The Haystack

The student news site of Wheat Ridge High School

The student news site of Wheat Ridge High School

The Haystack

The student news site of Wheat Ridge High School

The Haystack

Ferguson and Why It Still Matters

Photo+courtesy+of+news.stlpublicradio.org
UPI
Photo courtesy of news.stlpublicradio.org

By Daniela Santos

On Aug. 9 unarmed African-American 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot multiple times by white police officer Darren Wilson.

Although this occurred over a month ago, one must not ignore the mass issues that are racism and police brutality.

After the event, the home city of Brown, Ferguson, Missouri, reacted through protests, looting and violence. This may have been a controversial method of coping with the misfortune, but it is the action taken by police that has caused a feeling of disdain on the national eyes watching the calamity unveil itself in front of their television screens and through attention grabbing headlines.

According to USA Today, in 2010 67% of the residents in Ferguson are black, which is a 66% increase from over forty years ago. But the ethnic variety in the police department does not represent the cultural diversity of the city. Out of 53 police officers, only three of them are African American.

In response to the St. Louis suburb’s reaction to the Brown murder, police reportedly used tear gas to calm the rebellious crowd. The resident’s continued to rebel which furthered stricter courses of action from police who then began entering the streets wearing military equipment and driving tanks.  Governor Jay Nixon, even set a curfew for the suburb in another attempt to control the residents.

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Although this happened last month, it is important to not discard this as old news because the results from the grand jury on whether or not to bring criminal charges on Wilson can affect the nation’s perception on what power a police officer can get away with. On Wednesday Sep. 16th Wilson testified in front of the grand jury and they will have about 60 days to determine whether or not to declare him guilty of murder.

This is not the first time rash police action has taken place. The most infamous racial controversy was in 2012 when unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin was shot by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in Florida. The court concluded that Zimmerman was not guilty but the tension remained.

Another event with the same tone was a couple of weeks before the Brown shooting, with another unarmed black man, Eric Garner. In New York, Garner was charged with illegally selling cigarettes. When an NYPD officer tried to handcuff him, Garner tried to resist which led to the police dropping him to the ground and holding him in a chokehold. Video evidence of the situation was personally graphic appalling which does also question the reactions of police.

To the nation, and to me, it was uncomfortable to hear the court say that Zimmerman was not guilty. If the same were to go for Brown I believe the last word would not end there. Chaos would continue in Ferguson and the eyes of the nation would remain on the Brown case. If news stations continue to question the police’s actions then hopefully some reform can come for the United States. When the supreme court ruled in favor of striking down the Defense of Marriage Act it was a big positive step for marriage equality, the grand jury has the authority to make this much of an impact on the residents of Ferguson, police officers, and anyone who has felt racially discriminated against by anyone; which I can assure has been a vast majority of the country.

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