It was one thing to use incredibly bad judgement in shooting at an unarmed teenager, but, it is quite something else to treat that teenager as a dead person before he is dead.
This is a trend in police brutality. We have witnessed the casual indifference of police officers in the chocking death of a black man in New York City. We have witnessed casual indifference in the swat team in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Here is the difference.
I worked for years in Newark, New Jersey and have witnessed and have heard stories circulating the hospital when something extraordinary happens.
I have a story.
A young Caucasian male police officer was admitted for chest pains. He and his captain believed he had suffered a heart attack while running. Where was he running? He was chasing a perpetrator. He never drew his gun and he counted on his agility and speed to CATCH the person he was chasing.
Why would he not draw his gun?
Because he knew the person he was chasing was unarmed. He was not about to kill another person when he could catch up with them and call in back up if the person proved to strong to detain by himself.
True story. No lie.
What was the condition of the officer after the first set of blood tests came back?
He had a myocardial infarction. He was given a stern talking to with his wife at his bedside about the difference between skeletal muscles and their strength as opposed to cardiac muscles and it's ability to pump blood fast enough to keep up with oxygen usage in such a young and healthy body. He promised to consider his own well being next time and to find a nonviolent answer that would provide the same result for the community. THAT WAS FOR THE COMMUNITY.
The USA has a problem, a very serious problem in that the Bush years and all the DOD and Homeland Security equipment and anti-terrorist training has resulted in Killer Cops. Why would any American not be afraid of this reality? It has to stop and the police have to stop killing young, black men in THEIR COMMUNITIES.
Ferguson is a community to be proud of in the USA. They are Lower Middle Class but they own homes, seek good educations for their children and want to have peace on their streets. THESE are the people that insure there is opportunity in our society. These are the people that set examples for others and generations to come. These are the Americans that state to their children, "Study as much as you can and find a good job." That is who Ferguson is. It is not a town of 21,000 + people on a map in Missouri. Ferguson lives and breaths and it does one heck of a good job in looking at tomorrow with anticipation of hope.
Michael Brown, Jr. was that young person on his way to college. He was the future we all promise will be theirs if they just reach for it. Michael Brown, Jr. is dead and damn it, this is going to stop and the USA will have a future as a promise to all Americans.
