AFRICAN-AMERICANS ACROSS AMERICA ARE PISSED! Anger, disillusionment, rage, disappointment, and shock are less impactful words that do little to describe the true nature of our feelings. But while many of us hoped against hope that Michael Browns killer, officer Darren Wilson would be charged, I cannot honestly say that I am shocked. Even when you know a punch is coming it still hurts. We are enraged. You cannot deny people justice repetitively and expect them to just take it! I don't condone violence, nor do I condone fighting battle I have absolutely no chance of winning. But I understand.
Violence erupted in Ferguson, Missouri last night after demonstrators learned there would be no criminal indictment of police officer Darren Wilson for the August shooting death of teen Michael Brown.
Demonstrators taunted police, shattered windows and set fire to two St. Louis County police cars. Scattered, intermittent gunfire was also reported, but it mostly disappeared by Tuesday morning.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said at a 1:30 a.m. CT news conference that at least a dozen buildings were burning and that he had heard at least 150 gunshots, none fired by police. A police officer was shot but not seriously hurt, Belmar said.
Police had made 29 arrests.
"I'm disappointed this evening," Belmar said. "What I've seen tonight is probably worse than the worst night we had in August."
He said protesters could not be controlled "unless we bring 10,000 policemen in here."
Scores of police officers, armed with riot gear, dispersed a crowd of about 300 with volley after volley of tear gas, pepper spray and bean bags. But not before looters plundered a Walgreen store, Family Dollar store and an Autozone outlet
A. Other protesters torched a Little Casears pizza restaurant and local beauty shop — among several buildings set ablaze that were continuing to light up the sky early Tuesday morning. Two police cars were burned.
The chaos grounded flights in and out of St. Louis' Lambert International Airport airlines until early Tuesday"to provide a safe environment for law enforcement activities, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Much of the crowd had been dispersed by about midnight. There were no other official reports of arrests or injuries.
Today's youth are not going to take too many blows without returning the favor. What happens in the future will make the protests in Ferguson seem like NOTHING. Mark my words.
PR
I understand the RAGE, but it won't and never has SOLVED anything. In fact, I shudder to think about the tactics used to quell the rioting in Los Angeles, Detroit, Newark, New York back in the '60s. Black people were definitely out-gunned in all of those cities, but they threw Molotov cocktails and looted stores. (?) Local, County, State and Federal governments brought in their fire-power to destroy the rioters. Black people were lying dead in the streets. Yes, I listened to the newscast last night. I really had not expected Darren Wilson to be indicted. Had you thought that he would be, particularly after the video of Michael Brown stealing cigarillos was released? (After all, we are perceived as criminals.) Did you think that the cops who killed Amadou Diallo would be sent to prison? How about George Zimmerman? Did he get his "just desserts" for killing Trayvon Martin? What about the men who entered into the home of the uncle of Emmett Till and dragged Emmett away to his death--their trial was a mockery of justice--not one of them was sent to prison. AND it took years for the murderer of Medgar Evers, (Byron de la Beckwith) to be tried and he was going around claiming that he did it--like a badge of honor. I still say--we have to work within the system---even though the system was not designed to protect us--it is our only recourse. Looting brings jail; hate brings more hate--the system is the only way as far as I'm concerned
ReplyDeleteI agree with you wholeheartedly! Looting never solves anything, and nobody wins. As flawed as it is, the system is our only resource!
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