I could write pages and pages about my conflicting thoughts about whats been going on in Ferguson, MO recently. I have lived through enough of these big, public, instant-issue events in my life to know that the original story is almost never accurate, but people jump to judgment and are then immune from the facts that later come out. So my guiding principle in forming my own opinions so far has been caution. But. But my heart does hurt for my friends and family who face a fear that I never will - the fear that their son, because of the color of his skin, is likely to face adverse profiling from the police during his lifetime, and far more likely than my son to be beaten, arrested, or shot while doing nothing wrong. I recognize and acknowledge that I do not face this fear, and that I do not fully understand what living under that fear means. I dont know what happened to Michael Brown, and I dont believe anybody really does yet, either. I dont in any way believe that rioting and looting - destroying the lives and livelihoods of innocent people to express your anger and frustration - is ever right. I believe a militarized police force is a bad idea, and that rioters and militarized police are two horrible developments that feed each others growth. I believe that despite the flaws in our justice system - and they are many - it is still better than mob rule, which does injustice exponentially more that it does justice. But I cry, I pray, and I sympathize with my friends and family for whom Michael Brown (and Trayvon Martin, and many others) serve as a symbol of the growing fear they live with every day. I love you.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 13:27:21 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015