Social Topic #6: Ferguson
So I don't know if I have a stance on this one. I feel, however, that I don't understand what's really going on. The forensic evidence clearly showed that Michael Brown had some part of his body within Officer Wilson's police car (Mr. Brown's blood was found in the car) and that Michael Brown was trying to grab Officer Wilson's firearm (Mr. Brown had burns on his hands from the hot gun barrel). What are the riots and mayhem really about? Is this a systemic, national problem of abuse of police powers specifically aimed at African Americans that just happened to find its powder keg in a St. Louis suburb rather than a more common urban area like NY, Chicago or LA? What I am looking for here is someone who can help me understand what the protesters and rioters are really upset about.
I took a moment to possibly attempt an answer...but know first and foremost I don't claim to know it all or have it all right...but I do know the end of my answer is without a doubt spot on!
I concur in that the facts of the case itself as laid out in
front of the grand jury (anyone questioning NY Times and other sources have the
released documents in GREAT length to read through, google search will reveal
the official docs). Michael Brown did in fact fight in the car with the officer…and
at some point his hand came in contact with a firearm being/recently fired
explaining the burn marks. Everything in the case itself points towards justice
was served…however mistreatment to the victim did occur…which I feel is part of
the reasoning for the issues.
One such mistreatment is the amount of time Michael Brown’s
body simply lay in the streets un-touched or shielded from view…surrounding
vehicles, a sheet or shoot a tent would have been more respectable to a death
and family of the deceased than what was done.
However, that in and of itself isn’t enough for this keg to
explode like it has. In part it is due to misinformation and confirmed lies to
news reporters and investigators of how Michael Brown had done no wrong at all,
and the whole “Hands up, don’t shoot” phenomenon started by now discredited statements
made by his acquaintance walking with him at the time.
Those words heard over the nations’ multitude of news
stations triggered many a pent up or frustrated feeling amongst many African
Americans with ill feelings or experiences with law enforcement…and let’s face
it, the community of Ferguson is when judging criminal records, have its
fair share of folks not “cop friendly” for many reasons (some most likely justified and others not). This added powder to
the keg.
Then there are the proven cases of cops abusing their power,
and in some cases race is a factor (but not always as some would make us
think). Without a doubt profiling occurs, and without a doubt more African American
young males statistical are most likely on the receiving end of this….but this
isn’t without justification proven by
crime records proving a young African American male is more likely to commit a
crime than that of a white, Hispanic or Asian background. A fact that most likely is why more young African American males probably get looked at longer,
suspected more and questioned at a higher frequency than any of their counter
parts. Many feel this is an injustice and many have their freedoms threatened
by cops assuming they’re “up to no good” (again some most likely are justified and others not). Add more powder to the keg.
However, this paragraph is where I feel the BIGGEST aspect
of why all the frustration and rioting is occurring. There is a common misnomer
in culture that something is always to blame for what is going on…that
something is always on the outside or exterior portions of our lives. I don’t
cast a broad net to all African Americans but I do feel that there are a good
number of African Americans that are afraid to accept the fact the problem isn’t
with the law enforcement or the rules concerning how cops are reprimanded…or
the imbalanced make up of the grand jury….or anything else…THE PROBLEM IS THE
FAMILY CULTURE INSIDE THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY (same to be said for ANY nationality too!). I work with a lady who
mentions all the time “In the black community you don’t do that…or you’d be a
snitch and snitches get stitches…” It’s a sad state of affairs when your
community, culture or family concepts view doing the right thing as wrong and
teaches you to be fearful of law enforcement. So just like many of us scream
about others issues to hide our own or are really good at pointing the finger
to avoid dealing with our own skeletons we just simply deflect…that is what I
see this as; ONE HUGE DEFLECTION.
Now I’m not saying nothing can come from all that has been
brought up. More training to law enforcement, body cams and the such are all
great things that should come from this and truly are good things. However, we
are going to miss the biggest thing that should come out of this and that is
attempting to re-construct the family and cultural make up of not just the
African American community but that of the Urban communities….and EVERY
COMMUNITY IN AMERICA. The family structure once present in America is gone, and
gone with it is any sense of what it means to be human in many ways.
But looking inward like that and striving to re-build
families would involve accepting the importance of family and the structure of
its design...just as God intended it to be. Ugh-oh…I said the key word…CNN is
gonna cut me off. Perhaps if we worried a little more about God and Family…everything
else would solve itself.
I stand with Officer Wilson.
My mind worries for Ferguson.
My heart breaks with the Browns.
Most importantly though I pray God takes it
all and He is found through it.
