I’m
always most interested in what brings people together instead of what tears
them apart. That is why I wish the St
Louis County Grand Jury would have issued a charge against Darren Wilson in the
killing of Michael Brown.
I
don’t know what happened on that August 7 night. And unless we were there none of us do
either. That is why we need a trial. We need a legal process to determine justice
and judgment.
Because
a trial won’t happen Michael Brown’s killing will be viewed through the prism
of the media and the prism of race.
Already
Darren Wilson was interviewed on ABC news to share his side of the story. I watched Lesley Mc Spadden, Michael Brown’s
mother, share her side of the story on CBS news this morning. I can understand why both of them would want
to share their story. But without
cross-examination and the rules of a fair trial these interviews fuel the
divide that exists.
It’s
not surprising that a Huffington Post survey shows that 62 percent of African
Americans believe that Darren Wilson was at fault in the killing and that 22
percent of whites believe the same.
I
can understand why people all over the country have protested since the
decision was announced on Monday night.
Violent protests are never justified, but civil disobedience in the
spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is.
But
the story is not about the protestors.
The story is how race affects the criminal justice system in an unfair
way.
I
can understand how African-Americans can believe that the criminal justice
system is rigged against them. Because
of my skin color I don’t have to worry about being stopped by a police officer
for walking down the street. In many parts of America
that isn’t the case for African-Americans.
The
lack of a trial against Darren Wilson will continue the belief among many
African-Americans and others including me that when an African-American is killed the justice system
often does not operate fairly.
Our
country needs a trial. Without a trial justice will not be served.
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