Following the announcement there were protests, mostly peaceful, in and around Ferguson, MI. Riot police were on scene in order to try to keep the peace. But as pockets of violent or semi-violent reaction occurred the nation is left once again wondering what actually happened in this case. Some are accusing Robert McCulloch himself claiming that he did not believe Officer Wilson was guilty of anything and so did not do his best before the Grand Jury in trying to get an indictment.
The fact of the matter is that Michael Brown is dead. His family released a statement asking everyone to remain calm and not react violently as more death would only heighten the tragedy and do nothing to get justice for Michael.
News Media and Social Media seemed to be divided along racial lines in this case. White observers claim that the justice system is in place and if the Grand Jury failed to indict, then there was simply not enough evidence. They argue that Brown's actions led to the events of his death. African American observers look at this case as yet another example of racism in America. One in which a white cop gets away will killing a black teen.
Only a few people actually know what happened the night Michael Brown was killed... and so far we don't know what testimony or evidence the Grand Jury heard to reach their decision. What we do know is that there is a very large percentage of our population who have lost faith in the ability of the police to protect and serve without abusing their authority.
Police put their lives on the line each and every day, with each traffic stop, with each seemingly routine call. While we work through what happened in Ferguson it is important to remember that even if Office Wilson has gotten away with murder, his actions should not be seen as representative of the police at large.
No one likes the police... until you need them.
Thoughts?