Open Letter to Ferguson

Ferguson,
 
What are you doing?

The whole world was watching, the news was announcing there would be riots long before the grand jury was done. It was expected of you. Race baiters were begging you to. Why did you? Rioting does not bring justice. It's the behavior of a lynch mob! How does destroying the businesses in your town make anything better?

The truly tragic victim of this is Ferguson Market & Liquor. The store Michael Brown stole cigars from, assaulted the clerk, leading to his confrontation and death at the hands of Officer Wilson has been destroyed. You have made full circle, with a lynch mob's vengeance.


If you want justice, what are you protesting? Justice was done. The facts are: Officer Wilson will not be indicted because the physical evidence, forensics and ballistics back up his story. The most consistent witnesses matched Wilson's version of events (not that this matters, but most of those witnesses were black).

Why is Michael Brown the face of your movement? He was not a child skipping down the street with a balloon, and shot in the back by a racist cop. He stole from a store, and in an altercation with a cop, tried to take Wilson's gun. Seriously, people, you don't need little me to tell you "if you do what a cop asks of you, you won't get shot." When you assault a cop, you will get shot. They have every right to defend themselves so they can go home at the end of the day, just as much as you have a right to defend yourself if someone assaults you. Why has this chain of events resulted in riots and burned businesses? Michael Brown is at fault for getting himself shot. I'm sorry he's dead, truly, but it's the consequence of his own actions.

The sad conclusion I'm left with is this: You never wanted justice. To demand Wilson be executed, or sentenced to life in prison is a verdict contrary to the facts. I'm left wondering if you would have rioted whatever the outcome. This is your town. WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? How do the bomb plots, vandalism, arson, death treats and chaos make anything better? It won't bring Michael Brown back. It won't make the grand jury change it's ruling. They will not reconvene. It's done.

Over a dozen buildings have been destroyed by fire because a drugged petty thief was killed in a fight with a cop. Every member of the grand jury, the attorneys, not to mention Officer Darren Wilson, now fear for their lives. That doesn't make any sense!

The worst part brought me to tears. I watched as the verdict was released and a crowd was outside listening.  The streets were decorated for the holidays. "Seasons Greetings" was up in tinsel and lights across the main street. With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming upon us, we're supposed to be reflective. It's the time of year we think about who we are and how we want to improve to be the people God wants us to be. It's a time to remember our blessings, a time to be a little kinder, be more forgiving and more charitable. Seeing the fires and tear gas amid the holiday decorations made me weep. Have we completely forgotten Christ? Have we so removed Him from our public conversation that there is nothing left make this part of the year a little more peaceful? The spirit of Christmas once stopped a World War for a day! I honestly thought Ferguson would show us how that can happen today.

Dear Ferguson, there are things worth protesting, but in the way Martin Luther King Jr. did. Peacefully, and with the goal to bring change that brings us together. Let's protest the culture. Even then, the most powerful way to change the world is to keep our families together. Make sure Mom and Dad both are involved in the kids lives, teaching responsibility, discerning right from wrong, and Christian values. Let's make sure GOD is in our lives, and in our homes! This would protest the killings that take place every day. I'm not talking about white-black vs black on black crime. It's all wrong! No cops should be killed, we should no kill each other. (Seriously, I'm having to make this point?) Let's not abandon our families. Let's not be bullies. Let us not think of ourselves and minorities or majorities.

You had such an amazing opportunity to show the world that Ferguson is a community with values. You could have shown the rest of the world how it's done. How to hear a verdict you don't like and react peacefully. It would have been amazing! I weep because of the lost opportunity. Instead of showing America the way out of our cultural famine, we now find ourselves deeper that before.