November 25, 2014 by Amy

Follow Up

Okay, the decision has been released, and here's my follow-up.

I trust the Grand Jury. I trust that they, as our peers, and as the peers of Officer Wilson and Michael Brown, did the very best they could with the evidence they were given. I trust that our justice system worked exactly as it was designed.

Is there injustice in America? Yep. Do awful, tragic things happen every day? Absolutely.

But let's not make the actions of this young man (this young man who stole, assaulted a store clerk, then assaulted a police officer) the poster child for racial injustice. If we want to talk about consequences, we should also look very carefully at the consequences of his own actions. He made some bad decisions, and he paid the ultimate price. What do the protesters think Officer Wilson should have done? Do they think he should have stood by and let himself be injured or possibly killed himself? I mean it. I want that question answered. A police officer faced a threatening, angry, extremely large man (I don't care about his color)…how was he supposed to respond? I had to leave Facebook, because the sheer idiocy I see unfolding there is infuriating.

And now they're burning Ferguson, building by building. What will that solve? If anything, these actions will only make racial tension worse.

Please, I beg of you, anyone who is reading this, please pray or send good juju or whatever you do to make this universe good and kind and safe. And show love to anyone and everyone you meet. It's the only way we'll make it through.