Monday, August 18, 2014

Ferguson On Fire

The other morning, I turn on the TV as I'm taking my first sip of coffee. My mind was still in a bit of a slumber. As the television came to life, it greeted me with a scene of total chaos. Smoke was bellowing through the crowded street as police in riot gear dodged Molotov cocktails and other projectiles from the angry mob. I assumed it was just another violent clash between the Israelis and Palestinians halfway across the world.

But as the news caption appeared on the bottom of the TV screen, I saw that this clash was actually in our own backyard, in Ferguson, Missouri. The recent violence is a reaction from a recent police shooting in which an unarmed black teenager was killed by the police. The details from the investigation are still coming in.

The media, once again, inflamed emotions as they initially reported that the teenager was basically a college-bound choirboy. A few days later, however, a video appeared which showed the 300-pound choirboy shoving a small convenience store owner around as he walked off with his stolen goods. This reporting is similar to the way the media initially reported the Trayvon Martin incident.

As a result of the all attention and racial tensions in Ferguson, media whores Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson quickly entered the scene. These two guys are absolutely worthless in these situations. Instead of helping to calm racial tensions, they only them inflame them. If these two assholes really wanted to do something for blacks, maybe they should address the widespread black-on-black violence that occurs in inner cities all over America. But, of course, there's no one to shake down for a profit in most of those situations.

The name of the cop involved in the Ferguson shooting was initially withheld for concern of his safety. Although the cop's name was eventually released, there haven't been any photos that I'm aware of. Since this story has been spun as "another white cop shoots an unarmed black man", wouldn't it be ironic is the cop happens to be black? I wonder what Super Jesse's response would be to that?

Speaking of the identity of the cop, some irresponsible media outlets went as far as showing the cop's home. If something happens to this cop as a result of this, these media sources should be held directly responsible.

With more looting occurring over the weekend, police were, more or less, told to stand down and try to "keep order" by let the looters do their thing. Meanwhile, most store owners had to stand back and let their businesses be ransacked. Some store owners, however, picked up their own guns and stood in front of their stores, refusing to become the next looting victim.

What is the purpose of all the looting anyway? A unarmed teenager gets shot by the police. Ok, I get why that would produce a reaction. But does it really make sense to steal from and vandalize the local businesses that had absolutely nothing to do with it? And let's be honest here. Most of these looters couldn't care less about the shooting victim. Instead, they're just using this unfortunate incident to get some free stuff.

As a result of the escalating violence in Ferguson, a curfew has been implemented and the National Guard has been called in.

The rioting is a by-product of the "No Justice No Peace" mantra that we've seen before in these situations. Is the reaction justified? I don't know, maybe we should wait and see if the shooting was justified first?

No doubt, to be continued........

kw

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