A letter to those impacted by Ferguson Missouri

Before beginning, I would like to preface this by saying that I am a white woman living in St. Louis, MO, not in Ferguson itself. Because of the intersection of my attributes, I cannot speak for the community by any means, just of my own thoughts and beliefs regarding the tragedy in Ferguson. 

In August of 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed during an altercation with 28-year-old police officer Darren Wilson. Following over 100 days of protests and demonstrations, on November 24th, the Grand Jury reached a verdict, stating that Wilson would not be indicted  for Brown’s death to any degree ranging from murder to involuntary manslaughter. Not only did Ferguson and St. Louis erupt in anger of this racial injustice, but so did the rest of the nation.

This post is intended to be a letter, a letter to each person, each group of individuals, who are out there making statements of their own.

To Michael Brown’s parents: On that afternoon in August, Brown’s family lost their 18-year-old son who laid on the ground for approximately four and a half hours. At the end of the day, the labels of “good kid” of “thug” do not matter; Michael Brown’s parents lost their son. Can you not understand the anger and hurt it must feel to lose a child? They have every right to want to get justice not only for their son but for the lives of black people everywhere, the right to question authority and make sure all individuals are adequately protected by the law. As Michael Brown’s family beautifully put, “Let’s not just make noise, let’s make a difference.” Peace and love towards this family who are using this tragedy to make a difference for families across the nation.

To the media: In St. Louis and in Ferguson, we are human beings. We are in pain at the tragedy that has occurred. So please media personnel (especially the national sources) stop trying to use this tragic time as a way to increase your viewership. I understand the sheer newsworthiness of the situation and how it has continued to unfold, but it is the media that has helped to create this fear of Armageddon, the media that kept inciting fear in our society by posting incorrect facts in an attempt to be the first source out there to post something regarding the decision. Not only have you helped this fear to manifest, but the you continue to paint Ferguson and St. Louis as a place of violence. Check your facts and see that even though violent protests have occurred, we have also have had over 100 days of peaceful protests and of rebuilding, something that will never be deemed “newsworthy” as the national media and our society are only obsessed with hearing any gruesome details about the event. Even though it is your job, please remember that we are humans, we fear the unknown, and when the media is supposed to shed light into that unknown, it can have a detrimental impact when the wrong news is being posted. Fact check before you create a climate of fear.

To teachers, parents, and the education system: The importance of keeping our children and our students safe is absolutely necessary. But remember that there is a fine line between educating your children and shielding them from realities. Instead of ignoring the issues that are occurring, teach them in and outside of the classroom. This can be through having a dialogue with them, letting them watch the news, giving them informative books to read, the list continues to go on. No matter what your opinion is on the matter, it is necessary for children to know what is going on in the world around them, to let them know that they can have questions and can have differing opinions from their peers. Education is what will help each of the incoming generations and what will help to end the oppressions that so many minority groups face. I spoke with several high school students a few days ago about how the events in Ferguson were unfolding. The education that this group received was incredible, as I heard questions including, “A lot of the same issues that are coming up in the Michael Brown case seem similar to the Civil Rights Movement and what MLK stood for, right? Aren’t there some other instances where police officers and the national guard have used brutality because of fear, especially during the Vietnam War?” At the same time, a different school in the area was too afraid to let its students be anywhere near the St. Louis Region, as they did not want students to be near any protests that many ensue. A difference between education and shielding.

To the businesses: This is hard to address, as so many businesses and business owners were harmed in the violence that occurred because of the decision that was made. Although I cannot speak for the community, I know that we will be able to rebuild. No matter how detrimental the violence can be, St. Louis is still a city of coming together and supporting one another. Although the tragedy has occurred, we are all still together in this. And all we can do at this time is to start fresh and rebuild. Even though I do not have a solution at this time, we can still create one together.

To the police officers: We must remember that no matter how necessary it is to question the fairness of authority and the law that we cannot make assumptions and stereotypes about the entire police force for the tragedy that occurred. From the way the law is written to the way in which police officers are trained, Darren Wilson, as well as other cops nationwide, are educated in a way that can ultimately fail them and the society that they are to protect. Before putting the blame on the police officers, put the blame on the authority that they look up to, the individuals who train them, and the way in which the law is written. Only after we closely examine the systematic issues with our legal system can we begin to reform it to make sure all police officers receive the proper training and that all citizens regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, class, etc. are protected under the law. It is easy to follow what authority says, especially if it means the difference between having a job to support your family or not. Remember that it is much harder to question what your superiors say. I feel sorry for Darren Wilson simply because he did not stand a chance.

To the supporters of the decision made not to indict Darren Wilson: Truth: Darren Wilson was not indicted as found by the Grand Jury. There is no doubt that the decision happened and that the jury did examine all evidence presented to them and ruled after several weeks of deliberation. But we have to remember that this is only the surface of the issue. From here, question why: Why did the law allow for Darren Wilson not to be indicted? Why is a law written several years ago that condones brutality still be looked upon as a resource in deciding innocence versus guilt? And why is our justice system only set up to fail the minority? I know how many of you feel right now, scared of the violence, some openly expressing their animosity. But remember that it is okay to question authority, to question the societal norm. The individuals who threatened and harmed the Little Rock Nine did not question authority nor the societal norm. It is difficult to question the majority, it can be scary thinking of what it would be like to stand up against the individuals who hold power. But be on the side of history that you can fully support and continue to be educated on the issue before you say something you may regret. And if you are one of the individuals that state that these men should have thought more of what they were doing before they were murdered, then shame on you for condoning victim-blaming in our society. As you should not blame a woman for being sexually assaulted, a man for identifying as gay and being harmed by his violent peers, you cannot blame a black man or boy for carrying around a fake gun and being murdered by the individuals who are supposed to protect him in the process.

To the supporters and protesters: Continue to question the racial injustices that plague our country, the systematically oppressive system that is written into our state laws, and the brutality and violence that so many of our authorities are taught, almost encouraged, to use. And never let our voices be silenced. A number of protest movements exist, dating back to centuries ago in different countries throughout the nation. For many, it was hard to receive the attention necessary to bring light to the issues, as the media holds the power of what will be heard nationwide. In France several centuries ago, women and their families were starving due to a shortage of food the lower classes were receiving, so they took it upon themselves to raid the kingdom with yard tools, demanding food to feed their families. In the 1960s, LGBT individuals were harassed, assaulted and arrested by police officers simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, sparking the Stonewall Riots. And these movements made a difference in the women’s movement, made a difference in the LGBT rights movement. I may not want the violence, I do not believe anyone truly wants violence, but I am here to understand and here to listen to the anger, the anger that has been pent up in our society for hundreds of years. And I am here to continue fighting for the end of systematic oppression and racial injustice.

I am not scared of the “rioting” and “looting” that is occurring a couple of miles away; what terrifies me is the racial injustice in our systematically oppressed society. No matter what your opinion is on Brown’s innocence, we have to remember what this event truly represents. Michael Brown was an 18-year-old who did not receive a trial by jury because he was shot multiple times by a police officer, who was trained to use violence as an answer and protected by the way in which the law was written as a result. And if you believe that this is a rare scenario, you are sadly mistaken. There was a police officer who shot and killed a black man who was carrying around a Nerf gun inside a store, the 12-year-old black boy who was shot two times and killed by a police officer for carrying around a pellet gun, the list of unnecessary deaths goes on.

Again, I cannot speak for the community. But I can speak for the injustice and systematic oppression our society has continued to endure. Before jumping to any additional conclusions, continue to do your research on the racialized history in both Ferguson and America and stop accepting that we live in a post-racist, post-sexist, post-homophobic, etc. society.