When I learned about the civil rights movement, I wondered where I would be. Now, in late 2014, we all know the answer based on what we are doing right now.
Yes, I am talking about Ferguson. Before I dive deeper into this contentious subject, I must state that I am writing about the reactions and the protests that followed the grand jury’s decision. I am not writing about what happened between Michael Brown and Darren Wilson that lead to Mr. Brown being shot six times by Mr. WIlson. Personally, I think it’s a shame that the word “Ferguson” has been placed on these protests, because that makes outsiders believe that they are protesting that one specific case. If I could have it my way, I would replace the label, “Ferguson Protests” with the label, “Systemic Racism Protests.”
Of course, I think it’s important for me to be transparent about the actual events that unfolded between Mr. Wilson and Mr. Brown. I personally don’t know what happened on that day. There are many different stories, many different witnesses, and many different people on both sides that will say the other side doesn’t have credibility. However, I believe a few things that are fundamental to understanding how systemic racism, and other factors that the protests are about, have played a part in the specific case.
For one, I believe that if this case were brought to trial, Mr. Wilson would have been found not guilty, as he should have been because there was simply too much reasonable doubt in this case for Mr. Wilson to be found guilty. On the other hand, I acknowledge the grand jury’s role is to determine probable cause in the case, and I believe that there was more than enough probable cause to indict an officer. At the same time, I do not believe that the grand jury erred in their decision. Rather, I believe that the prosecution was not giddy about indicting a police officer for killing a member of the black community.
The prosecution relies on the police for 99% of their other cases. Coupled with the fact that there is no adversarial system used in the grand jury, I’m frankly not surprised that they chose not to indict Darren Wilson, or, for that manner, Eric Garner’s killer. I believe no one in the grand jury procedure was representing the interests of Mr. Brown or Mr. Garner.
The protestors often chant things like, “The whole damn system is guilty as hell.” I agree. The system is guilty. Before I continue, a metaphor.
Coal miners were known to carry “canaries” in the mines. WIkipedia elaborates, “If dangerous gases such as methane or carbon monoxide leaked into the mine, the gases would kill the canary before killing the miners, thus providing a warning to exit the tunnels immediately.” In America, right now, black people are the canaries in the coal mine, and they are warning us that something really troubling is going on in America, and that is the militarization of the police force. It just so happens that black America is feeling the impact first, because of institutional racism.
In 2013 Ferguson, 92% of searches and 86% of car stops involved black residents. Yet, 1 in 3 white people stopped were carrying contraband, whereas 1 in 5 black people stopped were carrying contraband. It’s no surprise, then, that the police are felt more by black residents than white residents.
Yet, it’s not that Ferguson has an over militarized police force that systemically targets black people, it’s that American cities has an over militarized police force that systematically target black people, and Ferguson is the most recent publicized illustration.
This is why the movement has gained national momentum, black folks around America can relate in some capacity to the anger and frustration that was felt by those close to Mr. Brown and Mr. Wilson. In the words of Penn State President Eric Barron, “Our nation faces a dilemma. We have a portion of our population who feels more vulnerable by virtue of their appearance.”
I believe that George Zimmerman acted in self defense, I was at the trial. I believe that Darren Wilson should have been found not guilty, if the case went to trial. I’ve had police officers defend me.Yet, I personally participated in the New York City protests the Tuesday after the Ferguson protest. I experienced the LRAD in Times Square. I participated in the die in protests in the HUB, the library, and showed my support for the other events I could not attend. To me, the protests aren’t about just Ferguson. They aren’t about just Mr. Garner. They aren’t just about the overmilitarization of the police.
These protests are a protest of a broken system, one that makes a portion of the population feel more vulnerable by virtue of their appearance. These protests are those people, and other close observers, warning us about the upcoming militarization of the police that white folks can’t feel yet, or at the very least, aren’t talking about yet. And this militarization of the police is scary.
