I have wanted to write about what is happening in Ferguson, MO for some time, but the events are so confusing, I have been stuck on what to write.
In August a Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson, shot and killed an African- American teenager, Michael Brown. According to the articles I have read, Michael Brown and another teenager were caught on video stealing cigarillos from a liquor store. They proceeded to walk down the middle of the street. Officer Wilson stopped the two asking them to clear the street. He determined the two fit the description of the two men who stole from the liquor store. Officer Brown used his SUV to block the sidewalk and traffic. An altercation occurs while Officer Wilson is in his car. Shots are fired and Mr. Brown flees on foot with Officer Wilson in pursuit. What happens next is the source of controversy.
Mr. Brown turned and faced Officer Wilson. According to some, Mr. Brown was turning to put his hands up in surrender, to others he turned to threaten and rush the officer. Officer Wilson shot and killed Mr. Brown.
After the incident, the town has erupted with protests, riots, and looting. The distrust of the police, which already existed before the incident, was glaringly evident. At one point the governor opted to deploy the Missouri Highway Patrol to try to reestablish law and order.
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The incident was turned over to the Grand Jury to determine if a crime had been committed by the officer. On November 24th the Grand Jury chose not to indict Officer Wilson with the shooting death of Michael Brown. This has restarted the protests, not only in Ferguson, but across the country.
These are simple details of the events. If you are interested in the complete timeline, below is a link to the timeline from USA Today:
The entire incident is so confusing and troubling. I cannot make sense of the issue and how to resolve my feelings. I read a release from Benjamin Watson, a football player with the New Orleans Saints. His words helped me to at least reconcile why I am so torn by the events. His words are below:
Benjamin Watson 82,476 Likes
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At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my thoughts:
I'M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes.
I'M FRUSTRATED, because pop culture, music and movies glorify these types of police citizen altercations and promote an invincible attitude that continues to get young men killed in real life, away from safety movie sets and music studios.
I'M FEARFUL because in the back of my mind I know that although I'm a law abiding citizen I could still be looked upon as a "threat" to those who don't know me. So I will continue to have to go the extra mile to earn the benefit of the doubt.
I'M EMBARRASSED because the looting, violent protests, and law breaking only confirm, and in the minds of many, validate, the stereotypes and thus the inferior treatment.
I'M SAD, because another young life was lost from his family, the racial divide has widened, a community is in shambles, accusations, insensitivity hurt and hatred are boiling over, and we may never know the truth about what happened that day.
I'M SYMPATHETIC, because I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened. Maybe Darren Wilson acted within his rights and duty as an officer of the law and killed Michael Brown in self defense like any of us would in the circumstance. Now he has to fear the backlash against himself and his loved ones when he was only doing his job. What a horrible thing to endure. OR maybe he provoked Michael and ignited the series of events that led to him eventually murdering the young man to prove a point.
I'M OFFENDED, because of the insulting comments I've seen that are not only insensitive but dismissive to the painful experiences of others.
I'M CONFUSED, because I don't know why it's so hard to obey a policeman. You will not win!!! And I don't know why some policeman abuse their power. Power is a responsibility, not a weapon to brandish and lord over the populace.
I'M INTROSPECTIVE, because sometimes I want to take "our" side without looking at the facts in situations like these. Sometimes I feel like it's us against them. Sometimes I'm just as prejudiced as people I point fingers at. And that's not right. How can I look at white skin and make assumptions but not want assumptions made about me? That's not right.
I'M HOPELESS, because I've lived long enough to expect things like this to continue to happen. I'm not surprised and at some point my little children are going to inherit the weight of being a minority and all that it entails.
I'M HOPEFUL, because I know that while we still have race issues in America, we enjoy a much different normal than those of our parents and grandparents. I see it in my personal relationships with teammates, friends and mentors. And it's a beautiful thing.
I'M ENCOURAGED, because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn. BUT I'M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through the his son Jesus and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One that's capable of looking past the outward and seeing what's truly important in every human being. The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It's the Gospel. So, finally, I'M ENCOURAGED because the Gospel gives mankind hope.
What do you think can be done to help Ferguson heal and move forward in the immediate future? What needs to change in society to prevent these types of situations from occurring? I want you to think hard and provide a well thought out, articulate recommendation. I encourage you to talk to others about it to work out some ideas. I am not asking for you to tell me who is right or who is wrong. I want you to try to find an answer.
