The most common feeling expressed by those protesting in Ferguson is anger.
While they are clear on what emotion they feel, the cause of it is a bit harder to define. There are several different possibilities, ranging from “Injustice” or “Unfair laws” and the usual culprit “The System”.
When asked what specific laws are unfair or racially biased, the response is vague and then followed by a plea for a law requiring police officers to wear body cameras at all times. While this is a good idea, especially in the era that we live in, the lack of a body camera was not the cause of the confrontation between Office Wilson and Michael Brown. If a body camera had be present, we may have avoided the mass hysteria and protests that followed, since the incident would have been quickly resolved by watching the footage of the exchange. But in no way did Officer Wilson’s lack of body camera cause Michael Brown’s spree of violence.
The reason that the protesters are vague on what laws are “unfair” is because stealing, assaulting a police officer and attempting to take possession of his weapon are universally accepted as wrong. The laws covering these actions are applied equally to the races and recognized as just by everyone. Claiming otherwise is unsupportable, so the protesters generalize about unfair laws without actually defining them.
The “Injustice” charge is based on making the case without context. Yes, a young unarmed man was shot several times by a police officer. Phrasing it that way makes it seem like a clear case of murder by a cop. But when you add in the context of Michael Brown’s size, his criminal activity that started and continued the incident, his aggressive behavior that had him assault a police officer and wrestle for control of his gun the case quickly shifts towards Officer Wilson’s side of the case.
So if it isn’t racist laws or injustice that is to blame, then it must be “The System”. Once again this is a widely applied term that is poorly defined. The argument is often made that the system is rigged against the black race, but once again that argument is made with a lack of context and in the abstract. Officer Wilson did not randomly stop Brown and shoot him because he was black. He was reacting to a situation wholely created by Michael Brown’s criminal activity. Blaming the system is an easy way to avoid assigning responsibility of someone’s actions. The “system” may be flawed, but that is because it involves the government. When the government is involved, things are sure to be unfair and harmful to those involved. Either way, Officer Wilson and the Ferguson Police Department are not the source of this problem. Officer Wilson may have been trained to view all black males as potential criminals and Michael Brown grew up viewing the police as the enemy…but that is the fault of the culture and not the system.
The culture is the real culprit and the source stems from the black community itself. The belief that crime and avoiding responsibility are acceptable life choices is what led Michael Brown down this path of violence. The false idea that his behavior was appropriately cool and the possible consequences minimal leads to dangerous behavior. In response to the shooting, the supporters of Brown have doubled down on this belief and demonstrated their support by fighting with the police and burning the buildings of those unfortunate people who happen to be nearby. Rioting may be fun and dramatic, but it is counter productive. They are confirming the view of most of the rest of the country that they are dangerous to themselves and their community. During this time the so called leaders of the black community have contributed nothing positive to the crisis, instead of focusing their time on quelling violence and reducing the actual causes of the problem such as poverty, they embrace the drama around them and urge the protesters on to more dramatic displays of destruction. As if arson and looting are the path to economic prosperity and respect.
If the protesters truly wanted to honor the memory of Michael Brown, they would be pushing people to go to school, get good jobs and escape the poverty stricken culture that bred Michael Brown. Their anger should be directed towards the charlatans who preach a message of black victimisation and continue to profit by sending more young black men to be made martyrs to their self serving ideology.
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