Hands up, shut up

 

 

"This is a football game, not a political event. These players should all be suspended..."

First, a couple bits of disclosure. I have never been arrested. I have not been perfect in my life, but I do try to follow the law. Next, I am a white guy. When black people tell me they have been profiled at some point in their lives, I believe them. I do think racism still exists, sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle.

That being said, here are my feelings on what happened in Ferguson and the aftermath thereto:

• The Shooting - Even though there was not a body cam on the officer, what evidence that existed, ranging from eye witness testimony to the wounds on the officer's face, point to a justified shooting. There was not a shred of evidence that Mike Brown was trying to surrender with his hands up saying "Don't shoot!"
• Mike Brown - There was video evidence of the crime which led up to the shooting. Call it what you want, Mike Brown was guilty of a "strong arm" robbery at a local merchant.
• The Fight - We will never know the total story of what happened in that police car between Mike Brown and the cop. However, I do know this. Some people who have a death wish, commit "suicide by cop". I am not saying Mike Brown did this, but if you want to get shot, punching a cop and maybe trying to grab his gun, and then charging him with intent to harm, is most times a fatal move.
• The Body - Leaving the body of Mike Brown laying in the street on a hot August afternoon for over 4 hours was inexcusable and unforgiveable. This was not the fault of the cop who shot him - it was the fault of the department. The Chief of Police should be held accountable for that and then fired.
• The Looting - Total anarchy. No excuse what-so-ever. To protest how Mike Brown's body was treated after the shooting is totally justified. To protest by walking with hands up saying, "Hands up, don't shoot", allows the protesters to fall into the race bating trap Al Sharpton and others have set. To obstruct traffic is wrong, and is a crime. To loot any store is wrong, and is a crime.
• Cops of Color - Nobody in their right mind wants to tolerate police misconduct in any city, in any neighborhood. Period - and I am one who would not tolerate it. That being said, to only have black cops patrolling black neighborhoods, Hispanic cops, patrolling Hispanic neighborhoods, and so on, goes counter to what our country is all about. We are America. We are supposed to be a melting pot. We are supposed to get along.

One final thing. Any football player who uses the tragedy to make a political statement based on a lie, should be suspended. It is a privilege to play professional football. These guys are all in the top 1% club for money. Shut up and play, or risk losing some of your astronomically high salary.

There will no winners in this tragedy, only losers. We must now heal, and embrace the truth. Yesterday our pastor asked us to imagine how Ferguson would look if everyone involved practiced righteousness. Much different, I would imagine. One thing is for certain though - the truth will, set us all free. It always does.