Lawrence Auls on Ferguson

Some are describing Ferguson, Missouri as a war zone. There certainly are war apparatus being employed. One wonders what kind of threat the mere hundreds of peaceful organizers really were.

The clashes with police in Ferguson have been ugly, and are raising several important debates for our nation. What is interesting is that the idea that police response is actually a cause of violence among protesters. The success of today’s tamer police presence provides at least anecdotal evidence for this case.

The organizers are gathering, if you didn’t know, in response to the shooting of an unarmed black teenager. His crime? Walking in the street in a town of 20,000 people.

The military responded immediately with military camouflage, gas masks, and rifles aimed at civilians. Some have called this force unusual, but it seems more and more that small towns like Ferguson are all too willing to break out their military gifts from the Department of Defense.

This is what happens when there is nobody checking the power of a small police force.

Now what should have been an investigation into police brutality by the town has become over 60 arrests and a national spotlight. Some in the town feel that the media has swooped in unfairly. Others are thankful that people are watching to witness the crimes.