I don't normally post about current events or anything that can be deemed political. I was brought up to know that politics aren't something you talk about with other people all that much. If my post offends you, I don't really mean for it to. Hopefully we can all agree to disagree. However, it's my blog and I want to talk about the matter at hand.
I live in Missouri, although I'm about 4 hours away from St. Louis. At least that's how far away I think it is. I'm not really good with those kinds of things.
I don't pay a lot of attention to the news, because most of the time it just breaks my heart.
You all know that my home state has been in the news a lot lately. You all know that last night the grand jury decided that the evidence they were garnished and the accounts that they heard, for 70 hours, made them decide to not indict Officer Wilson on any charges.
I agree with what they decided. That's neither here nor there.
What I really want to talk about is the unrest that is going on.
I don't understand why people feel that they need to loot the town of Ferguson. What good does this do? Burning down buildings, stealing things from businesses, that is no way to remember a young man who was laid to rest.
I feel that which ever way the verdict was going to go, would cause this chaoticness (not a word but my blog). That in itself is a very unfortunate view to have.
What bugs me the most about this whole thing, is that the media has played it out to be about race. This wasn't about race. Playing the race card here should not matter. Every story I've read has said "a black man was shot by a white officer". Fair journalism should read "a man was shot by an officer". The media needs to get their heads out of their asses and get away from this situation. They are only making the looting and destroying of the town worse. It's like they're the big brother who has to antagonize his little brother just for fun. They have to see what they're doing, and until they stop, the violence in Ferguson will continue.
I work with a girl who's in the Missouri National Guard. She got pulled away from her life on this holiday week to deal with the madness that is going on. I know she signed up for the Guard knowing full and well what in entailed, but my heart still goes out to her and the family she's left behind. Her significant other also works with us. Her heart is shattered. She's scared for her girlfriend. As long as the media keeps this story floating, the longer she'll be there.
The looters see the attention they are receiving, which is what they want. They say it's in "justice" for Michael Brown. How do they tell themselves that? Especially when Mr. Brown's parents said that they don't want people destroying their community. Peaceful protests are fine, rioting protests aren't.
Let's all just agree on one thing, this country does have a long way to go. One day, maybe there will be peace, one day maybe racism will be a trivial thing of the past, one day maybe we all can come together. Until then, I leave my thoughts too the Brown and Wilson families. Because if I know one thing to be true about this, neither of them wanted what has happened or what is currently happening, to be something that's happening at all.