I have read more about what the Grand Jury saw in the incident that led to Mike Brown's death. I have been bombarded by two law enforcement friends who support Darren Wilson. I am trying to decide what to make of both.
My friends point out that it could have been them. That Mike Brown was big and reached for Wilson's gun. That they would have done the same as Wilson to protect themselves. Regardless of the race of the person in question.
Witness testimony mentioned Brown running away then putting his hands up. To me, that sounds like he's no longer threatening. But some witnesses changed their stories. I don't know how seriously to take Wilson's testimony. As you can read from the link below, there seemed to be a certain amount of cover-up early on. He didn't immediately give a statement and when he did talk to a Detective about it, notes weren't taken right away and he had time alone with his supervisor before being interviewed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/25/ferguson-grand-jury-evidence-mistakes_n_6220814.html
I no longer think Darren Wilson shot Brown because he's a racist. There needs to be other incidents for me to think this was a racist decision. When I read what Missouri law states, they would consider Brown still threatening. Because he stole something right before the encounter. He was a felon.
That one bad decision changed everything about this trial. If he didn't steal the cigarillos, it's possible Wilson would have gone to trial. That's not about race. That's about personal decisions. The truth is we won't really know the details because there is no video on what happened. Perhaps if Wilson wore a camera we'd have answers. At the very least, the camera being turned off would be suspicious enough for a trial.
Without the video we can't know if Wilson was really defending himself. I think all along my passion over this has to do with Witnesses and Troy Davis. Witness testimony was weak so this wasn't considered worth having a trial over. But weak testimonies and zero physical evidence didn't stop Georgia from putting Troy Davis to death.
Maybe it's not about race. Maybe it's about the police officers involved. Maybe both cases are less about the color of the civilian and more about the life of a police officer. In Davis' case they were trying to find the killer of a police officer and wanted to do it quickly.
I do agree that Wilson's life was put in danger with whatever happened inside that car. I didn't know what was considered the end of a threat. To me, you cuff them when the hands go up. But then my friends reminded me that up hands can still reach down for the gun. It's still a threatening situation. Wilson was protecting himself.
Officer MacPhail's death is just as tragic as Mike Brown's. I hope both are resting in peace. Everyone has called for peace in Ferguson. I support that. It sounds like the protests are less about Mike Brown's death specifically and more about issues with the police department. I have never been there so I can't say if the issues are real or not. But everywhere I have read about the Ferguson police department shows ongoing problems with the community.
Racism does exist. There are racist police officers. In the midst of all this I have read stories from black people who were following the law but were targeted by a police officer. In those cases, no one's life was threatened.
Huffington Post pointed something out about Darren Wilson's interview. When he thanks his supporters, he never mentions Mike Brown. Wouldn't the average police officer offer condolences for the loss even if they were protecting themselves? Isn't it considered basic common courtesy? What if their son was Mike Brown? Wouldn't they expect a basic acknowledgment that when the protests are over there is still someone who will always be missed?
I still don't like that witness testimony wasn't treated with the same weight for Wilson as it was for Davis. It's possible racism was involved in Davis' case. I actually don't think it was in this case. As I picture my law enforcement friends in the place of Darren Wilson I know I would want them to protect themselves.
It basically comes down to decisions. We simply don't know how we would have reacted in either's shoes. But it comes down to respect. The community needs to respect those who serve it, and those who serve it need to respect the community.
If Brown had said "sorry officer" and moved to the sidewalk, he would be alive today. But I see people walking in the street when there is a sidewalk all the time. Does Wilson ask everyone doing that to get on the sidewalk?
These incidents won't end. But there will be a lot less of them when both sides show respect for the other. But respect is earned. Ferguson has a broken relationship between the police and the people. They need to take steps to repair that. No one wants any more deaths from either side. Respect for others, respect for life.
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