Ferguson Burning

Monday, November 24^th my husband and I stayed up entirely too late watching Ferguson burn. We watched reports of which businesses were burning, how many firemen couldn't keep up with how many fires and how many cops were on the streets. We also listened, hoping for more information on why. Not more information on why Ferguson was burning, that I understood, even as I didn't agree with it. More information on why the Grand Jury hadn't indicted Officer Darren Wilson for fatally shooting Michael Brown.

Let me explain some things to you before we get really started. First – a boy, nearly a man, died. Now, I don’t care what kind of boy you think he was, because you don’t know. I don’t care what he did in the hours prior to when he was shot – the police officer who shot him didn't even know he was under suspicion for anything other than walking down the middle of the street (per his captain, not his later “testimony”). I don’t care that there are conflicting reports of what happened that day, there are different sides to every story (*actually I do care, but that’ll come up later). A boy who started his day like every other day in his life, had his life ended abruptly that day, not in a tragic car accident or by tripping and falling over his shoelaces. No – he had a gun pointed at him and the officer pulled the trigger and hit him, not one, but six times, ending his life.

Why is it so hard to remember, in the wake of all the finger pointing – either it’s the victim’s fault for being aggressive towards a cop or it’s the cop’s fault for pulling the trigger – that a boy lost his life? And why is it so hard for many Americans to understand what a Grand Jury is intended to do? Let’s talk about what they’re not there to do. They are not there to decide on guilt or innocence, they are not there to believe or disbelieve testimony. “The Grand Jury should only be there to decide if there is “probable cause” that something might have happened (not that it probably did or didn't), just that it may have happened.”

An indictment wouldn't mean anyone considered Officer Darren Wilson guilty. All it would have meant is the Grand Jury said – “Wow, there seems to be a lot of conflicting evidence and testimony on what actually happened that day.* We’re not sure exactly what/who to believe, and because of that, why don’t we indict and give Darren Wilson his day in court and we can get to the bottom of all of this disputed testimony and evidence.”

If you want a better summary of the history of the Grand Jury non-indictment, read here. If you are a person who believes Officer Wilson's testimony, without question, please read here. Because Officer Wilson was not on trial, he was never cross examined; the aforementioned article summarizes nicely my feelings on Officer Wilson’s “testimony”.

Yet – the non-indictment of this one particular case, while sad, is still no surprise. Even had it gone to trial, Officer Wilson likely wouldn't have been convicted of a crime, because (in the US) police are given quite a bit of leeway by the Supreme Court to “defend themselves”. But had it gone to trial, Officer Wilson would have been cross examined, as well as the other eye witnesses and the evidence examined from all sides. Not an “Oh, let’s take Officer Wilson at his word,” an officer who, disturbingly, has not expressed any remorse. I’ll give him that okay, his “conscience is clear” and he really believes he had no other option. But he still took a boy’s life that day, a boy who did not have a chance to grow into his man-sized body. Should Officer Darren Wilson not at least be full of regret over the events of that day which led to this tragedy and that he had a major part in it?

Either way, a man died, (really, a boy) who has been convicted in the public eye of strong arm shoplifting, and likely would have been convicted had he ever gone to court. But the sentence for strong arm shoplifting is not the death penalty, even in the great state of Missouri. The sentence for resisting arrest is not the death penalty. Even the sentence for assaulting a police officer is not the death penalty.

My husband had a pretty good post about the excessive use of police force, and I like this quote from it, “We have people saying that the police have a right to defend themselves, and yes they certainly do. But if we're putting police in an authoritarian position, shouldn't we also expect them to at least show the same level of restraint that we ask of soldiers in a combat zone? No matter what you think of Ferguson, MO I'm pretty sure it doesn't hold a candle to Sirte, Lybia. If we can ask men and women in a combat zone to hold their fire until they are actually shot at, we can probably ask our police force to exercise a little more discretion.”  You can read the full post here.

I could pontificate about how in this single instance, Officer Wilson had many other options besides shooting Michael Brown to death. I could ask “when has it become bring them in dead or alive?” in response to Officer Wilson’s interview last night when he was asked “why didn't you go back to your car” and his response was “that’s not what we do.” Yet, this instance, this shooting was just the most recent of many where the fatal use of force seems to be the first response and not the absolute last. To me, this is the underlying tragedy and what really needs to be addressed.

As for the people of Ferguson, that first night, they had a right to be angry. If it’s your opinion they shouldn't have been angry, check yourself. Remember, everyone has a right to feel how they feel, whether or not it’s justified, it is how they feel. But, here’s the catch, it's how you act when you're angry that matters. I’ll quote my husband again from another comment he made, "I'm equally disgusted with the people rioting. It's your neighbor who is out of work now ‘cause you burned the auto parts store to the ground. It's your grandmother's piano that was destroyed when you torched the public storage. I get you're angry. Go circle the courthouse and prosecutor's office and prevent him from continuing in his job, protest the police chief, the mayor, city council, these are the people you should show anger towards."

Last night, the night of Tuesday November 25^th, my husband and I were both happy watching the peaceful protests and marches. And if you’re upset that they blocked your road or freeway or bridge, go ahead, be upset. It’s your right. But, they made you pay attention, they made you take notice. The protesters made you take time out of your day so they could say “hey, we’re here, what happened isn't right, and you need to know that.”

Wake up, America, somebody died, was killed by a member of the police, the very people who are supposed to protect us, the general public. Whether or not Officer Darrin Wilson was justified in the shooting, we’ll never know, and that’s tragic. It’s a further tragedy that something which should be a last resort is viewed by so very many as “well, he asked for it” and death is so easily shrugged off. It is my hope that this tragedy will be the fulcrum of change; change within the police force and change within those whose hearts have been hardened. Deliberately taking someone else’s life should never be taken lightly, no matter whose life is being taken or who is taking that life.