Ferguson Recap

For some reason I was thinking about the chain of events that began with the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson MO last August. To recap:

A non-black cop shoots a non-white person who just finished robbing a convenience store and then resisted arrest. Witnesses tell conflicting stories. Forensic evidence supports the cop's claim of self-defense. Grand jury refuses to indict. Mostly peaceful protests riots ensue. Civil rights leaders race pimps are outraged. Mainstream media provides extensive coverage.

Meanwhile, in NYC a non-white suspect law-breaker dies after being taken into custody (granted, it is a silly law, but still...). Cops claim he was resisting arrest. Video of the arrest is disturbing, but inconclusive. Grand jury refuses to indict. Mostly peaceful protests violent demonstrations ensue. Civil rights leaders race pimps are outraged. Mainstream media provides extensive coverage.

Shortly thereafter, two non-black NYPD officers are gunned down in a cold-blooded ambush. The non-white shooter commits suicide. Non-blacks and law enforcement supporters riot protest mourn. Civil rights leaders race pimps are outraged mute. Mainstream media provides extensive coverage.

Last week near Ferguson MO a non-black cop shot and killed a non-white teen who pointed a gun at the cop. Two nights of mostly peaceful violent protests ensued, despite the existence of a video that shows the suspect pointing a gun at the cop, and the recovery of a loaded handgun at the scene. Civil rights leaders race pimps are outraged mute. Mainstream media provides extensive coverage mostly ignores.

I'm not a blind supporter of law enforcement. There's plenty of stories about cops botching raids, killing dogs, and other incidents of over-reaction and abuse of power. But there's also plenty of evidence that elected officials, civil rights 'leaders,' and even misguided sports figures use these tragic events to score cheap political points.

President Barack Obama praised basketball star LeBron James for wearing an "I Can't Breathe" protest shirt during his pre-game warmup last week.

St. Louis Rams players showing the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture in protest of the Michael Brown shooting.

Well, here's a couple of images to offset those fools.

Mary Jo Kopechne was not available for comment.

Like I said, I'm not naive or foolish enough to think that either side has a monopoly on being in the right on this issue. One of the best responses to the situation comes from a friend of my buddy Bear. Here's an excerpt:

We need to have an honest discussion in this society about how we treat police and how they treat us.

They cannot see civilians only when they are committing crimes or in danger.

And we cannot see officers only when we are in danger or we misbehave.

We have to see each on our streets. In our churches, in our stores and know each others' names.

Certain parts of society need to learn that in areas of this country the police don't have a great reputation for honesty and integrity.

And certain parts of society need to see police as part of their community.

And we need to look at each other beyond seeing a badge dividing us.

We need to look at each other for who we are: brothers and sisters, countrymen all.

And here's a little tough love for both sides of the divide. If you're an officer and someone on your squad is doing something immoral, you speak up. You don't just owe it to us, you owe it to yourself. And if you think the police are keeping you down, stop generalizing. We all know there are bad apples in every profession. Don't confuse the good guys with the bad guys.

Go here to read the entire piece. Good stuff.