Two years later

It was on this date, two years ago that Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Protests and civil unrest erupted as a result. This was not the first shooting of an unarmed Black person by police, and sadly it was not the last.

It was said that Michael Brown had committed a crime just minutes before he was stopped and shot. That however is not at issue. It is our courts that decide punishment, when it is appropriate, not our police officers. He had no prior criminal history, but again, that is not relevant. Michael's life was taken out on the street, and that can never be given back.  Michael never had a chance to appear before a jury.  Take a moment today to remember Michael, and commit yourself to making sure this kind of thing stops.

The shooting has received a lot of attention, as it should. Brown had no gun, so why was he shot? Also, why so many shots? (In three autopsies performed on his body, all noted he had been shot at least six times, including twice in the head). This is what we should be looking at. This an the numerous other incidents of unarmed people being shot in cold blood by police.

Was Michael Brown targeted solely because of his race? Two years later, are things any better?   Did we learn anything from this incident in Ferguson? What do YOU think?