[barmar]

Looks like the "fear of violence" was justified.

For those who haven't heard, the grand jury did not indict the police officer on any of the counts.

[mike777]

Not only was the fear justified but clearly many good people in Ferguson feel justified in taking violence when they believe the police murder young men and the system and government turns away. You could hear them shouting "burn the place down".

This afternoon the mayor and clergy of Ferguson said they were sorry to the parents of this child and none of them lifted one finger in defense of the police. None of them justified the system or process. Not one justified Officer Wilson.

[barmar]

mike777, on 2014-November-25, 14:37, said:

Not one justified Officer Wilson.

They didn't need to, the Grand Jury did it for them.

[mike777]

Which so many people claim was "rigged"

As I said they don't respect the system or the process

[blackshoe]

mike777, on 2014-November-26, 10:59, said:

Which so many people claim was "rigged"

As I said they don't respect the system or the process

Well, the system didn't produce the outcome these folks wanted, so clearly it was rigged.

[kenberg]

I'm not sure anyone has the key here. The goveernor was, early on criticized for calling up the National Guard. After the looting and arson, the governor was criticized for not having enough National Guard. Only 700. Now I gather it is 2200, but "everyone" knows he should have had more the first night.

I don't give the governor or the county prosecutor or anyone involved in this particularly high marks. And I really think the media has outdone itself in irresponsible sensationalism. They take great offense at this view, but I think they have been truly awful. Let's have you and him fight so I can write about it.

There was a guy on the news, an African-American who had been a cop (in a different jurisdiction, I think), maybe now he is a retired cop, who was advocating getting more (or maybe the word is some) African-Americans onto the police force. I heartily second that. He was saying that his presence changed the culture of the force, that they maybe no longer talked in just the same way they talke before, when everyone was white. Probably so. But I was thinking of another point. Suppose, after the shooting, an African-American cop could speak to the community and say, assuming it is true,"I know Wilson. I can tell you he is not a racist. We will see what actually happened, I promise you that. But I have worked beside Wilson and he is not a racist". No miracle would be performed, but it would help. And if several could say it, it would help a lot. It's their community that is torn apart here. No one comes out ahead, no one comes out looking good. And who knows, maybe the presence of a goodly number of African-Americans on the force would lessen the possibility of such things happening in the first place. I know, I am unrealistic. We have to all keep confronting.

It's not that if the town is two-thirds black then the police force has to be two-thirds black, that's crazy. But almost all white is even crazier.. What the hell did people think would happen? It was just when, not if. No, not everything is about race. But it plays a role, no?

[barmar]

Having more African-Americans on the police force would probably help, but it's not necessarily a silver bullet. I've read that psychology studies have shown that even African-Americans automatically fear or distrust unknown African-Americans more than they do whites.

[kenberg]

barmar, on 2014-November-29, 08:40, said:

Having more African-Americans on the police force would probably help, but it's not necessarily a silver bullet. I've read that psychology studies have shown that even African-Americans automatically fear or distrust unknown African-Americans more than they do whites.

Agreed. The problem was not built in a day, and it will not be solved in a day.

When I see a cop, even a cop who has for some reason stopped me (this would be for driving too fast, not for shoving a store owner during a minor theft), I don't see an enemy. I grew up across the street from a cop. The other day at the Y I was talking with a guy, a physicist retired from NASA, and he was speaking of his son the cop. My wife's oldest daughter is married to a retired cop. And so on.

Familiarity can be useful in keeping things from getting oot of hand. To a large extent, I think that is an explanation for Ferguson. The African-American community doesn't trust the cops. The cops don't trust the African-American community. No doubt they each have their stories to tell, and probably neither group has to invent their stories. Of course the police have strong responsibilities here as part of their job, but in day to day life the theory sometimes falls by the wayside. If we are ever going to get off this ledge, someone has to start building some bridges.

Anyway, I agree that more African-American cops would not be "the solution". But it might help a bit. What we want is for the community to see cops as on their side. When I was a little younger than Michael Brown, a cop had me by the arm saying "You're a little old for this kind of stuff, aren't you son?". I later thought it over and decided he had a point. The message of "I expect better" came across. Most people can recall some mistakes of their adolescence. Some strong guidance, long before any weapons are involved, can be useful.