LATEST UPDATE:
Ferguson burning as anger boils overFerguson, Missouri, a suburb city with 65% Blacks and 31% Whites had uneasy calm with relatively minor tensions that were not in the open until August 9, 2014 when a White Police officer gunned down an unarmed black teen. The simmering rage over what some people considered as a widespread police brutality against African-Americans across America has been boiling beneath the surface waiting for an incident to spark it. Indeed, Officer Darren Wilson ignited the inferno by killing the black teen.
Since the killing, Ferguson has experienced series of protests marred with violence. Perhaps the killing provided outside agitators the opportunity they seized to create some havoc in the city thereby exposing the racial chasm that was once obscured by silence. Nevertheless, the long-standing racial tensions prompted by mistrust and the surfeit of police killings of blacks made people to be skeptical of the process to determine if the killer of the black teen would be indicted or not.
In an obvious anticipation of intense and emotional protests as the city of Ferguson was on edge awaiting eagerly the decision of the grand jury, Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard about a week ago. Also, President Obama, during an interview with ABC News a week ago, advised protesters to be peaceful irrespective of the impending grand jury decision. Acknowledging their right to protest, he said, “This is a country that allows everybody to express their views.” “But using any event as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law and contrary to who we are,” President Obama said warning the protesters to desist from violence.
Thus, protests mixed with violence erupted in Ferguson on Monday night following the announcement by Robert McCulloch, the St. Louis County District Attorney that the grand jury decided not to indict White Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson who shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager on August 9, 2014. Robert McCulloch, the county prosecutor said that the grand jury found no probable cause to indict Wilson on arrays of possible charges. That indeed the killing was justifiable because Officer Wilson was reasonably in “fear of his life.” McCulloch said, “There is no question that Darren Wilson caused the death of Michael Brown by shooting him but the inquiry does not end there.” “After their exhaustive review, the grand jury deliberated and made their final decision. They determined that no probable cause exists to file any charges against Officer Wilson and return a no true on each of the five indictments.”
After the announcement of grand jury decision, President Obama spoke to the nation encouraging everyone to be peaceful as they express themselves. President Obama said, “We need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make.” Obama continued, “There are Americans who agree with it, and there are Americans who are deeply upset, even angry. It’s an understandable reaction.
But I join Michael’s parents in asking anyone who protests this decision to do so peacefully,” Obama said. “The fact is, in too many parts of this country, a deep distrust exists between law enforcement and communities of color. Some of this is the result of the legacy of racial discrimination in this country. And this is tragic because nobody needs good policing more than poor communities with higher crime rates,” “We need to recognize that this is not just an issue for Ferguson, this is an issue for America,” Obama expressed.
The call for a peaceful protest rang hallow following the announcement and Ferguson erupted in inferno. The Monday night witnessed dozens of buildings on fire as the flame lit the sky engulfing many businesses; stores looted and destroyed, police cars torched, and tons of tear gas fired by the police to disperse the rioting crowd as dozens of people were arrested. It was reported that there were gun shots fired though no person was reported shot. Indeed, Ferguson was smoldered and at dawn, the ruins were evident and condemnation of the violence was unanimous. What happened in Ferguson raised the national consciousness of race relations, as well as national anger that yearn for “positive change.”
Fearing the repeat of previous night, authorities began scrambling and planning to prevent such violence on Tuesday night. Again, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon spoke on Tuesday afternoon after the Monday night mayhem in Ferguson. In response to the violence in the previous night, he ordered 2,200 National Guardsmen to be deployed to protect lives and properties in the area.
Nixon said, “All agree that the violence we saw in the areas of Ferguson last night cannot be repeated.” Nixon added, “We are bringing more resources to Ferguson and other parts of the region to prevent a repetition of the lawlessness experienced overnight.”
Schools in Ferguson and surrounding cities were closed on Tuesday for the safety of schoolchildren, as well as for precautionary measures. Similarly, businesses were closed and boarded. The level of violence and national anger emitting from deep-rooted racial tensions prompted Obama to comment on Ferguson for the second time in two days.
In any case, regardless of the deep distrust in the system, violence is inexcusable and nothing will justify it. People can’t just destroy their community as a result of injustice meted against them by someone else. The act of one destroying his community is an injustice to self.
However, peaceful protests for justice were held in cities across the nation like New York, Oakland, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. About 130 solidarity protests have planned around America on Tuesday. At the time of my writing, crowds are reported gathering in Ferguson, Missouri for the second night since the announcement. The storm is gathering again and the outcome is uncertain!
from http://ift.tt/I8U8zQ
Thanks for Reading The LATEST UPDATE:
Ferguson burning as anger boils overSHARE WITH FRIENDS