The shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a Ferguson police officer earlier this month sparked outrage in the community, and left the country divided.
Questions are still being raised from eye witnesses about the officer’s justification for the shooting. However, as this incident garnered national media attention, it has showcased the internal social struggles that remain in modern America.
Racism Is Still Alive In the USA
Remember reading history books in middle school and thinking that racism ended at the end of the Civil Rights Era? If only that were the case. Incidents like the Mike Brown shooting and the Trayvon Martin case last summer exemplify the lack of sympathy with these victims. Rather, these kids are labeled as “thugs”, criticized for their outfits [1], their use of marijuana [2], or their petty criminal records [3], despite having absolutely no relevance to murder or, more specifically, the shootings. Articles about the incident are usually accompanied with comments mocking Michael Brown and the Ferguson protestors, and usually include racist undertones. Here are some of my personal favorites:
“Don’t they have jobs to go to in the morning?”
“[This] proves that white the white community knows how to act like human beings and not like a pack of wild animals”
“An arrest record as long as your arm, just robbed a store, 300lbs at 6’5”, I’d have shot em also”
It seems too that not only is there vocal support for the cop’s actions, but financial as well. The USA today recently reported that more money has been raised for the cop that shot and killed Brown than Brown’s family [4].
The Police Are Not Always There To Protect and Serve
The second most important takeaway from Ferguson is the role the police had not only in the killing, but their treatment of the protestors. Part of the reason the national media latched onto the Ferguson story was because of the unlawful arrests of two American journalists [5] for simply recording the clash between police and protestors. One officer was caught on camera pointing a gun at protestors shouting “I will f****** kill you… go f*** yourself” [6]. The whole situation has been ugly. On one hand, many people have used the protests as an excuse to loot stores and damage private property, giving police an excuse to be overly protective and cautious of any protest they see, no matter how peaceful. This has led to Ferguson police showing up to peaceful protests in riot gear, SWAT cars, looking like they are about to take on Al Qaeda. Pictures from the scene look like a race war had started in the US, except it seems as though there will be no winners.
This Is Not An Isolated Incident
A large contributing factor to the escalation of the Ferguson of the shooting escalated was the headline “Unarmed black teenager killed by cop.” This headline is oddly familiar. Earlier this month, a black man was shot and killed in a Walmart for holding a toy gun. His last words were “It’s not real” [7]. In July, a black man was put in a chokehold and killed after being caught selling untaxed cigarettes [8]. His last words were “I can’t breathe”. With all these incidents occurring at roughly the same time, it seemed that Mike Brown’s shooting was the last straw. People have decided to stand up and yet, according to a Huffington Post/YouGov poll, most Americans remain divided on whether the killing of Mike Brown was an isolated incident or part of a broader pattern in the way police treat white men. When broken down by race, 76% of blacks believe it is part of a broader pattern, compared to 40% of whites [9]. Regardless of your opinions on the shooting and race, I think we can all agree:
The Media Made This So Much Worse
If you haven’t been watching the 24 hour media coverage on the Ferguson riots, good. Keep it that way. Because you are probably more educated than the people who do watch it. The media once again has turned this tragedy into a circus with wall-to-wall coverage featuring everything there is to know about the case, besides the actual facts. Their 4 person “expert” panels have contributed nothing to the legitimate conversations about police brutality and race the country needs to have. If you need any evidence, there will be a livestream of Michael Brown’s funeral. Barf.
[1] http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74392.ht...
[2] http://www.mediaite.com/tv/autopsy-doctor-speculat...
[3] http://news.yahoo.com/video-shows-michael-brown-st...
[4] http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/...
[5] http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/...
[6] http://www.smh.com.au/world/i-will-fing-kill-you-m...
[7] http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/cops-shoot-and-kill-man...