New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio recently spoke in support of law enforcement and in support of the protestors for feeling some type of way about the law enforcement agencies. Now, the police are telling him not to come to any funeral. Additionally, the St. Louis Police Department wanted the NFL to issue an apology to law enforcement for some of their player’s hands up, don’t shoot gesture.
Again, I am a proponent of law enforcement. Very few people I know would take a bullet for me if someone started shooting at me. A law enforcement officer, despite him or her not knowing me, would take that bullet. They would take that bullet for anyone, despite their skin color, despite their creed, and despite their gender. I honestly believe that law enforcement officers have the best intentions possible when becoming a cop. At the same time, I see a dangerous practice that is ongoing in the law enforcement community; the unwillingness to question the actions of a fellow person in blue.
That’s a dangerous thought process, and the implications are being felt on the communities that they target. There is no need for your small town police force to have a tank.
At the same time, we, the protestors, have to end the resentment of law enforcement and learn to empathize with them, just as law enforcement has to learn to empathize with us.
We need to realize that the protests are not just about Mr. Brown, or Mr. Garner. We have to realize it’s about something much bigger, it’s also about systemic racism.
Racism is something that has been taught in our children without us even knowing it. It is deeply ingrained in our society. Studies confirm this, with multiple studies indicating that a resume where the only difference is the name, in some cases a letter (such as from Tyrone to Tyler, from Jose to Joe,),will have the name perceived as white as having a better chance of a callback than a name perceived as non-white. Racism is deeply embedded in the structures of our society.
I’m not going to jump onboard and say that I agree with everything the protestors have done. Yes, there have been riots, but the opponents of the protest seem to follow a pattern when arguing their side of the events. It seems that there is a lack of willingness to discuss the greater issue, such as systemic racism, or the over militarization of police, and instead nit pick any action that is negative and blow it up in attempts to discredit the whole movement.
“Michael Brown was a thief, here is a video we will release proving it.”
“Trayvon Martin was on drugs when he got shot.”
“Eric Garner didn’t comply, and that lead to a series of events which lead to his death.”
“Witnesses in the grand jury case were discredited, they did not err in their decision. These protests are an insult of the process!”
“Darren Wilson did not deserve to be assaulted, are you supporting assault on police officers?”
And my personal favorite,
“Protesting and shutting down my street, or rioting, are proof that these are just ‘thugs.’ What are they hoping to accomplish?”
Yes, riots undermine the movement in the public eye. But should they? Riots happen. We rioted at Penn State over the firing of our football coach. At least the protesters think that they are rioting for justice. Even if you disagree that they are, they think they are! It isn’t over the loss or victory of any football game, or hockey game, or sports competition. Or the firing of a freaking football coach.
And it isn’t everyone rioting, just a select few. And no, peacefully protesting in cities where there have been riots are not attempts to shield the rioters from prosecution. It’s exercising your first amendment rights.
As for the shutting down of roads? The shutting down of bridges? Sure, they are inconvenient. But that’s how social change happens. To discredit the protesters peaceful actions is to discredit the civil rights movement aswell, because the same tactics are being deployed.
I’m sure Rosa Parks sitting in the front of a bus interrupted the commute of a lot of angry folks that day.
I’m sure sitting at a “White Only” dinner probably ruined the meals of some people.
Is history going to remember the HUB protests as that annoying thing that made you late to class?
Moving forward, the atmosphere feels different for these protestors. It doesn’t seem like anything is going away, and it sure doesn’t feel like giving police body cameras is going to fix the system.
After all, Eric Garner’s death was on film. Eric Garner was unarmed. The coroner ruled it a homicide. The chokehold was banned. And Mr. Garner repeatedly told police that he couldn’t breathe seconds before he was killed by their actions.
And what did they say they stopped Mr. Garner for? Selling cigarettes illegally.
We have a video of an officer killing a man, and we can’t even get a grand jury to find probable cause that he killed a man.
I can’t breathe either.
Luis Rolfo is a Junior at Penn State pursuing a dual major in Political Science and Communication Arts and Sciences. He currently serves as a communications chair for the Penn State College Democrats.
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