By Ruth Ferguson, NDG Editor
In what appears to be the first night of calm since the death of the unarmed Michael Brown, Ferguson, Missouri is keeping their fingers crossed. On Wednesday night protesters faced a highly militarized police force, but on Thursday the governor appointed Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol to lead the law enforcement efforts.
Huffington Post reported Johnson shared, “We all want justice. We all want answers,” and seeing him walk with protesters on Thursday night certainly set a different tone for the evening. Compared to seeing police dogs and see the officers using rubber bullets and tear gas the night before was alarmingly similar to 50 years ago at the pinnacle of the Civil Rights movement.
Although police in one agency are generally just like police in another agency, I hope the Missouri State Highway Patrol can find a way to be positively different – especially at this stage. The Ferguson police force does not seem to know how to serve and protect the people of Ferguson. They do seem to know how to appear to be the troops of an occupying foreign military enemy.
My first thought was I was unimpressed to see Capt. Johnson was an African American, but it appears the image of him walking with the protesters provided the emotional and psychological shift needed to contribute toward a night of calm.
After last nights “peaceful” protests where the crowd was not attacked by police in military gear, maybe the discussion will shift to the question of why the young man was murdered and what is going to happen to the cop who shot him. And then the discussion should continue into why police and others appear to be so quick to attack innocent black folk with bullets and other stuff. And after all the talk, some meaningful action should be taken.
Agreed!