I think that Ferguson can move forward from this incident by just stopping the protesting and letting the officers and the courts figure it out by themselves. I would've been doing the same thing if I was in Ferguson but you need to trust that there won't be anymore officers like this and hope that everybody can get along and do the right thing. I think that we can prevent these type of thing from happening by just doing the right thing and not stealing. Just like Obama thinks, I think that we should let the officers have the guns and we just let it go. You should have to have a special permit to own a gun. I know that the police officer had a gun and killed a teenager and I also know that I said only officers should get to have guns, but I don't think there is anything else we can do. We just have to trust that people can make good decisions and we were just unlucky to have an officer like the one who shot and killed Michael Brown. I hope that his family will have a quit recovery and I hope we can all stop this violence from happening.
ReplyDeleteI think they need to unite as a community and accept the fact that riots and looting are only going to make things worse and that it isn't going to bring Michael back, sadly, but I am sure that Michael is in heaven looking down saying to God that he is sorry and that he never would have wanted this to happen when he was living. I think that if I could pick one thing that society needs to change is its overall attitude towards other people even when a tragedy like this occurs to have the self control to mourn in peace and understand that nothing can change what has been done and you have to just keep hope.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ferguson could have a memorial for the teenager. The police should have some sort of punishment too. What needs to change is that the police shouldn’t shoot attackers. They could tranquilize or zap them with a Taser. I do think that if the teen did survive they should be put in prison for stealing. Hopefully, as time passes, Ferguson will recover from this tragedy.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this is so irrational, because if they had shot a white man life would go on. Also if a (black) cop would have shot a white man life would be the same I think that their over reacting, and that they need to just drop it.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ferguson should work as a community, not against each other. It was wrong for the police officer to shoot Michael, also for Michael to steel, and try to hurt the officer. Two wrongs do not make a right. Sadly everyone is on one side or the other. I think the people of Ferguson should let go, and let the the courts and officers figure it out. Protesting and loitering is not doing anything good, but making the matter worse. I am not saying that Ferguson should not have the right to speak up, but they should not be rioting, they are totaly over reacting. If it where to be a black cop shooting a white cop I don't think there would be a whole riot. The cop was using self-defense, and Michel was young and probably did not realize what he was doing could get him killed. Hopefully Ferguson will put some consideration as to working together, and recover from this mishap.
ReplyDeleteI am so confused by this issue because we have guessed so many things that we have no evidence of. The one person who could help us clear things up for us is now dead. The thing is that if we could all let go of our stupid prejudiced/bigoted ideas and read our Constitution that says that ALL MEN ARE EQUAL, then we might have a chance of healing. I believe that we should just have everyone read a history book and see how the Civil war went and how they solved it because at this rate, we might be headed toward another one. It is scientifically proven that children who grow up with friends of different races don't know that their friends are any different than them. I hope we do that with the next generation, we could potentially have the next generation free of racism. I hate that we still can't all get along, no matter what our color. They have been legally free since 1863, but yet still people treat them differently! That is ridiculous and stupid and childish and I am ashamed that we are acting this way! We are accusing others because of their skin color. If a black policeman had shot a white man, no one would freak out and have to get the entire country involved. That is what is ridiculous. That after all these years that there is this much mistrust and hate against races. What have we done to try and prevent this? Has there always been this much anger in our country? I also think that this is being blown WAY out of preportion. Michael Brown is not a child, he is an adult. Not only an adult, but a 6 foot 300 pound adult. Not to mention that he was high and had just committed a robbery. If he came at me even looking mildly angered, I would freak out. I feel terrible for both the family of Michael and the police officers. They are both going through a great struggle right now and need our prayers. My point is this: If we don't fix these types of things and fast, we might have another civil war. I thought that history was meant to have us teach us our mistakes so that we don't make them again, and according to the news in Ferguson, we need to pick up our history books and find a solution before it is too late.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ferguson needs to work together as a community and work around the problem to find an answer. They can come together and talk about the right and the wrong doings in the whole situation. The could have asked what happened and got both sides of the story but the other side of the story is a dead man. I think that there should have been dispatch there earlier than they were. All men were created equal and right now in Ferguson, Missouri they are acting like we are still in slavery. People that are against the cop should think of themselves in his shoes. It could have been a total accident. For the immediate action and resolve they need to come together and work out the problem in a nice and polite way.
