Police Brutality in Ferguson: A National Epidemic

After reading "On Police Brutality" in last week’s Exonian, we, members of the Afro-Latino Exonian Society (ALES), were prompted to provide an exhaustive view on the ongoing situation in Ferguson, Missouri and police brutality.

"Brown's name is one of the latest additions to a long list of black males killed by officers and vigilantes in a narrative that is becoming all too familiar to many people of color."

Michael Brown, an unarmed 18 year old and recent high school graduate, was murdered on Canfield Drive in Ferguson by police officer Darren Wilson on August 9, 2014, at 12:03 pm. There has not appeared to be much agreed upon factual evidence concerning the events leading up to his murder. This is linked to the lack of detail provided in the incident report filed. But credible sources agree that officer Wilson stepped out of his police vehicle before ordering Brown and his friend off the street and onto the sidewalk. A journalist for The Huffington Post wrote that the incident report filed for this specific case lacked the information that is usually written on other incident reports filed by the Ferguson Police Department, such as details about the crime scene, interviews with witnesses and the names of all the officers involved. After the initial confrontation between officer Wilson and Brown and his friend, witnesses and authorities have different accounts of what occurred at the scene of the shooting. The most common reports by eye-witnesses state that that after the officer’s encounter with the two teenagers, there was a scuffle at the police car between officer Wilson and Michael Brown. Following the altercation, Brown ran away as his friend hid behind the closest car for protection. While Brown was retreating, the officer began to shoot at him, which explains the four gunshot wounds on the back of his arms. In response to the shots, Brown turned around to presumably surrender, where he eventually received the final two shots, beneath his right eye and through the crown of his head, the latter ultimately killing him. But this is not an isolated incident. As an August 22nd Huffington Post article stated, "Brown's name is one of the latest additions to a long list of black males killed by officers and vigilantes in a narrative that is becoming all too familiar to many people of color." Due to these circumstances, citizens in Ferguson were not acting "blindly" and were completely justified in their protest; it is important to realize that the relevance of Brown’s death travels farther than the boundaries of this Midwestern town.In regards to the "riots" in Ferguson, the protests have not been purely incited by the shooting of Michael Brown, but rather by the police brutality against racial minorities that has concerned this nation since 1704 when slave-patrollers monitored and enforced discipline. The majority of the protests were indeed peaceful and much of the violence was engendered by the police. From the start of the very first protests, police officers and government officials began bringing in military-grade weapons and vehicles. The local Ferguson police were so ill-equipped and untrained that not only were the National Guard called in, but the St. Louis police were also dispatched to help the local force. Although President Obama criticized the very few protesters who were attacking police, he acknowledged that the "vast majority of people are peacefully protesting."In addition to the kinds of weapons that were issued to the officers, the police established a system known now as the "five-second rule," which forbids the protesters from staying in one place for more than five seconds. If not, they would face arrest. This was deemed unconstitutional by a U.S. District Court Judge because it "violated the protesters' freedom of speech rights, as well as due process." Evidence has also showed that many police officers themselves are violating the law by removing their badges as to not be identified as they tear-gassed citizens and shot rubber bullets. There has also been videos of heavily armed officers aiming their guns at crowds despite the fact that one should not point an armed weapon at anybody unless they intend to shoot. The First Amendment guarantees that as U.S. citizens we have the right of press and assembly, yet there are numerous accounts of police officers ordering peaceful civilians to turn off their phones as they aimed their guns at them.We know that police brutality is an extremely prevalent issue that plagues this nation, and this is why we strongly disagree with how the local Ferguson police handled the peaceful protesters. Although tragic incidents such as Eric Gardner (killed in a chokehold by a police officer in New York), Oscar Grant III (shot in the back and killed in the Fruitvale subway station by a police officer in Bay Area California) and Michael Brown happen daily, this upcoming Sunday, November 9, marks the third month since Michael Brown’s death. Still, there is no arrest, no charge against the officer and no repercussions for the loss of a human life.