Class warfare

There aren’t many people denying the point that seems to be an irrefutable fact concerning Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Mo.; it was tragic. The events in the recent days and weeks have brought attention to St. Louis and Missouri, as a whole, in a light that is not considered by many to be the ideal, it does however open up many avenues for educated conversation and debate concerning the two shootings and protestings, peaceful and otherwise, that have unfolded in North County.

Because there has yet to be one concise and clear report on the shooting itself, I would like to focus on the protesting and riots that came after, as they are more clearly defined by the media and eyewitnesses, and these events have and continue to unfold before our very eyes. One key point about these protests and seemingly extreme actions is the distinct lack of balance of both party’s reaction to the other’s. As a criticism, everyone has a hand in the events and can be held to blame to some degree for the most extreme of these infamous nights in Ferguson, the first week after the shooting.

Turning first to the police, it is evident that there was poor communication and disorganization in the first several nights of the riots and protesting. On the first night, there was a very small and discreet police force and presence in the city, and as a result, there was rioting and what has been described as “violent protesting.” In contrast, we saw an almost military-scale police presence in the following nights, which similarly resulted in outburst and violent protesting. As well we saw what is, undeniably, complete overkill including excessive use of tear gas, unconstitutional use of force, and the restriction of the freedom of the press for two journalists. It should have been clear that there needed to be a medium and a middle ground concerning police presence and their actions, but this balance was not hit in the first week after the event and has yet to hit a perfect median, debatably.

These riots and protests of course were not entirely to the fault of the police force. The protesters in question have a hand in the matter as well, understandably so, as these events have been labeled and marked by their being protests and riots and not by the actions of the police. It seems extremely unproductive and hypocritical to react to violence with extreme violence. The riot that ensued after Michael Brown’s death was likely very emotional and fueled largely by momentary lapses of reason, but it makes no logical sense to rob stores and burn down gas stations because someone from your town was shot. It is an inalienable right to protest peacefully, and some of these protesters did exactly that and nothing more, but those who were stirred up by what they perceived as injustice towards an innocent person engaged in the exact behaviors they were so strongly offended by, harming innocent store owners and engaging in violent behaviors. Rioting and violently protesting is not a productive means to express one’s opinion and only harms innocent civilians in most cases.

For the time being, there seems to be a considerable reduction in violent protesting activity and a much more balanced approach by the police, but we do well to prepare for and ask exactly what might happen if the officer responsible for Michael Brown’s death is acquitted for his actions. Will we take one step forward and two very large steps back? Or will there continue to be the balance the city has come to reach?

So, is it ok that the police officers in the videos we’ve seen online, the news articles from the Huffington Post and the Washington Post, and the men on the frontline in the news are using such extreme force after an evident lack of activity? No, it is not, but to their defense, it is also unacceptable to throw molotovs, break store front windows, and harass officers at knife point.

The actions by both parties can almost be narrowed down to an infinite and vicious cycle of breaking ambiguous unspoken laws. It is the opinion of many that the police are in the wrong, and it recognized by some that many of the protesters are behaving extremely, even though not all of these events accompany a constitutional law.

To the credit of both sides, these kinds of events are emotional and unpredictable. Tension fluctuates and changes with each night, and in an age of social media misconceptions, inaccurate stories, misunderstandings, and allegations travel faster than they ever have before. Certainly, in a different time, similar circumstances would be viewed and handled in a much different manner. As a final note, the cooperation and attempts to settle fired-up protesters, to find a balance of police presence and force, and to come to a clear conclusion of just what exactly happened to Michael Brown have been honest attempts to keep Ferguson safe and to return to the booming and recovering town that it was before this wide scale chaos began, just a few weeks ago. We do well to invest in our city and state as we hope for this apparent balance and normality to continue between the police and citizens alike.