Don’t fret, I think Darren Wilson should be arrested.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let me lay out why Wilson must walk free, at least to a large segment of the population, his supporters, the ones who do not simply believe in due process, as we all do, but those who call him a “hero.” Many have marched the streets, holding signs, attending rallies, supporting and almost glorifying this man.
We must first admit that we unequivocally do not know what happened in its totality the fateful day that Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, MO. The only person alive who knows every detail is Darren Wilson and he clearly has a very vested interest in distorting the truth and downright lying.
However, there have been a multitude of eyewitnesses to the killing. Writer and activist Shaun King has done a masterful job in recent days outlining all of the witnesses and their stories. Dorian Johnson, Tiffany Mitchell, Piaget Crenshaw, Michael Brady, Emanuel Freeman, and two construction workers, have all had confident and consistent stories of what they saw happen. One man, Michael Brady, admits to seeing some sort of tussle, but no one has been able to say who initiated it and what exactly happened. Regardless, what happens after is the most crucial.
We know Michael Brown was shot numerous times, but the first shots are not what killed him. The fatal shots were to his head; he was shot twice there. Wilson says that Brown charged him, and so of course the proper protocol is to shoot twice in the skull. But every aforementioned witness who saw what happened said that Brown was not charging but was surrendering to the officer. Many witnesses from Johnson to Crenshaw say that Brown had his hands up when Wilson kept firing, which if true, is incredibly unlawful. Two random construction workers, no ties to anyone involved, were caught on video moments after the shooting describing what they saw. One even does the “hands ?up” gesture showing what Michael Brown was doing when Wilson kept firing. They say Wilson never said to get on the ground or anything, he just kept firing. The workers seemed to be angry about what they had witnessed, as if they knew it was inherently wrong.
Most of the eyewitnesses in this case have been black. With the racial tension in Missouri and the country to be honest, it is not surprising if Wilson is not indicted because we just don’t believe that black people can be honest, but this would make the eyewitness testimony of these construction workers (who are white) even more important. Testimonies shouldn’t be based off race, but it?is?America and it?is?the St. Louis area.
Now, let’s get into?why?Wilson may get to walk free and why so many are dead set on that happening. The racially repugnant,?as I call them, do believe Wilson. They have to. They will discount?the numerous eyewitnesses who saw a lot of what happened that day, saying Wilson continued firing when Brown’s hands were raised, in order to put 100% belief behind one man: the killer. As I mentioned before, killers do have an interest in lying. And yes, Dorian Johnson was a witness, but also a friend of Michael, so his story has a reason to be distorted as well. But most of the eyewitnesses from the scene do not know Wilson, nor did they know Brown.
Why do so may believe that Wilson must have feared for his life? The struggle at the car? Ok. We all can basically say there was some sort of struggle at the car. Now I personally do not know anyone, black or white, (unless very mentally ill) who will just go up to an armed cop and try to get his gun, but even if that was true, no one has been able to answer why Wilson kept firing and blasted Brown in the head twice, killing him. Every single account says that by that time Brown was not near Wilson and many say he was surrendering. So why did Wilson fire over, and over, and over? Every SINGLE shot fired has to be defended. In essence, if you punch me in the face very hard and I am scared, maybe I shoot you once. But 30 seconds later if you are leaving my house I can’t keep firing just because.
None of this really matters though, because?a portion of our population continues to see Brown as a thug, a criminal, someone who got what he deserved. I call these people sanctimonious. So many of us have skeletons in our closets, and if we were shot every time we broke the law or had a moral lapse, we would all be dead, but these high-horse-riders seem to think that they have lived a perfect life. Or more accurately, that their sins or mistakes are just the inevitability of youth, not something worthy of death. They are better than Michael Brown. Their kids have probably done a lot worse than shoving a convenience store owner or stealing some cigarillos. However, their kids deserve to live. In fact, these white supporters probably never even fear that their kids will be killed by a cop, because history shows us that they aren’t as likely to suffer such a fate.
So these adamant Darren Wilson supporters think he has to walk free. Something deeper depends on it: our pattern of black abasement. Wilson not being indicted would prove that you can always claim self-defense against a black person, no matter their age, no matter how armed you are and how unarmed they are, no matter…
Him being free would prove that you can keep firing at a teenager with no regard for preserving life because the law will always be on your side, especially if you are a cop. Studies have shown that the rate of conviction for cops who have killed while on duty is very low. We like to think that our cops are the honest, courageous members of society, and people like Michael Brown are scum. But, the badge does not make you a good person. It often can corrupt.
We say that politicians are corrupt because they have power, but why do we detach this stigmatization from other people who have power, like the police? I have never understood that. We need to look into how the police are trained, as well, and implement strategies that can protect communities and try to preserve life as well. Aside from that, many troubles remain. The way Brown was gunned down, the way his body lay there uncovered for hours, the way he was just put into a van, not an ambulance, the police presence the days ensuing, and the countless other black people killed by cops (Darrien Hunt, Kajieme Powell, John Crawford, etc.), all point to racial injustices that still permeate society.
Darrien Hunt’s cop killer wore a body cam but turned it off before he shot and killed Mr. Hunt. John Crawford could not hold a toy gun and live, the same way whites can hold rifles in Target and not even get bothered by an officer. It is?not?the same. Some of the whites who support Wilson ?are?tired?of people using the race card. Well, they?would die of exhaustion if they actually had to?live?the race card. We should not even listen to those who think racism is dead, or that race does not play a role in these string of killing unarmed people, because it does. There’s too much evidence, too much pain, too many blacks who have horrid stories to tell, if they are lucky to be alive and tell them.
But the evidence does not matter to these people and it never will. I asked someone on Twitter earlier to explain the two shots to the head of Michael Brown. They simply replied that of course it was justified. What kind of society do we live in where it is as easy to discuss shooting the skull of an 18 year old as it is to discuss the empowerment versus tastelessness of a Kim Kardashian cover? People have become desensitized. Any aggravation is seen as self-defense, and ultimately, black people pay the price. And it may sound harsh, but there are many people who just could not care any less. It is not their brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, laying out on the street for hours like roadkill, put on display for the entire community and nation to see, bleeding, lifeless. Let us not forget, we would celebrate the lynchings of blacks. These would be happy and celebratory occasions, and this was within our lifetime. What has happened to black and brown people, and what will continue to happen unless more accountability exists, is nothing more than a pattern of black degradation that has scarred America’s moral fabric.
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