ReplyDeleteI am confused on what you could do to heal the bad situation in Ferguson, Mo., in a short period of time. If you try to get a leader to talk to the people of Ferguson, Mo they might not listen. If you try to bring in bigger forces, like the military, the people of Ferguson, Mo may become afraid. I don't think the government wants people to be afraid of them. The people of Ferguson, Mo may back lash with bigger forces which will lead to more violence. I truly don't know any way any someone can solve this problem without violence or fear of the government in the immediate future. If America educates people to make them aware of the outcomes. The people may realize it is not a good idea to hurt anyone. The government might be able to take away some violence, but there are always going to be people who will make bad choices. America will also have to recognize the red flags that show that people are going to jeopardize other people’s lives, in other situations. We should also wait for what the court says and not always believe the media.
ReplyDeleteI think Ferguson should just move on. The people don't need to keep rioting and looting. Ok, i get that you are very mad, but this has now been going on for like 3 months. I mean, this just needs to end. Doing this stuff does not help one bit. It makes it so much worse. This incident happened like 3 months ago, get over it. I just don't get it. First of all, The boys should have stolen stuff or disobeyed the officer. You can't win over an officer. I mean, come on. They have weapons. Second of all, the officer shouldn't have shot at them. I mean, he could have just told them to stop, and make them suspects for the robbery or arrested them. If something more like that would have happened, Michael Brown would probably still be living. I think the officer should be charged. There wasn't a very good reason for him to shoot at the boys. To change this, people just need to listen to the police, stop doing bad things, and just get over incidents like this more quickly. Don't start rioting and looting a lot. I mean, a little bit of peaceful rioting is alright at first. But, for like 3 months straight, I mean that is juat rediculous. It makes it a lot worse. I am repeating myself, but I want people to realize that doing a lot of this makes things much worse. They just need to stop. Just let the police figure it out and GET OVER IT. Just STOP and everything will be fine. You guys are overeacting way to much! Just STOP!
ReplyDeleteWe need to be more careful on who we shoot. The boy might have been turning around to surrender. So we should be very careful. We need to stop thinking about that situation its been since August. People need to think about the present not the past.
ReplyDeleteI think Ferguson needs work to gather and try to figure out how to solve this problem.They need to stop looting and all the riots because this solves nothing. Its been long enough they need to drop it and move on but i understand they are very mad They need to work together as a community and stop all this. People are also forgetting about what happened before the shooting.People are only talking about the shooting what about when he robed the store and was walking in the middle of the road.Then he refused to listen to the officer and started fighting him and wrestling with him for his gun. He did a lot of wrong things that all led up to the shooting. The people of Ferguson need to stop all the riots and robberies because it really isn't solving anything So they need to accept that it is over so STOP!
ReplyDeleteI think that the people need to forget about the issue for a moment and despite their disagreements and find what they all have in common. God is what they all have in common he loves them unconditionally and if they all would turn to God with their problems he will fix everything. To prevent these things from happening I think people need to talk about the small things and work them out before big things happen. I think that there also needs to be trust that the police will do their job. The police need to do their job correct and earn the trust given.
ReplyDeleteI think of the people should just dropout and move on i has been like 3 months sense this happened . I think that should not get in to all of this stuff with people getting shout and stealing al of the stuff from the stores.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ferguson can move on by helping to stop the rioting and looting. I think that the people who are looting and rioting are making a too big of a deal out of this and need to move. I think that people need to find out a better way to remember Micheal then defending his death. God has a plan for all of us and this is his plan for Micheal. This problem has gone too far. God does not want his people fighting each other but to give everyone equal respect. I don't understand what all of this looting and riots can accomplish. All it can is fighting and anger. I think that the people who are doing this are looking at it the wrong way. They are looking it as a sign of racist and this is NOT true. I see both sides of this story but I don't see the logic behind all of this fighting. It has happened and we need to move. It makes me sad, ashamed, and angry when I see people fighting. We are living in a land where all men are equal and this is what we are doing? The Jury has made his decision and that is it. We need to trust God and right now we are not doing that. We need to stop fighting. It doesn't solve problems. It only creates more.
