'cause BROWN was BLACK?

Dress : Oasis | Necklace (pendant detached) : Wallis

I'm sure it doesn't take a degree in Literature or Psychology to suss out what this post will be about. Yeezy's words resonate all too loudly right now; "racism still alive, they just be concealing it", and that works both ways. Unless you've been cocooned beneath a rock for the last half of the year, you will be well aware of the facts; Michael Brown (18 year old, black male) was shot dead by Darren Wilson (28 year old, white police officer) in August 2014. That scene alone paints the image of a faithful law enforcer carrying out his daily duties, and his latest statement "I have a clean conscience, [I] did my job right" wont lead you to believe otherwise. However, its the disputed circumstances of the shooting and the resulting violent protests, that has prompted me to (metaphorically) put pen to paper. Facts Only: an officer carrying out his duty wont cause this level of civil unrest in Ferguson. 

Monk Valley, Turkey

Deeply rooted is the issue of racism, the misuse of police force and the interrelationship between the two. I know the E/M readers among you might have your judgment clouded by the media frenzy created by your favourite African American celebrities, to believe Brown was a stellar example of an angelic black youth, but the facts of the case state that he indeed was fleeing from a convenience store which he had just shoplifted from. That does not excuse the latter actions of the officer, but please...let me land! ABEG! So here he is, with his friend, having looted from a store, and is in effect, stopped & searched. I fortunately have never been in such a situation, but was a youth in the era where the media amplified youth crime in London to the point where every hoodie with a tan was being stopped on these streets. So I have heard first hand information of how your fences go up, and how your defence mechanisms come into full effect once you feel that tap on your shoulder.

Pigeon Valley, Uchisar (Turkey)

So let's go back to the scene...Brown is instructed to step to the sidewalk by PC Wilson, and refuses. What follows is skewed facts about a struggle and *BANG* shots fired. Now, here's where I drop my baton as defence counsel because PC Wilson doesn't stop there but continues to fire shots...12 to be exact. 12 shots to stop a minor shoplifter? He stole ONE item (cigarettes) to my knowledge, and he is victim to capital punishment without the justice of trial? Hmm...now the graphic scenes you see on your screens daily makes sense huh? 

Hiking down Uchisar valley, Turkey

However, racism works both ways. Not every young black male is a criminal, granted. But not every white/caucasian police officer is racist! I get that its important to ask the question of whether this would've occurred, had the shoe been on the other foot? But I can't help but feel that the violent civil protests that have ensued in Ferguson don't serve to glorify Brown's legacy, but further reiterate the root of Wilson's actions. PC Wilson claims to have acted in self-defence, and that is easy to understand in light of the first shot fired, but difficult to justify the eleven shots that followed. Now we see minority protesters being arrested for standing up for this point, but their actions serve little or no purpose, other than to worsen the situation. In America, 'deathly force' is justified, and that is the defence adopted in this case. Much like Rice, this initial judgment has prompted understandable public uproar, and I believe in a judicial system based on the facts presented within the isolated confines of a Tribunal. However, Ferguson has witnessed human quakes since August, as a result of PC Wilson's actions and I see no reason why a middle ground could not have been compromisingly reached. 

I thank God I exist in a country that respects my 'Right to Life' - Art.2 (ECHR), regardless of my skin tone, gender or religious belief #BLEURGH