I try to stay out of political firestorms but this one has hit too close to home and gone on way to long. The media is pushing the story that an established Ferguson Police officer, who is white, shot an 18 year old black man for no apparent reason.

Let’s think about this shall we. All police officers know that if they discharge their weapon at all, let alone if they actually shoot someone, a full investigation will ensue. They know if they want to keep their job, the discharge of their weapon must be justified whether or not they actually shoot someone. If they actually shoot someone the scrutiny will be more intense and require more justification, thus most police officers just don’t go around shooting people just for the hell of it.

The full investigation has not been released yet but I have heard two versions of the story from witnesses, the widely publicized story that this young man didn’t do anything and the officer shot him as he had his hands raised and was surrendering. Okay, if that turns out to be true, of course the officer was in the wrong. The other story, not as widely favored by the media goes like this, there was a struggle for the officers weapon inside the police vehicle, the officer was assaulted in this struggle and a shot went off inside the vehicle with a pursuit that followed. Also not as widely publicized was the video showing the “innocent” young man robbing a convenience store.

I am just disappointed at the craziness that has broken out in Ferguson over this event. Black people are dying by the hundreds in St. Louis as crime runs rampant and they kill each other. Why is this acceptable at all? The community wants respect and I know that it is full of respectable citizens, but respect must be earned. You have to take responsibility for your community. Maybe you should be out there diffusing the violence, instead of stirring it up. Instead of asking why this happened maybe you should be looking for a way to keep it from ever happening again.

Ferguson’s police force is mainly white. Why is that? Maybe they can’t even find black police officers. I don’t know what the ratio of blacks to whites in the St. Louis area police academies are, but I’m guessing that whites far surpass the blacks. Since this community has proved itself to be very anti cop and anti white, I’m sure this police officer felt on edge all the time, never mind the moment he finds himself face to face with a young man who has just committed a crime and is desperate to not be caught.

The burning of buildings, looting, how is this going to help anything? It’s only going to chase more businesses out of your already floundering community. You have to end the violence, all of it because vengeful people chanting kill the cops only bring more shame and violence on your community. Rise up people, rise above this and fight for your community in a way that is going to help future generations. End the violence now before someone you love ends up a victim.