ReplyDeleteI think that the officer was doing his job because he was protecting himself and defending himself because he felt threatened. In the state of Missouri you as a citizen are aloud to protect yourself. When a 300 pound 6 foot 4 man or teenager turns around I would feel threatened. Also, the police officer was a lot smaller than the black kid. the people obviously need to figure out a way to solve the because there is no way to really figure out who was wrong or right. there is no recordings although the kid did attack the police officer and try to use he weapon against him. they need to look at both sides of the story because they aren't and they will never sole the problem unless they compromise.
ReplyDeleteTo me the officer was just doing what the law says he can do. If a 300lb 6ft 4in guy was threatening me and trying to steal my weapon I would fight back. I wouldn't let him just injure me. In Missouri you do have the right to defend yourself to the death if someone is threatening you. He was threatened by this boy so legally he had the right to defend himself. But I'm not saying that is wrong. He could've done it because he was a totally racist man. You have to look at both sides of the story and not just say that he was racist because he could've been really not!
ReplyDeleteI think FERGUSON should move on. The 23 year old police was trying to do his job. When Michael Brown turned around and he got shot and was killed. The Police was trying to protect him self. But once he was attacked once he probably thought he was going to get attacked again. When a police officer tells you to stop and answer some questions YOU DO IT DON'T SAY NO!!!! I mean this kiosk has gone too far. It has been three months since this has happened. I do feel really bad for Brown's family and the police's. But you don't have to crate this big kiosk.It's like a war. None of this could of happened if Michael Brown LISTENED TO THE OFFICER.My point is this; people die it's part of life. Teenagers die in car crashes,cancer,drugs. We don't make get mad at the person who hit them. I get that people are sad about Michael Browns death and is mad at the police officer. But you don't have to make it seem like war. A love one dies ok your really sad but you don't have to go in the streets and burn the police cars. You move on just like the rest of us. Uncle dies from cancer your really sad. After a year or so you move on. Was shooting six bolts at Michael Brown really was necessary no it was not. It also doesn't matter what side you are on what matters is what is right and what is wrong. WORK TOGETHER!!!
ReplyDeleteI think Ferguson can move forward if we stop rioting and looting. I also think we need to educate everyone not to commit crimes and not to attack policemen.
ReplyDeleteI think that people should calm down, there is really no reson to be mad at all, I mean you arent going to change anything the case has already been closed and there is good evidence that the cop was freaking and though he was in danger. Your chant is,"hands up dont shoot!" he didnt put his hands up and he didnt say dont shoot. HE isnt racist he is hust doing his job. I dont think we can change anything about racism because we are already doing SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much.
ReplyDeleteWhat I think can help Ferguson heal and move forward is for them to help build trust in the police force. If the city trusts the police force there will be less unrest in the community. They could do this by doing actions with the community, which in turn will build trust in the community like doing community service. One of the things we need to change in society is the way we see things. This could be done be teaching kids to see both sides of the argument in school. Some people refuse to see both sides and that is what leads to violent protests. If you protest peacefully I believe your seeing both sides. If you are violently protesting you are arguing. If you are protesting peaceful you are asking and I think asking is better than arguing.
ReplyDeleteWhat I think will help Ferguson heal is hiring more black police officers to help build more trust in the police force. I also think the community in Ferguson needs to be reminded that violence is not the answer I think what needs to change is that people need to obey the law more and not just think of it as an option. I also think that officer Wilson didn't need to fire 6 shots.
ReplyDeleteI think no one is going to win in Ferguson. I think the black community is kind of using this as an excuse to get attention and fight the white people. It's not going to help with bringing a war zone to Fergson. I think one of the white Missouri leaders could apologize for any racial biasts in the past. Also the leader of the Ferguson Black Movement could apologize for all the trouble and distrust they have caused in Ferguson. I think apologizes from both sides will do a lot. ALL I CAN SAY TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY IS WHAT WOULD DR. KING DO?
