By now I’m probably beating a dead horse by writing about the incident in Ferguson.  Everyone knows every little detail in the case, or at least they think that they do. The media rushed into the suburb in St. Louis and blew this case out of proportion.  Before the officer involved in the shooting even had a chance to give his side of the story, the media already had him crucified. Claiming he was guilty even before facts had eve came out. Why? Simply because he was a white police officer that shot a black teenager. This incident exploded into a matter of race within hours! Blacks were claiming that Brown was shot just because he was black. The New Black Panthers came into to Ferguson and farther issued a call for violence. This group has only stirred the pot more. There is no need for such an extremist group.

The real question is, were the officers actions justified, or was it murder? What is even more bizarre is that some members of the Ferguson community used Micheal Brown’s death as a reason to loot and burn stores to the ground. The night after Brown was shot, a local Quik Trip was looted, then burned to the ground. Also, up to an additional 16 stores were looted, including Walmart, a beauty supply store, and multiple shoe and sporting goods stores. These citizens who claim they want justice for Brown as using illegal actions as the basis for their call to justice. Now the police have to become involved in order to protect the local businesses.

With events such as these occurring, there is a heavy police presence. Some believe that the police have become too involved and are too militarized for protests such as these. The police are outfitted in full riot gear, are driving around in armored vehicles, and are shooting tear gas like there is an endless supply. It is entirely necessary, for them to do such, to keep the crowd under control. I believe that the police are doing their job, and are doing their job well.

Under the Constitution of the United States, every citizen is guaranteed the right to peacefully assemble. If these people would protest peacefully, there would be no need for the heavy police presence in Ferguson. Instead, the protesters again find that resorting to violence, such as throwing molotov cocktails and rocks, at police will somehow make them leave. Some people are relating the events in Ferguson to the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. History has a way of teaching what methods are successful. If you were to compare the non-violent methods of Martin Luther King Jr. to the violent methods of Malcolm X, Luther’s were more successful in advancing the rights of colored people. Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy was the way to win rights was to march or sit in. If the people protesting in Ferguson would settle down instead of rioting and pillaging, perhaps they would gain more respect and would advance their cause for black rights.