I’m sure that you’ve read/seen/heard about Michael Brown and the fact that he was shot down in the middle of broad daylight in Ferguson, Missouri. And I’m sure you’ve heard of the riots that occurred after the incident.
Thus far, I have kept quiet about the issue, because I get too upset to even put my thoughts into words.
But now, I feel that I can put my feelings into words, and I’m going to write them here.
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I am not from Ferguson, Missouri. But I am from Florissant, Missouri, which is a city that shares a border with Ferguson. In fact, Ferguson and Florissant share a school district… The Ferguson-Florissant School District. I know a lot of people in Ferguson. I’ve spent a lot of time in Ferguson. This matter does hit close to home.
I was raised in a family of police officers. Just about every single one of my uncles and male cousins on my mom’s side of the family was or is a police officer. If I so much as bad-mouthed police officers or State Troopers when I was younger, I got popped in the mouth.
For a long time, my Uncle Ted was Captain of St. Louis County Police Department. He was eventually promoted to a higher position within the County, then he retired. He and his brother started off as “Beat Cops” (their words, not mine.) And worked closely with the drug lords and gang members of St. Louis. During that time, my Uncle Johnny was known as the Gila Monster, because of his large presence… and because he was heavy and slow moving. Both of my uncles lost partners to shoot-outs when I was young. I remember going to their funerals, and seeing all of the people who were there. The thing I remember the most was not all of the police officers in attendance. Instead, it was the large amount of African-American people there, who had grown close to these officers because they were always in the neighborhood. I remember one young man, who had to have been between the age of 18 and 25 coming up to my Uncle Ted and saying, “He was a good guy. A good cop. He didn’t deserve to go down like that.” My uncle Ted told me that the kid was involved in a gang that worked closely with the County to wipe out drugs in their neighborhoods.
That all happened probably 10-15 years ago. A lot has changed since then.
What happened this weekend is deplorable in so many ways. It disgusts me to think that a young man was cut down in his prime. It disgusts me to think that a police officer shot him “more than several times” in cold blood. I don’t care what Michael Brown did, or didn’t, do. Whatever it was, he did not deserve to be shot down by a one-man firing squad.
(For Heaven’s sakes. We can keep the Boston Bomber alive **and give him a fair trial, at that** and we can keep the guy who killed all of those people in Aurora, Colorado alive, so he can have the right to a fair trial… but we can’t keep Michael Brown alive, so he could have his chance to tell his side of the story.)
It disgusts me to think that there are police officers out there who tarnish the name of good cops. It makes me sick that the people of Ferguson probably have little-to-no faith left in their police officers and might take things into their own hands. It upsets me that these are issues that should have been put to rest long ago. History books say that we have come so far… but have we really?
It disgusts me that the riots that broke out have tarnished the view of Ferguson and Saint Louis. It disgusts me that people, outside of Ferguson, came in and made a mess of things and broke into businesses, and burned a QuickTrip down.
It disgusts me even more that Michael’s memory will forever be partnered with the riots that ensued after his death. It disgusts me that shots broke out during his memorial service. It breaks my heart that Michael’s mother said herself that Michael wouldn’t have wanted riots.
It disgusts me that people are so divided over the issue. I have seen so many, “He probably deserved to get shot” updates on my facebook newsfeed that it makes me want to throw up. On the other hand, I’ve seen so many, “Too bad more cops weren’t injured in the riots, because they deserve it.” updates on my newsfeed. To those that think Michael deserved to get shot: What warrants getting shot at eight times? Seriously. I’d love to hear your answers. To those that think it’s too bad that more cops weren’t injured: Why? Not every cop is a “twisted” cop. Not every cop has it in for minorities. I’m not blind, or stupid, or ignorant, or dumb. I know that there are cops out there who DO racially profile. I know that there are entire precincts out there who do just that. But making generalizations about police officers is similar to the people who are making generalizations about the African-American community and the riots that broke out. Not every black person in St. Louis took part in, or believed in, the riots.
Who, or what, do the riots benefit? Looting for material objects seems senseless… what good is a television from Walmart or a pair of shoes going to do in the fight for justice, or the preservation of Michael’s memory?
I know it is easy to make generalizations. But I think it is also just as easy to stop making generalizations. Does our legal and justice system need to be dramatically overhauled? Yes, oh absolutely it does.
I know St. Louis is a racially segregated city. It doesn’t take a scientist to figure that one out.
Sadly, nothing is going to bring Michael Brown back to life. Nothing is going to undo the events that happened this weekend. The question is not really, “What can we do to make things right?” because, in my opinion, nothing is going to make this right. A young man is dead, and even if that cop is found guilty and given the death sentence… it still won’t make it right. Making it right would mean that nothing wrong happened in the first place.
I think the real question is, what can we do to make things better? What can the community of St. Louis do to banish the racism that so obviously divides us all? What can the United States do to help get rid of racism? I think it’s time that we really stop and think about our actions, and how they impact others. I think it’s time to have the difficult conversations, the ones that have been swept under the rug, the ones about our differences, the ones about our problems, the ones about lack of justice.
I don’t think it’s time to set aside our differences. Setting aside our differences has only gotten us here. I think it’s time to embrace our differences.
And, most importantly, I think it’s time for everybody to pray for peace.
Sperrys & Stripes 