While many across the country have expressed outrage over the not-guilty verdict for George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin, The Wire creator David Simon in a new blog post has gone as far as to say he is "ashamed to call himself an American."
The former writer of the popular HBO series previously spent 12 years as a crime reporter in Baltimore. He has his turned his experience into award-winning series that tackle difficult subjects such as race, drugs, poverty and corruption.
"If I were a person of color in Florida, I would pick up a brick and start walking toward that courthouse in Sanford," Simon wrote, before acknowledging that those who chose to resist the temptation of violence are "are testament to a stoic tolerance that is more than the rest of us deserve. I confess, their patience and patriotism is well beyond my own."
Many commenters blasted the writer for promoting violent acts and stirring the pot, with one challenging Simon to prove that Zimmerman's actions in shooting Martin were racist. But Simon quickly shot back: "I don't think Mr. Zimmerman is by any necessity a racist. But his calculations and his behaviors were racially motivated."