America is on fire once again, with the focus on the state of Missouri where the situation has spiraled out of control after a grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for the killing of African-American Michael Brown in Ferguson this summer.
The murder that shocked Missouri, and the entire United States, occurred on August 9, 2014, when a “white” police officer shot and killed an 18-year-old African-American in the city of the state of Missouri. Brown was in the area to visit his grandmother when the officer shot . Ferguson police say that he had seen a person stealing cigars from a local store and Wilson, who “recognized” this person in Brown’s face, got into an incident with him that resulted in him chasing and shooting him. Wilson shot him a total of six times, killing him, with some of the witnesses even reporting that they saw the child raise his hands and Wilson continue to shoot him. Brown turned out to have no criminal record and was unarmed…
The protests, especially in Ferguson, were intense in the period that followed, with peaceful demonstrations as well as riots and violence, but now, however, the decision to acquit the police officer has made things even more out of control. Missouri has literally been burning since yesterday, with arson, looting and an explosion of violence in the area.
The state has declared a 30-day state of emergency, and a temporary no-fly zone has been imposed over Ferguson, as additional National Guard troops have arrived to quell the violence. The protests, however, have spread to every part of the United States and every major city, from New York and Washington to Los Angeles and Seattle, and as you can see in the photos, they are not just members of the African-American community.
The country undoubtedly has a long history of similar incidents between police and mainly African Americans, and many are those who note that the jury's decision was expected even before it was announced, as were the reactions it provoked. The also recent example of Trayvon Martin, another 17-year-old African American who died in a similar way in 2012, but the person who killed him (George Zimmerman) was acquitted, is also "fresh", so it was obvious that the new acquittal decision would make the Ferguson community, all of Missouri and almost the entire country "boil".
And while the situation in Missouri is out of control, the call for peaceful reactions is strong, even from Brown's parents in their official statement.
“We are deeply disappointed that our child’s killer will not face the consequences of his actions. While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will bring about positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen. Join us in our campaign to ensure that every police officer on the streets of this country is equipped with a body camera. We respectfully ask that you keep your protests peaceful. Responding to violence with violence is not the appropriate response. Let’s not make noise, let’s make a difference.”.
At the same time, social media, especially Twitter, also caught fire after the jury's decision was announced. Twitter announced that 3.5 million tweets were sent on Monday night, with the hashtag #fergusondecision remaining the top trending topic in the US and "Ferguson" dominating the top topics on Greek Twitter as well until now.
Celebrities, athletes and other Hollywood and American personalities active on social media have taken a stand on the event, in most cases expressing their disagreement with the decision, but also their call for reactions to be peaceful.
Lebron James posted a popular social media sketch on Instagram of Brown "hugging" Martin, noting that "retaliation and violence are not the answer," while famed producer Shonda Rhimes tweeted a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.
Mia Farrow, among others, asked people to join the petition so that police officers wear cameras when working on the street.
Charlie Sheen 's tweet was even more offensive.
However, the angry tweet of the French Minister of Justice, Christiane Taubira.
Taubira , who is originally from Guyana, explained this by noting that she wanted to "express her solidarity with a situation that is extremely painful" with her message.
And while the country continues to burn, the incident, unfortunately, once again, reinforces the belief that even in a country like the USA, where racism should have been addressed many years ago, in 2014 there are still deep-rooted racial inequalities, which, many times, are reflected in local government and law enforcement.
The photo below, however, taken in Ferguson, is its own "ironic" look at the events, with the image, as always, saying more than words..
Source: digitallife.gr
