Wednesday, August 13, 2014

A Little DIversity Would Go A Long Way In Restoring Calm In Ferguson



The news out of Ferguson is pretty grim and at first blush it seems the police and the community are out of sync
Outrage over a police killing of an unarmed black teen have spilling over the rioting and looting brink
More gas to the fire was applied as Al Sharpton chose to get involved
Though he urged peaceful protests, his rhetoric is not conducive for calm to evolve
This is not the time for a rush to judgment with the cop being found guilty in the community or press
Nor is it a time for a thorough investigation to get the facts to be suppressed
Since this involves a shoot of an unarmed Black teen
Holder will be on this pedal to the metal with DOJ lawyers and the FBI quickly on scene
No rush to judgment but this fact jumps out—the police department is woefully lacking in diversity
A town that is two thirds Black has a police force with three Black officers in a force of 53
A police officer is sworn to uphold the law be he black or be he white
But only three out of 53 does not seem right
Hopefully, the protestors will not the pursuit of justice derail
By rioting and looting which will cause their moral authority to fail
As the identity of the officer now withheld
Plenty of time but let’s calm prevail and the death threats quelled
© August 13, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

No comments:

Post a Comment