ReplyDeleteI think that the black community should stop rioting and rampaging the street if they want to end it, but the police should also try to keep within reason the amount of force put into stopping the riots because if the people want to destroy their town then let, because they should know that the riots cause harm and that they are ruining their town. I don't think that anyone will win EVER because there is always a skeptic who will judge everyone for their differences but I also don't think that this is completely about the differences of the people in Ferguson, I think that life is hard for everyone but when the black community has a bad day they need see someone to blame and they look back and see the mistreatment and think that history is repeating and whites are mistreating them for being different.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ferguson needs to slow down and consider everybody's side of the story. The people who have been rampaging and rioting should consider something else other than the idea that the Michael Brown shooting was murder. They could consider that it could also have been 1, self-defense, or the fact that 2, he had actually robbed a store. The people who have thought that the police officer was shooting in defense, should consider that maybe Michael did put his hands up or that maybe the police officer did use excessive force. I think that either way, everyone has GOT to stop using such destructive methods to prove their point or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI feel the media needs to stop feeding the hype and and sesationalizes the facts surronfing the Michael Brown case. Furguson would benift from the media backing off the story and let them sort thru the issues on thier own. I dont think they would have rioted and looted if the news was there preptuating the vilonce.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ferguson needs to stop the protest and move on the incident and worry about other things that might be happening in Ferguson. What needs to change is that young people have to stop stealing and disobeying the law. The people in Ferguson should worry about it but not to much. But it is not bad that they are worrying about it because officer Wilson did not need to fire 6 shots at him.
ReplyDeleteI think that what will help Ferguson heal in the immediate future is to take a deep breath and to listen to each others side of the story. What should be different in the society is equal representation and law enforcement. I think that the police department should recruit more black police officers. Maybe if there are more black officers in a black community there will be less racialness against the police department and the people.
ReplyDeleteI think they should all say sorry and move on. I think they should also not use guns unless it is a real emergency.
ReplyDeleteI think it would help if each side of the story listened to one another. I think that everyone just thinks that they are right and do not want to listen to the police officer who killed the kid, but if both sides slowed down and just listened it would be easier to solve the problem. The officer had a right to defend himself, but if the kid did have his hands up and wasn't going to hurt the officer then he should't have shot him, but there is not enough evidence to know.
ReplyDeleteI think that they should say sorry and I am so confused by this issue because we have guessed so many things that we have no evidence of. The one person who could help us clear things up for us is now dead. The thing is that if we could all let go of our stupid prejudiced/bigoted ideas and read our Constitution that says that ALL MEN ARE EQUAL, then we might have a chance of healing. I believe that we should just have everyone read a history book and see how the Civil war went and how they solved it because at this rate, we might be headed toward another one. It is scientifically proven that children who grow up with friends of different races don't know that their friends are any different than them. I hope we do that with the next generation, we could potentially have the next generation free of racism. I hate that we still can't all get along, no matter what our color. They have been legally free since 1863, but yet still people treat them differently! That is ridiculous and stupid and childish and I am ashamed that we are acting this way! We are accusing others because of their skin color. If a black policeman had shot a white man, no one would freak out and have to get the entire country involved. That is what is ridiculous. That after all these years that there is this much mistrust and hate against races. What have we done to try and prevent this? Has there always been this much anger in our country? I also think that this is being blown WAY out of proportion. Michael Brown is not a child, he is an adult. Not only an adult, but a 6 foot 300 pound adult. Not to mention that he was high and had just committed a robbery. If he came at me even looking mildly angered, I would freak out. I feel terrible for both the family of Michael and the police officers. They are both going through a great struggle right now and need our prayers. My point is this: If we don't fix these types of things and fast, we might have another civil war. I thought that history was meant to have us teach us our mistakes so that we don't make them again, and according to the news in Ferguson, we need to pick up our history books and find a solution before it is too late
ReplyDeleteFerguson is crazy right now and it's scary I feel bad that Michael Brown had to die but with the same thing be happy if Michael Brown is white? It's hard for me to understand how to fix this and I think that's the same problem everybody's having everybody's mad but who is there to be mad at? All of societies a little shook up right now especially Ferguson and I think that if everyone just calm down and excepted a little bit of what happened and everything might just turn out better there's no exact way to fix this and only two people know what really happened so instead of trying to fix it people should understand that is in the past and maybe even try to get over it because even though it's sad and tragic nothing can change it so Why try?
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