Documenting the movement
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"Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress." |
Michael Brown
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Eric Garner
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Trayvon Martin
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It's not over Till' the Crow singsThe death of Michael Brown was one of the most controversial events the United States has seen in years. The attempt by Ferguson’s police official to cover up the crime by tarnishing Brown’s image and their hostile response to the inevitable protests only proved to show that America had not changed much since the 1960s. It brought to the surface the fear that many African Americans still live in fear of their local enforcement officials. The town of Ferguson, Missouri was able to voice their concerns on a larger scale than what they had been doing before.
It may seem outrageous for some to say that the citizens of Ferguson, Missouri must fight back. However, when one looks at what we are supposed to stand for as a country, it is their right to stand up and fight back. When a country who prides itself in being the “land of the free” has police firing tear gas at their citizens, something is clearly wrong. When citizens are said to “commit violent acts against police” but the police only use “excessive force,” the entire idea of democracy becomes invalid and the people no longer come first. The use of non-violence might be the best answer, but some believe that because the citizens of Ferguson, Missouri did fight back, progress can be made. The murder of Emmett Till was deemed perfectly normal by the white citizens of Money, Mississippi back in 1955. We are now in 2014; yet if you are black and in America there is a chance that even knocking on someone's door might get you killed. It is believed that the African American community has long overcome the Jim Crow era, but the reality is that it looms over them like hungry vulture. RefrencesJohnston, S.(2014). Two cheers for Ferguson's democratic citizens. Theory & Event, 17(3).
McKnight, U,L.(1997). Where is the love that you promised us? Theory & Event, 17(3). |
Civil UnrestThe issue of racial injustice is just one of the issues that plagues small towns and communities in the United States. Ferguson, Missouri is only one of the places where years and years of racial, social, political and economic injustices boiled down to inevitable civil unrest. The difference was that Ferguson managed to catch the mainstream public’s attention and shone a bright light at real life racism.
The reaction of the Ferguson police department’s heavily armored officers was daunting. They looked ready to fight a war not police the streets. The public soon realized that this was not the correct way to respond. However, police departments have been using these methods to respond to civil unrest since the 1960s. The SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) was created locally in Los Angeles in order to “control” urban uprisings. American police forces have become heavily militarized and thus the civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri was met with everything but patience and understanding. The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s seems like it took place a long time ago, but the reality is that some of the men and women who marched then are still marching today. This movement was also met with a militarized police force, but given that being black was practically illegal, they were merciless. The protesters put up with fire hoses, attack dogs, clubs, gun shots and more in order to tear down the unjust system of segregation. Now, they must stand and watch their grandchildren go through similar trials. |