Editor’s Note – this post originated as a status I put up on Facebook. Though I feel social injustice deeply, I rarely speak up about it, for a complex set of reasons. I feel like the line between valuable contribution and self promotion is a thin one, and I hate the idea of winding up on the wrong side. But I was challenged recently by the idea that I could use my position of privilege as a white male to help tear down privilege and ignorance, so this is an attempt at that. I posted this to Facebook because I noticed a dearth of conversation on that platform about Ferguson. I’ve reposted it here on the chance that I have a few followers this information would be useful for. -Asher
Since I’m feeling especially hopeless at the moment regarding everything that’s happening in Ferguson (stuck two hours away as a stay at home dad) I wanted to compile a little info for those of you who want to stay in the loop. I’ve seen very little talk on Facebook vis a vis this situation, as opposed to Twitter where it’s all over the place. Lots of what I’ve seen here has been dismissive and rife with inaccuracies regarding the events there. I don’t think anyone is doing this out of malice, but it’s easy to approach a situation with enthusiastic ignorance, especially when you use the MSM (of either bent) as your source of info. I’ve collected lots and lots of data via firsthand (I.E. EYEWITNESS) accounts on the ground in Ferguson, from journalists and citizens there. I’ve done lots and lots of sifting, trying to separate good info from bad. I’m not perfect, but here’s what I’ve found.
- Regarding the initial death of Michael Brown, what we know is that he was shot, multiple times, by a member of the Ferguson police force. The report that he was assaulting the police officer/reaching for his gun as this happened is information released BY THE FERGUSON PD. It has been contradicted by multiple eyewitnesses to the shooting. I’ll allow that in this situation their might be some ambiguity as to the full truth of the matter, but I’d encourage you to ask yourself who, in this situation, has the most incentive to lie about the situation.
As of this writing the officer in question has been placed on paid administrative leave, and the Ferguson PD has refused to release his name. I’m willing to believe that they really think they are doing the right thing here (there are reports of death threats directed toward the officer) but the farcical way the PD has handled the situation gives it the strong appearance of a cover up, of them protecting one of their own from public accountability.
There have been some debates over what sort of person Michael Brown was. Some have tried to portray him as a “thug”, mostly based on clothing and the fact that he was reported to have stolen a candy bar at the time of the shooting. Never mind that Brown was a soon-to-be college student, that he was a loved and cherished member of his community. For the purposes of what happened to him at the hands of the police, ALL THIS IS IMMATERIAL. The injustice of a cop shooting an unarmed teenager does not depend on the victim’s petty theft or clothing.
- Regarding the so-called “riots” and “looting” that have happened subsequent to the shooting. There were close to two days of peaceful protests before any said looting began. During these two days the St. Louis County Police were already armed to the teeth in military style and were engaging in harassment of peaceful protesters. On the whole what these protesters were demanding was transparency on the part of the PD with regards to the case, and justice ultimately for a member of their community who had been gunned down by the police (it should be noted that Michael Brown’s murder was the first that had occurred in Ferguson this year).
On Sunday night there was looting that occurred in Ferguson. I don’t want to downplay this at all: of course this was a bad thing that was an unfortunate co-opting of what had been to that point a peaceful protest. However, by ALL accounts this looting was an extremely isolated event done by a tiny group of people, nine of whom have ALREADY BEEN ARRESTED AND CHARGED. This is not some out of control riot town.
Through the whole week the police presence has increased and become increasingly hostile. The city of Ferguson began to pressure people to only assemble during the day, in clear violation of their 1st Amendment rights (not to mention making it impossible for most adult members of the community to attend the protests). More and more officers were sent out in attire more befitting a war zone than a suburban street. They fired tear gas seemingly at random, shooting it at people sitting in their own front yards as well as at protesters in the street.
There have been multiple arrests and harassments of members of the press. Many press members report that police have cursed and threatened them to get away from protest sites. Police have been harassing and arresting citizens engaging in the perfectly legal and responsible act of video recording police excesses. Two reporters for national news outlets were accosted in a McDonald’s while they were working, then arrested when they would not leave fast enough. One reports being shoved into a soda dispenser when he was confused about which door to leave out of. The police also arrested St. Louis alderman Antonio French, who had been reporting as a citizen-journalist since Saturday night, and whose dispatches have been highly informative for those watching on Twitter. They have also been firing (incredibly damaging) rubber bullets at the crowd, hitting many including a pastor who was in the streets helping to keep the peace.
Meanwhile what have the hooligan citizens of Ferguson been up to? They have been engaging in such nefarious activities as cleaning up their community, holding prayer circles and public meetings, and holding up signs asking for justice and transparency. There have been isolated incidents where the protests have turned violent, but many of these have been overblown. The most famous picture, of a man throwing a canister, has been incorrectly labeled as someone throwing a molotov cocktail, when in fact the man was throwing BACK a tear gas canister thrown into the crowd by police.
Such bastions of radical liberal bias as Rand Paul and the National Review have denounced the militarized police force on display in Ferguson.
-So why does Ferguson matter? Why is the local community, and the broader African American community up in arms (figuratively, not literally – there’s only one side of this conflict doing THAT) about the death of one teen? Isn’t this being blown out of proportion?
If you are asking these questions, let me suggest that you are trapped in a bubble of privilege. In a world where young black males face the possibility of police harassment on a daily basis, what’s amazing is that deaths like Michael Brown’s are as rare as they are. I’ve heard from so many people stories of living in fear that they or their loved ones could be next, subject to the overweening presumption and arrogance of renegade cops. There are plenty of good, moral, judicious cops out there – I won’t deny that – but our police forces in America are systemically broken, geared towards excessive force and targeting the weak and helpless. Nowhere is the lingering systemic racism of America more apparent than in our “justice” system, from top to bottom. This includes prisons, court systems, and yes, the police.
If at this point you are thinking about saying something about “black on black crime”, I advise you to shut your mouth and look into what’s really going on with those numbers. Also please remember: it is a much different act to be killed by your fellow citizen than to be killed by a civil servant who has sworn to uphold the good of your community. The two are miles apart.
Michael Brown matters because he is a symbol of how far we still have to go to achieve real justice in our country, and how many minds we still have to change before we treat each other as equals. If you cannot see that, I would counsel you to take some time, do some research (REAL research) and look inside yourself. Try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. If you are the praying sort (and I hope you are) pray that God would show you the hidden prejudices of your own heart. Pray for peace, but also for justice.
Grace and Peace,
Asher
