Ferguson Cont’d

To riot or not to riot? That is the question…

The pending grand jury decision in the Ferguson case of Officer Darren Wilson where teenager Michael Brown was shot and killed, has politicians pleading for peace. The president has assured us all that race relations are much better than they were fifty years ago. Is anyone sensing a disconnect between the pleas of our executive and the preparations of the local leaders?

The governors, mayors and police chiefs are prepped and ready for pandemonium in the streets but, if we are as evolved in our acceptance of one another as we have been told then, *hehem*, why are such preparations necessary? Our country has transformed from the era of Jim Crow to see the two-time election of a black president. And yet Dyson, Sharpton and Jackson contend that the “system” is still rigged to protect the oppressive white majority that supports the killing of innocent, defenseless, unarmed black teens by white police officers.

These race hustlers espouse that the deaths of young black men by white police officers is an epidemic that must be protested and rioted against on the streets while being officially countered by the Department of Justice, which is (or rather was) headed by a black attorney general. Except (more confusion)… there is no epidemic. The simple narrative in this case is that a police officer, responding to a call concerning a strong-arm robbery (which was caught on video, and yep, it was Michael Brown) was then confronted by the same person (who turns out to be Michael Brown) who committed the robbery. The police officer was attacked and opened fire on his attacker. The social debate over why Michael Brown acted as he did or if there are enough police officers of color in Ferguson can occur, but the fact is, for those interested, that whether white, black, brown or whatever shade of the Technicolor Dreamcoat you choose, the ILLEGAL and DANGEROUS ACTIONS of Michael Brown himself led to his own death. Not his skin color. The actions of the police officer, under current law (which treats all officers of any color equally) were justified. His skin color is just as irrelevant.

SIDE NOTE: Where skin color does become relevant is in the statistics regarding overall homicides of black Americans. Over 90% of black people murdered die at the hands of another black person. Not a white police officer. Google “Chicago” and “shooting” at any time and fresh news stories will appear describing the relentless mayhem tormenting the Windy City. But no protesters riot. No visits by Sharpton or Jackson. No criticism by Michael Eric Dyson against that violence. Their interest only piques when denunciations of white privilege permit them to victimize black Americans, which inevitably leads to delusions of grandeur and shameless self promotion.

All Americans should take notice when a protector of the peace kills an unarmed civilian. Grand juries must convene to investigate and hold our societal officials accountable for their actions. In some cases, even when no wrongdoing has occurred, it may be impossible for these people to return to their jobs and engage in business as usual. The tragedy can be too great. I believe all of this will happen to Officer Darren Wilson. He was tragically forced to make a decision in response to the dangerous actions of a kid. Officer Wilson used his gun to shoot a teenager. And I believe his actions will be found to have been legal because he acted, not out of hate or racism, but in defense of himself and out of the possibility that others could be harmed as well. In this case, the system worked as it should. A teenager is dead and that’s a tragedy. A law-abiding police officer will likely never work again and that is a shame.

But let’s not forget that unlike those race hustlers who cling to hate as a means to support their own existence, there are Americans who, while still seeing race, can apply the principles of justice to anyone and everyone. And that is a dream come true.