'Shocking' video of disgraced YouTuber Shane Dawson mocking victim of police brutality resurfaces

A video of YouTuber Shane Dawson joking about the death of Trayvon Martin, a Black teenager who was shot dead by a white man, has resurfaced.

In the video, Dawson is playing a game with fellow YouTubers Steve Greene and Nikki Limo in which he is supposed to say something negative about whoever's name he picks out of a pot.

Picking the name Trayvon Martin, Dawson comments "maybe you wouldn't have been walking around the streets if you had a job".

Martin was killed by George Zimmerman, who thought he looked "suspicious" after leaving a shop in Sanford, Florida in 2012. Zimmerman was later acquitted of manslaughter.

Greene and Limo addressed their participation in the video from 2014, which was originally posted on Greene's channel but later deleted.

They explained that their intention behind creating the challenge was to make list of people "so pure and good it's impossible to roast them" and that "the joke was not on the people on the list".

Responding to the criticism that they were laughing at Dawson's joke, they said "we don't think like that, that's not who we are".

The apology was not generally well received, with people questioning why Trayvon Martin's name was even put in the pot.

Multiple videos of Dawson making shocking and inappropriate jokes and wearing blackface have resurfaced in recent days.

Those taking a stand against the YouTuber include Jaden Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith who accused him of "sexualising" Willow Smith when she was a child.

Dawson was also accused of anti-semitism and making inappropriate sexual comments about children.

Initially, Dawson refused to engage with the slew of criticism, saying he was "too sensitive" to face up to it.

He then posted a video about 'taking accountability' in which he discussed the racist and stereotypical videos he would frequently post to his YouTube channels before he rebranded himself first as someone who posts long form 'conspiracy' videos and later as someone involved in the online beauty community.

Criticisms of Dawson's past videos and comments have surged up several times over the years, often resulting in him posting an apology video then moving on with his career.

People are questioning whether this time such criticisms will actually stick.

But there has never been a cancelling of Shane Dawson quite on this scale, and people are disgusted by his comments about Trayvon Martin.

It now remains to be seen whether this wave of criticism will actually make a lasting impact on the YouTube career that has amassed Dawson a reporterd $12 million.

indy100 attempted to contact Dawson for comment, if he responds we'll let you know.

UPDATE (06.07.20): This article has been updated to make clear that George Zimmerman did not shoot Trayvon Martin while serving as a police officer.