Bret Calvert

What is the purpose of protest? I’ve always drawn the conclusion is that the purpose of protest is too draw attention and to apply pressure. I feel like that’s been accomplished. I’m not saying that the situation is over and that everything is hunky-dory in Missouri…but they have drawn the eyes of the nation, the media and the feds. The scrutiny over how this investigation unfolds will be unflinching. Millions of people now feel personally invested and affected by the situation.

I know the immediate goal for the citizens on the streets of Ferguson is to force the arrest of the police officer who fired those fatal shots…and the ultimate goal is to expose the systemic and pervasive racial bias found in local law enforcement. There are volumes of evidence confirming the unfair treatment of African-Americans by police forces in Ferguson and across the country. There is no doubt that the concern and anger coming from the citizens is very real and overwhelmingly justified…sadly, the same can’t be said of all of their actions.

The particulars of this case will be analyzed and debated for a long time to come. Some will say Brown was a thief who should have complied with cops. Some will say he was an innocent kid whose character is being attacked. Some will say he struggled against the officer…the autopsy seems to say different. Many say he died with his hands with the air…EVERYONE knows he died without a weapon. When you add in the information, which has been confirmed by the Ferguson PD, that the officer had no knowledge of the fact Michael Brown was a suspect in a robbery…the video of the robbery really has no bearing and the case against the officer remains strong. It will be hard for anyone to justify 6 shots into an unarmed teenager.

I understand why everyone on the streets are so angry. I get the frustration and the boiling tension from decades of unfair treatment. The strong-armed tactics of the Ferguson PD in dealing with the protests has been well documented. The use of tear gas, rubber bullets and “military” tactics has been broadcast across the globe. Their treatment of the citizens and, even more brazenly, the media has been exposed as not only overtly aggressive…but also embarrassingly ineffective.

That being said…there is no excuse for looting, throwing malatov cocktails or rocks and especially firing gunshots at police or other citizens. Not only is it obviously and inherently dangerous and not only does it draw the ire of a proven aggressive law enforcement unit…but, perhaps more importantly, it completely pulls attention and support away from the cause that brought everyone together in the first place. The righteous ground begins to shake when you are demanding that law be enforced in the Brown case while openly breaking laws in defiance. The gatherings are supposed to be making sure that the outcome in this investigation is what’s right…that’s impossible to accomplish by doing what’s wrong.

Please don’t misunderstand me…I am with the citizens of Ferguson. I think their outrage is justified and their situation drastically deserves radical change. The massive majority of the citizens have been lawfully using their rights to protest and have done so peacefully and in earnest. It’s those who have used it as an excuse for violence and looting who are doing the most damage to the Brown family and the case against the cops. It’s not the police themselves…all they are doing is driving home the reputation the citizens have given them. The more violent and outrageous their actions are…the stronger the sentiment against them…but when they have to respond to gunshots, looting and firebombs…you are adding reason to their actions…which hurts your whole point. I’m not saying that the police haven’t reacted poorly…it’s offensive and appalling the way they have behaved…but when you put the inciting of such actions on actual violent and dangerous actions by the crowd, the moral superiority the citizens have rightly held starts to dissolve.

The pictures and videos of citizens trying to stop other townspeople from looting and attacking police does my heart good…so does the Black Panthers call this morning for a 5-day moratorium on the protests. It’s good to see those who feel strongly about the Michael Brown case realize when their cause is being injured and acting with the best interest of the people and their message at heart. The old man trying to talk the young guy out of throwing a Molotov cocktail really resonated with me. The older gentleman’s pleas were filled with knowledge and reason…he knew that the firebomb wouldn’t just possibly injure a policeman…but that it would explode in the face of all they were there to accomplish. Heartbreaking. In fact…that’s the best word to describe the whole situation…just heartbreaking.

I hope the people keep hitting the streets. I hope they continue to make their voices heard. I hope they march every single day until the investigation is complete and Darren Wilson is, at the very least, not a cop anymore. I hope they stay in the streets until the complexion of the Ferguson PD changes to reflect the citizenship. I hope streets fill with people all across the country until the well-documented unbalanced treatment of African-Americans by law enforcement is earnestly addressed and corrected. I love our right to protest and my heart goes out to those in Ferguson who have exercised their rights righteously.

I cannot begin to comprehend the tension and seething anger that comes from living under such an oppressive system for so long. There is no doubting the fact that the law enforcement system, as a whole, is unfair and discriminatory. I hope that we can all keep in mind the fact that there are millions of honest, proper cops who sincerely want to serve and protect their communities. Just as the vast majority of the protesting crowd was peaceful…so too are the vast majority of police officers quality civil servants who are essential to the functioning of society. But as we have seen in both cases, it doesn’t take many abusing their place as police or protestor to throw the entire situation into dangerous chaos. I don’t understand the violent outbursts from either side…but I can see how they have transpired…I can fathom their cause.

As I said…the whole situation breaks my heart. My most sincere hope is that the family of Michael Brown receives some form of justice and peace. I wish safety and security for all of those who live in the area…and I hope for swift, legal retribution for those on both sides who are acting inappropriately. I hope those who did nothing wrong, whose businesses and property have been injured will rebuild and thrive. I hope Darren Wilson is dealt with. I hope the attention brought to this crucial subject stays strong until the dream of equality is realized. I hope the idiots who dismiss this situation as “playing the race card” wake up someday with souls and reasonable minds. I hope that all of this hectic confusion and dangerous street warfare someday amounts to something good. I hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I hope there is justice. I hope there is peace.