The hooded sweatshirt Justyce wears in the first scene of Dear Martin comes to represent the fact that some police officers jump to conclusions about young black men based on their appearances. Shortly after Officer Castillo violently throws Justyce to the ground, he says, “I knew your punk ass was up to no good when I saw you walking down the road with that goddamn hood on.” This illustrates the extent to which Castillo has imbued Justyce’s hoodie with meaning, referencing it as a sign that Justyce is “up to no good.” Of course, the sweatshirt itself is from Justyce’s prestigious preparatory school and thus marks him not as a troubled criminal, but as high-achieving young man. Nevertheless, Castillo assumes that any young black man wearing a hoodie at night is a “punk,” so he doesn’t even stop to entertain the idea that Justyce is innocent. In this way, the hoodie stands for the biases and assumptions Justyce has to deal with simply because of the way he looks.
The Hoodie Quotes in Dear Martin
“Officer, this is a big misundersta—’’ he starts to say, but he doesn’t get to finish because the officer hits him in the face.
“Don’t you say shit to me, you son of a bitch. I knew your punk ass was up to no good when I saw you walking down the road with that goddamn hood on.”
So the hood was a bad idea. Earbuds too. Probably would’ve noticed he was being trailed without them. “But, Officer, I—”
“You keep your mouth shut.” The cop squats and gets right in Justyce’s face. “I know your kind; punks like you wander the streets of nice neighborhoods searching for prey. Just couldn’t resist the pretty white girl who’d locked her keys in her car, could ya?”
The Hoodie Symbol Timeline in Dear Martin
