Hispanic one more time I think I am going to vomit. When Globe writers start referring to our current president as a "White-African American than I will accept this term.

---"Students at New Mission High see themselves in the images of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black Florida teen who was killed after he appeared to be up to no good." That is how your lead in piece from Boston.com reads. Your caption writer point us to the heart of the matter. We do not know that Trayvan 'appeared to be up to no good.' We only know for a fact that he 'appeared'... as in appeared to be walking home from the store with candy and a drink, or appeared to be walking down the sidewalk speaking to his girl friend by phone. ...unknowingly perhaps you have exposed the central issue, young black men only have to 'appear' to be assumed to be up to no good.

When young people of any race can look forward to having a job, making a living, and being able to support themselves independently with a legal income the entire picture will change. With so many jobs sent out of the country, with so little manufacturing done here, with so few people having so much of the country's wealth, the prospects for young people are dim. Ultimately it really doesn't matter if you wear a hoodie and slouched pants, or polyester and alligators. Having a sense of belonging and being able to contribute only comes with a very different economic world than has been crafted over the past forty years.

To paraphrase John Kennedy: Sometimes it's necessary to not ask what your country can do for you, but to ask instead, what you might do for yourself (and the brothers and sisters of your race). It seems to me that the central issue of this particular case is vigilantism run amok. But that's not to say there are not other lessons, here. Unfortunately, the truth that no one seems to want to raise or discuss around this issue is that young black men are "perceived" as one of the most violent segments of our society. Unfortunately, one need only check the statistics on incarceration to understand the likely source of this perception. And yes, there's always at least some truth in perception. I can understand that a person's pride of character, and especially a proud and particularly courageous young person (I think of a young Nina Simone), might respond to this situation by saying "too bad, I'm going to do my things my way, anyway"; in other words, continue to look like one of my brothers or sisters "in the hood." But isn't this the equivalent of consciously deciding to go to an interview in "hood" clothing? What is the outcome of that action likely to be? My guess - no job. Hardly, the DESIRED outcome. At the end of the day, pride comes at a cost... That's the message I would like to share (genuinely, sincerely and with best intentions...) with La'Raysha and other young black men and women who might be reading this. Don't know the solution, Truly, don't. But perhaps it includes taking some "ownership" for your own decisions and actions, and of those you can or might influence.

Hoodies became popular for one reason. They make it difficult to identify someone. Maybe most of the kids wearing them are nice kids thinking they are fashionable, but I don't know that. White or black, teen or 40ish, someone approaches me on a warm evening and they are wearing a hood over their heads, I am just as leery as if they had a ski mask on.

I have mixed emotions after reading this article. I can hear the kids' complaint about snap judgments being made about them based on attire. I've seen fellow Silver Line riders, for example, visibly tense up when a group of black teen males in "street attire" get on the bus. (I live in the South End.) [NEW PARAGRAPH] On the other hand, I'm not picking up on much introspection by the interviewed kids. They either don't see or won't see how traits others associate with "hoodies" (e.g., loud "trash" talking) may lead to stereotypes. As well, there seems to be a subtle sense of "victimhood" at work in their psyches. Specifically, they lament the lack of broad concern about black-on-black crime. Well, what sort of stand are people in **their** communities making? Are parents responding by more carefully screening their kids' friends or enforcing nightly curfews? Do the kids shun bad apples in their midst. . . or try to emulate them? Again, I'm having a mixed reaction to this piece.