Recap of Ferguson
By Sola Ayodeji, Agape Life Contributor
updated Fri November 15, 2014
The unrest in Ferguson, Missouri is all but unfamiliar. Once again a community that remains invisible to those outside of it is rocked by the senseless murder of a teenage boy and thrust into national spotlight. It’s what happened after Trayvon Martin was killed in Sanford, Florida. On the surface the actions of protesters and supporters for the victims may seem chaotic, but it is a predictable response from people who are frustrated and feel they have to make noise until they are heard. Every racial group has problems, but the belief that blacks are more violent or devious than other groups seems to be ingrained into our society.
When cases like Trayvon Martin’s and Michael Brown’s make the news they push to the surface the state of racial relations, gun laws and the inner workings of the justice department and law enforcement. As uncomfortable as it to admit, black men and even black women are not afforded the same privileges as their counterparts. For many the fear of being accosted on the street by police or a vigilante is just as real as other races’ fears of random acts of robbery, sexual assault, home invasion, or car theft. Yet there is a double standard. If we were to fight back in any of the aforementioned situations we’d automatically be reinforcing a stereotype not created by us, but for us. No doubt, there is skepticism around our victimization; and when our perpetrator is of a different race, the process of receiving justice can be slow and unsatisfying.
Given these challenges blacks face, how can a reaction to incidents like what happened in Ferguson be anything other than emotionally charged? The protests will eventually die down and the media attention will slowly fade, but that doesn’t mean everything is settled. Even with the National Guard withdrawing its troops, this city will never be the same. The issues that led to these protests span beyond Ferguson. Let’s hope that our political leaders, community members and government officials work together to address them and move forward.