If you have been reading the news over the last several days, the horrific execution style murder of 18 year old Michael Brown is devastating. A life so full of potential (He was to begin college on Monday of this week, but life was taken two days prior) and the fact that a mother, just two months after watching her baby boy receive his high school diploma, is now preparing to bury him.
No matter what your views are, or what you have heard about the case: Nothing and I do mean nothing, justifies an officer of the law, who makes a solemn oath to serve and protect, shooting an unarmed individual 8-10 times.
I think we can all agree that it is barbaric, and that he should be punished to the full extent of the law (Let me remind you, as of this moment, he still a free man, and his superiors are refusing to identify him, much less punish him).
But on a larger scale, what is just as horrific as the murder itself, are the shenanigans occurring in Ferguson, by the local police.
On Sunday night, thousands gathered for a prayer vigil as a show of support for Mr. Brown's family and to promote healing. Ferguson's finest (and I use that term loosely), show up with riot gear, tear gas, and attack dogs. Now I ask you, if there is a prayer vigil going on, why show up with all of the unnecessary drama? You are trained officers, who are supposed to diffuse, not escalate, situations right? I also want to mention that when they showed up with the attack dogs, two children were bitten. Imagine as a parent sharing this civil rights experience with your children, only to have them harmed, what would your reaction be? The scene was nothing short of something out of a 1950's civil rights march, only this is not 1950....it is 2014.
Fast forward to Monday night, Ferguson's finest again tell individuals who are peacefully assembling to go home or either be arrested, and refuse to even allow journalists to videotape and report on what is going on....sounds fishy to me and certainly a violation of Constitutional rights (Of course, Conservatives only care about the Constitution when individuals are of a lighter skin hue).
Racist Conservatives (Yes, I believe 99.9% of you who call yourself Conservatives are racists, you just don't wear hoods and burn crosses, but the sentiment is the same) said the protesters were savages, black intellectuals (I used the intellectual term loosely) called for peace and admonished the people of Ferguson for their anger, and I am telling both to stand down and basically, shut up.
When your back is against the wall, when your children are being murdered for walking while black, when there is only systematic poverty and desolation, and the people who are sworn to serve and protect you, only want to kill you and then lie about it after the fact, what recourse do you have?
I am not getting into the right or wrong of the citizens' reactions, but I am saying that I understand. I think all of you, if you step outside of your political correctness, your privileged lifestyles, you could actually understand as well.
Remember understanding is not condoning or acceptance, it is simply understanding!
Until next time.....
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