FERGUSON, MISSOURI for the Well-Intentioned, Semi-Informed Layperson
Originally posted on The Daily Banter on August 18, 2014
Reading is hard sometimes. Reading about the news is even harder, given the fact that it’s usually soul-crushingly depressing.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t make either any less important, so in a bold attempt to turn every well-intentioned, uninformed American into a mobilized, informed voter, I present to you: News For The Well-Intentioned, Semi-Informed Layperson
Ferguson, Missouri: America’s Melting Pot Is Boiling Over
Summary: On August 9th, an 18-year old named Michael Brown (black) was shot in the St. Louis suburb by a policeman (white) who supposedly stopped Brown for jaywalking, and while it’s not definite, it’s looking more and more like Michael Brown was shot 6 times while standing with his arms above his head yelling, “Hands up, don’t shoot!” People are understandably pissed, there have been both violent and non-violent demonstrations in the streets of Ferguson and around the country, and this has sparked national debates about things like systemic racism in America and the over-militarization of police.
Summary of that Summary: Unarmed black 18-year old shot by white policeman near St. Louis, Missouri. Chaos in Ferguson and national debates over issues like racism and police violence ensue (quick reminder: the looters and rioters are NOT the same people protesting).
In One Tweet Or Less :
A Reasonable Opinion To Have:
Whenever you’re dealing with systemic issues in our country, there’s going to be massive complexities involved, but in this specific case, it is appalling that Michael Brown was shot, and if there aren’t serious investigations into not just this specific event but the root issues behind it, then we have officially let our country down.
What You Could Say To Sound Extra Smart:
One of the causes of police militarization is the 1033 Program, which “permits the Secretary of Defense to transfer, without charge, excess U.S. Department of Defense personal property (supplies and equipment) to state and local law enforcement agencies.” In 2013 alone it gave nearly half a billion dollars worth of military equipment to local law enforcement agencies.
A More In-Depth Article That’s Still Easy To Understand:
This one over at Vox.
