September 24, 2014

Nation & You

Word count: 609
Writers: Laquana James & Nyasha Holley
Editors: Marla Newsom & Nyasha Holley

In the county of St. Louis, Missouri lies the city of Ferguson. The death of Michael Brown has
brought a great deal of attention to Ferguson. It has been over a month since police officer
Darren Wilson shot and killed Brown and left his body in the city streets. Witnesses to this
incident tell reporters indistinguishable accounts of the incident. Brown and a friend were
walking home down the middle of a street when Wilson pulled up beside them in a police car
and ordered them to move onto the sidewalk. A struggle between Wilson and Brown ensued
through the car window before the first shot was fire. Brown and his friend began running in
different directions. The officer got out of his car and shot Brown in the back. After Brown turned
to face the officer with his hands up to show that he held no weapons, Wilson continued to fire
shots until Brown fell to the ground. What has got to be the saddest part of this story is that it
still hasnt been resolved over a month later and the case is still under investigation. Are police
officers doing their job or are they allowing their authority get to their heads? Wilson has been
sent on a paid leave of absence and has not been punished for his actions. The Huffington Post
explains in an article that the main reason why Wilson wasnt arrested for murder is because of
the Missouri Defense of Justification Statue law. It flatly says that an officer can use deadly
force when "he or she reasonably believes" it's necessary to protect life. Therefore the decision
is based solely off of the judgment of the officer. The residents of Ferguson united to protest
Browns death. Protesters rioted day in and day out on the streets of Ferguson with high hopes
that Wilson would be detained but they got the opposite of that. Ferguson police officers reacted
by firing rubber bullets and launching tear gas into the crowds of protesters.

Another question that was raised was do CCC students know what is going on in Ferguson. A student

poll was conducted to determine who really knew about the incident. Ten out of 20 students had
heard about the story and out of those 10 student, 6 were able to reiterate in detail what
happened. The other half of students had no recollection of the story. Being informed about this
case is important not only to prove that racism still exists but also because although cases like
this havent happened locally, they are still happening all over the country as well as in other
countries. There have been many incidents that showcase the outcome of racial stereotyping.
For example, the 51-year-old woman named Marlene Pinnock of CA who was brutally beaten by
a police officer for walking along the highway after he had already forced her to the ground.
Stories like these are often swept under the rug. In (some) cases, police officers are falsely
accused. There has been a high percentage in the last few years of reported police brutality and
harassment but as of now the government does not keep tabs on how many people are shot by
police officers. Some people are unconcerned about the effects of racial stereotyping and racial
profiling simply because it hasnt happened to them or anyone they know of. But Brown could
have easily been someone in this area. Just because the media doesnt report full coverage on
an issue, doesnt mean that it isnt happening. September 24, 2014

In the county of St. Louis, Missouri lies the city of Ferguson. The death of Michael Brown has
brought a great deal of attention to Ferguson. It has been over a month since police officer
Darren Wilson shot and killed Brown and left his body in the city streets.

Witnesses to this incident tell reporters indistinguishable accounts of the incident. Brown and a
friend were walking home down the middle of a street when Wilson pulled up beside them in a
police car and ordered them to move onto the sidewalk. A struggle between Wilson and Brown
ensued through the car window before the first shot was fire. Brown and his friend began

running in different directions. The officer got out of his car and shot Brown in the back. After
Brown turned to face the officer with his hands up to show that he held no weapons, Wilson
continued to fire shots until Brown fell to the ground. What has got to be the saddest part of this
story is that it still hasnt been resolved over a month later and the case is still under
investigation. Are police officers doing their job or are they allowing their authority get to their
heads?

Wilson has been sent on a paid leave of absence and has not been punished for his actions.
The Huffington Post explains in an article that the main reason why Wilson wasnt arrested for
murder is because of the Missouri Defense of Justification Statue law. It flatly says that an
officer can use deadly force when "he or she reasonably believes" it's necessary to protect life.
Therefore the decision is based solely off of the judgment of the officer.

The residents of Ferguson united to protest Browns death. Protesters rioted day in and day out
on the streets of Ferguson with high hopes that Wilson would be detained but they got the
opposite of that. Ferguson police officers reacted by firing rubber bullets and launching tear gas
into the crowds of protesters.
Another question that was raised was do CCC students know what is going on in Ferguson. A
student poll was conducted to determine who really knew about the incident. Ten out of 20
students had heard about the story and out of those 10 students, 6 were able to reiterate in
detail what happened. The other half of students had no recollection of the story. Being informed
about this case is important not only to prove that racism still exists but also because although
cases like this havent happened locally, they are still happening all over the country as well as
in other countries.

There have been many incidents that showcase the outcome of racial stereotyping. For
example, the 51-year-old woman named Marlene Pinnock of CA who was brutally beaten by a
police officer for walking along the highway after he had already forced her to the ground.
Stories like these are often swept under the rug. In (some) cases, police officers are falsely
accused but police brutality has been a serious issue for years now. As of now the government
does not formally document how many people are shot by police officers but by doing a little
research anyone can get a basic idea of how often cases centered around police brutality occur.
The story of Sean Groubert who was shot by a South Carolina If you read a few of these stories,
youd find it hard to believe what year were in. So many stories that are published almost make
it feel like we are back a few decades ago when racism and racial segregation were evident
problems.