What’s happening in Ferguson, MO right now is literally history in the making. It is a clash between races, classes, and, well, the people and the police.
The arguments that have arisen are…wrong. Not because anyone is making a bad argument, but because people want to settle in extremes. We want right and wrong to be clearly defined. We want to know that standing up for something means we’re right, and anyone against us is wrong.
But life doesn’t work that way. In the case of Ferguson, life happened. A young man was killed by a police officer. That’s a simple statement for a very complex story, but I say that because 1) a criminal wasn’t killed by a cop and 2) an innocent wasn’t murdered by an officer.
Missouri , St. Louis in particular, is a known place for violent racial controversy. As far back as 1833 abolitionists have been fighting against slavery. Elijah Lovejoy was killed for printing articles about abolishing slavery, Frances Dana Gage had her house burned many times because she was outspoken about getting rid of slavery, and Dred Scott, the very famous case of a black man suing for his freedom, started in 1846. These people stood against generations of slavery and risked their lives for a brighter future.
Missouri has deep racial issues that are coming to a head right now. Even if we can’t say for certain that this crime was triggered by race, these are still issues we have to take into consideration. The people of Missouri are continuing a tradition of standing against oppression, but the question still remains, even if it’s a hard one to ask, was this a racial issue or something else?
From what I gather, all the things I’ve read and watched on the subject, a young man robbed a store, impeded traffic, and was approached by a police officer who overreacted to a tense young man and killed him.
I absolutely think the death of this young man is uncalled for. A police officer is supposed to protect and serve. He should not be trained to kill and abuse. In this scenario the officer should have apprehended his suspect, not shot him. This officer should have put cuffs on the young man, not bullets. And I think the officer should be investigated and charged accordingly.
However, I do not think the young man is entirely innocent. I think he had just stolen something from a store, was jaywalking, and was afraid of the police officer approaching him. I think this young man reacted nervously, in an uncooperative manner, and possibly ran. Instead of backing down, letting the situation fizzle out, the young man reacted badly.
And truth is, it was an experienced cop against a scared teen. Albeit a teen known for inappropriate behavior.
Another truth: only two people really know what transpired on that street in Ferguson. One of them is dead and the other is the most unreliable eye witness there is.
“I have a great respect for people in uniform.” They do a job less than two percent of the population wants to do. They risk their lives for low pay and little benefit. They are no more corrupt than any other organization.
I also have respect for the people. We have every right to question unjust and unnecessary punishment. Our constitution gives us every right to protest peacefully and hold our protectors responsible for their actions.
But I recognize both sides. I recognize that both parties are pushing their points and ignoring countering evidence. It’s easy to use statistics when they prove your point. But just because a statistic doesn’t fit your model doesn’t mean you ignore it. Men and women of all races, genders, ages, and orientation are killed every day. Some of them are innocent, some of them are not. We choose what articles we read, what cases we make public, and what injustices we want to talk about. We also make these choices emotionally.
It’s impossible to focus on every injustice. The key is to recognize that one injustice does not sum up all of them. In a global fashion, no one is a minority. No one is part of a smaller percentage.
I stand mostly by the people who were robbed of a person they loved and wanted the best for. I stand by a young man who was robbed of his life long before his time. I stand by the idea that America’s police force should be demilitarized and retrained to protect.
