Ferguson Injustice Breeds Violence

The scene in Ferguson Missouri is still spiraling out of control. Nestled quietly in America’s heartland, most people probably never heard of Ferguson before a police officer shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown right in the middle of the road.

Now, the city will forever be known as a landmark of tragedy and police brutality. Ferguson police chief stood up in a press conference last Friday to share the details about Brown’s shooter. But before he even gave the officer’s name, Thomas Jackson released a video to the public that appears to show Michael Brown in the moments before his death stealing a box of cigars from a convenient store. During the press conference, Jackson admitted that Officer Darren Wilson had zero knowledge of the robbery when he shot Brown. Rather, Wilson’s only reason for detaining and shooting Brown was that he was blocking the flow of traffic by walking down the middle of the street.

Witnesses published videos to YouTube that showed Brown’s lifeless body lying in the middle of the street with hundreds of people gathering around to watch behind police tape. Now, journalists from all over the world are crawling through Ferguson and capturing endless video of police and looters running through the streets.

Now, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is sending the National Guard troops into Ferguson to subside the riots and “install peace.” But the raging protesters were calm just days ago. The police chief had the perfect opportunity to ease the madness. But instead of sympathizing with the FAMILY who lost their son and the COMMUNITY who lost their friend, the chief took the opportunity to CONTROL the narrative. It’s hard to imagine someone thought releasing a video defaming a dead man could help their cause. Instead, the clear misstep added even more fuel to the fire.