I look at the Michael Brown incident and think to myself, why would anyone want to be a police officer? It’s a no win job, perhaps the only job where in the eyes of many Americans you are guilty; you don’t even have to be proven innocent, you are just guilty.
Did Michael Brown deserve to die, of course not. Does the police officer doing his job and forced into a life or death situation deserve to be vilified, certainly not. Should we believe this officer took delight in killing?
This is a tragedy, but not a one sided one.
My information is limited to yours, but from day one it made no sense. I could not believe a police officer would simply execute a man surrendering with hands raised, but others did not hesitate spreading such story. When I saw that video, I concluded “thief and bully” at best. I had a flashback to my experiences in high school and the army, my days in the National Guard driving a truck in support of quelling the Newark riots of 1967. My white intuition tempered by life experience said Michael Brown was no gentle giant; the victim of a racist Clan member clothed in a police uniform. No doubt others did and still do see it that way.
Had Michael Brown made other choices, choices most people would make, he would be alive today. Perhaps if his parents had instilled a different set of values he would be alive today. In other words, Michael Brown created the situation in which he found himself, and based on the evidence, for its tragic outcome; why is the question we need to understand. Is there no responsibility here? Why is the question the black community should be asking.
We will never move to a better state unless there is a recognition that behavior does matter. We will never remove discontent while we foster it. When I read the following on Facebook I was incensed and then I was depressed. Think about what is being said and more importantly, by whom. These are elected members of Congress, key players in setting policy and making laws for our Nation and yet, solely based on race they conclude and publicize that despite a rigorous process there is “a miscarriage of justice.” It makes you wonder what justice means and it makes me wonder how these politicians are qualified to represent other Americans.
All this is a tragedy and as a parent I can empathize with Michael Browns parents. However, the change we seek is not one-sided. Change will never come unless everyone changes. This incident is not a setback for race relations unless people like these members of Congress make it so.
Maybe the answer is having only black police officers serving in black communities. A rather stupid idea I admit, but that sure sounds like what some people want. Talk about a no win job 😰
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
Amazing. Would any of us have even heard about this had Michael Brown been white and Darren Wilson been black? Where is there any indication that Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown (used deadly force) because he was black, that he would have selected another option – including fleeing the scene, if Michael Brown were not black?
Frankly, the percentage comparisons used in other notes are probably a little off. While 23% of the New York population may be black, you would still need a much higher percentage of black police officers – because law enforcement needs to be deployed consistent with the level of crime; and no one disputes the dramatically higher level of crime in areas with higher concentrations of poor minorities.
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And, to follow-up, isn’t it interesting that no one in the news is talking about the toxicology report, which shows that Michael Brown had THC levels that were 9 times the amount necessary for a positive indication? What role did his use of drugs play, and why hasn’t this received any attenton?
Click to access 2014-5143-toxicology-report.pdf
As Dick noted above, “… Had Michael Brown made other choices, choices most people would make, he would be alive today. Perhaps if his parents had instilled a different set of values he would be alive today. In other words, Michael Brown created the situation in which he found himself, and based on the evidence, for its tragic outcome; why is the question we need to understand. Is there no responsibility here? Why is the question the black community should be asking. …”
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Dick…..your last sentence” is” where this is going. Take the city of new york where I currently work developing selection assessments for the uniformed services. The black population in NYC is approximately 23 percent. Does this mean 23 percent of the approximate 35,000 police officers should be black? Would this result in greater justice for blacks in the poorest communities? Would this result in greater respect of the law and the “rule of law”?It’s hard to say. What I do believe( if this is what the grand jury found) is that if you try to slug it out with a cop after you just committed a robbery, than try to commandeer his weapon you have made a series of bad choices. You certainly have no respect for the rule of law.
The notion that what happened in MO (after Michael Brown’s death) and ensuing crime is part of some kind of social struggle or civil rights action and, therefore, justifiable is an utter and complete joke. I further don’t understand why the grand jury’s decision was announced at night and why in the world the Guard was not sent in in greater numbers and much earlier to protect the merchants and store keepers from the rampant looting and setting buildings on fire. This is the investigation we need and if found responsible the governor of MO should be re-called.
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It is never about the thousands of men and women willing to put their lives on the line daily to uphold the law that matters in instances like this – it is always the poor, innocent young man who is later pictured in his grade school graduation picture who slams the police car door and risks his own life by bashing an officer in the face that gets all the “sympathy”. This happens in many other communities through out rural and urban societies throughout the US but the reaction is markedly different. There is no publicity from the “news media”, there is no rioting in the streets. No troops called in to quiet the neighborhood.
The reaction last night in Ferguson was not only tragic but also appalling. Releasing the news late in the day in a staged news conference was another act of incompetence on the part of the town leadership. A blind person could have anticipated the reaction and yet those in leadership were let down by believing the outcome would result in people singing and dancing in the streets.
This situation will no doubt be fodder for years to come in college courses dealing in human rights and social behavior classes. The bottom line here unfortunately is “people convinced against their will is of the same opinion still”. I too grew up in the ’60s and remember the fear and turmoil that occurred in Newark, NJ but that did not make me a racist. I learned that every person deserves my respect until they prove otherwise.
I truly feel for the folks in the Fergusons throughout the US and other depressed areas. Do I have a solution – No – but I do know it will take years to undo what took place there.
We can spend billions in other nations but not in our poverty strickened cities. Do you think it is about time we try to rebuild our nation?
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