#Ferguson is not going to go away. This is not a promotion of the extreme behavior. That sad reality only clouds the greater concerns. Sufficient force will be brought to bear to keep people off the streets, but this is not just about quashing violent and criminal opportunists and outsiders. This is about feeling safe. Feel respected. Feeling that the law works for an bit just against the black and the non privileged. Why this is happening goes far beyond the death of #michaelbrown. The facts if this situation continue to dribble in and create a confused picture of separate incidents, contrasting character accounts and unknown provocations that led to the ultimate shooting of many bullets by a cop against an unarmed teen. How it was handled and what it represents are even bigger factors, and they are more powerful propellants to the unrest. Leadership in these situations needs to be immediate, on-scene, strong, and straight. That was not the case on the local, state or federal level. The opportunity exists going forward to do better in this regard and there is improvement but the stated goal of quick clarity (justice delayed is justice denied) is still unsatisfied and the excuse that investigations take time may be true but extraordinary cases require extraordinary measures, and this is such a case. Even if it turns out that an impartial body finds all of the officers actions justified, the situation will be far from resolved. As it was in LA (Rodney King) and in the more recent NOLA (9th ward and poor parishes abandoned)...there comes a tipping point where long and hard-held insecurities explode. The men running through #ferguson represent specific needs. To dismiss them as opportunist thugs who dont respect the rule of law is truly to turn a blind eye to some stark realities. We all know the stats: disproportionate #s of blacks, especially young males are arrested, profiled, incarcerated, poor, uneducated, underemployed, unemployed, addicted, disaffected, etc. to blame it on them is not only inaccurate but wholly unproductive. Being shot for no good reason is as much metaphor as it is a mechanism for outrage and repression. I am not being high-minded not am I excusing criminal conduct. But you are blind if you only see this as an overreaction or proof of the problem It is good to have respected back leaders there and frankly I wonder where the new generation of them are - white and black. The national guard is not the answer to the larger problems. Town halls will reveal the same old grievances. You need to see real presence in #ferguson of attention to the reality and often complained about issues. Answers to the situation. Justice meted out. Efforts to correct any needed training adjustments. Better connection to the community. And mostly, respectful engagement of the people and their concerns by leaders who are committed to doing something to improve the status quo. This is a big job for the media as well. Not just to cover the outrage, but its source and to dedicate just as much energy to the need for solutions. Its easy to cover a riot. It is much harder to cover what will create positive change. We all know the media will fade on this, so see who goes deepest and longest and use that in an assessment of which media matters most. This situation is a test: for the Brown family, the officer involved and his family, the authorities, the justice system, the media, and you I have been to the site of places like #ferguson before and the work there is often left unfinished. And that is a big reason the situations are repeated. What will we do this time? P.S. Anyone can say things will never change. All that does is help things to stay the same.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 09:54:50 +0000
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