The release of the DOJ report has done little to calm the protests in the streets of Ferguson. Even more, it did little to ease the racial tensions that are in full bloom. One would have thought the report should have helped the volatile situation, sadly we are seeing anger in the wake of the published report. Perhaps the anger we are witnessing is maybe more directed at an internal protest amongst themselves. The report clearly went in line, and stated that, Office Wilson demonstrated restraint and acted without malice based upon the color of Mr. Brown's skin.
For those who have read the report published on by the DOJ, it tells a story of a monetarily needy town. For instance, officer's promotions and/or evaluations depended on their "productivity" of raising revenues via tickets/fines. Overtime was even approved for highway traffic enforcement, which was stated to not be a way for officers to collect "easy" overtime but to generate tickets (aka revenue for the city.) A vast majority of the population in Ferguson is African American, so it is of little surprise that they would be a majority sample of people facing fines. Yet the report noted that police and court officials did harbor a racial bias towards them; after reading some of the emails I would have to agree with that statement. I think there is little doubt in anyone's minds that some of the officers in Ferguson do have a racial bias, however, that does NOT mean all do, and that is very important to remember.
Another item I found puzzling was that the DOJ glossed over the fact that a lot of the protestors were "outside agitators." From page 5 of the DOJ's published report:
"Police and other city officials, as well as some Ferguson residents, have insisted to us that the public outcry is attributed to "outside agitators" who do not reflect opinions of "real Ferguson resident." That view is at odds with the facts we have gathered during our investigation."
I honestly think the DOJ is not only contradicting itself here, but I do believe they are glossing over the fact that the residents of Ferguson may not be the ones behind the disruptive protests. Maybe it is because rumors are true that the government, or high profile politicians/activists, are using these protestors and the DOJ was asked to protect that piece of information. For me, if legit residents are telling me that the protests are being lead by outsiders, then I will believe them because they are the ones who live in the city after all.
This department was abusing their powers, however, when given the green light to do so for the sake of raising revenue and for a positive review/promotion, it is of little surprise that the overreach of the police force happened. The racial bias that was allowed to continue seems to be as much the fault of the police as the elected officials.
For the Brown family, the loss of their family member is tragic, however, Officer Wilson acted within the law. Brown had been reported (and it is on video) violating and harassing a store clerk a short time before he came in contact with Wilson. Let's be 100% honest with each other here, there was no one who wanted anything more than to convict Officer Wilson than the DOJ. Think about that for a second. Had there been a sliver of evidence showing Officer Wilson acted outside of the limitations of the law, the DOJ would have been the savior coming to the rescue of the residents of Ferguson caught in a never ending loop of racial discrimination.
We have to remove the intense emotion that is blocking our rational thinking skills. The "Hands Up Don't Shoot" movement was a dangerous movement, Holder's words not my own, yet the DOJ and Obama did nothing to put this movement to rest. This did nothing more than divide a city and our nation even further. Jackson and Sharpton's presence did nothing to help either. No one, not Obama, not Sharpton, Jackson, nor Holder told anyone who was rioting, or conducting these non-peaceful protests, to wait until they had a chance to thoroughly investigate the case involving Wilson. What was said from the start was that Ferguson officers were nothing but racist bigots, who went to work every day to target African American people and violate their civil liberties. Now the findings have cleared Office Wilson and the protests are still going, now they are trying to find the people who shot two officers in Ferguson. Let's consider the Brooklyn officers who were murdered in retaliation possibly could have been alive to read the DOJ's report clearing Wilson today, but none of our leaders told anyone to let cool heads prevail.
No comments:
Post a Comment