The Facts of Ferguson: The Shooting, the Protests, and Everywhere in Between

After a long day of school, activities and homework, who wouldn’t want to settle down and catch up on all the latest news happening around the world?

Okay, I know this probably isn’t what most of us are saying to ourselves. Countless news stories are published every hour, and keeping up with all of this information, as well as analyzing the issues, isn’t always a top priority in our busy lives. However, whether we realize it or not, these issues affect us every day in our family, school, country, and world.

But what do we do with all this information that is being spewed out by the second?

The Michael Brown shooting and protests in Ferguson, Missouri makes for a good start. The story has gone viral and divided many across the country. I will dig deeper than the hashtags found on Twitter and present the facts of the case in order to identify the disputes that have made this an extremely sensitive political issue.

Adam Apo, theology teacher, will also share his insights as a native from Ferguson, Missouri.

My hope is that by analyzing the facts as best we know of them from the news media, we can, as a younger generation, formulate and present our opinions in a well-educated perspective. After all, our generation will soon be running this country, so we may as well learn a thing or two about it.

It’s not just about the shooting

The situation that occurred in Ferguson with the shooting of an unarmed black man Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson on August 9, made national news, not only because of the incident itself, but because of the issues it aroused. Was Wilson innocent? Did the shooting display racial prejudice?

Naturally, politics start to come into play. If Wilson shot Brown because he was black and only appeared to be prohibiting suspicious behavior, the shooting would be identified as racist. If Wilson shot Brown in an act of self defense, would it still be racist? In order to decide this, the facts need to be explored.

The grand jury process soon followed. The shooting was analyzed through forensic evidence, testimonies and witness accounts.  The grand jury process can often proceed for several months in duration. The result of the grand jury process is for the jury to decide whether or not there is enough evidence to press criminal charges against the accused party and take the case to trial by a jury.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch assembled a timeline of the shooting based on over 60 witness testimonies and physical evidence, which was published in The Washington Post.

The following is summarized from McCulloch’s work:

On the night of August 9, Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson were walking east down Canfield Drive in the middle of the street. Wilson was driving west. He had just heard a dispatch about stolen cigarillos, and Brown had cigarillos in his hand. Johnson testified that Brown had stolen them. After Wilson told the pair to go stand on the sidewalk, Brown and Johnson continued to walk down the street. According to Johnson’s testimony, he told Wilson,“I live in Canfield Street and we’ll be off the street shortly.

Wilson proceeded to reverse his police car at an angle in order to block the men from walking. Witnesses say that a “tussle” began of shoving between Brown and Wilson.

Witnesses disagree as to whether or not Brown punched Wilson. Wilson says Brown punched him, while Johnson says “There wasn’t any wrestling or anything like that, no punches were thrown. It was more of a tug of war and it was very intense, very intense.”

Wilson then shot his gun twice with Brown’s blood and DNA found on the interior and exterior of the police car.

Most witnesses provided similar accounts that concur that Brown and Johnson ran east on Canfield. Wilson followed them. Witnesses conflict as to whether or not Wilson then shot Brown. Wilson claims he didn’t, while Johnson says he did.

Brown stopped running and turned around, facing Wilson. Wilson states that Brown charged him when he told Brown to get on the ground.

Some witnesses agree with Wilson, others say Brown didn’t advance much further toward Wilson. Wilson fired a series of shots as Brown came closer to him. Brown never put his hands up. Several more rounds were fired and Brown was killed.

Autopsies state that seven or eight bullets hit Brown in the front. The medical examination on Wilson’s claim of assault concluded that his face was struck, but that there was no lasting deformity or fracture to his neck.

Remember, this is a sequence of events based on testimony and evidence from the grand jury hearing. The grand jury is a reliable source, but the disagreement among witness testimonies leaves many details cloudy.

On November 17, the grand jury announced its decision not to indict Wilson, or rather, the case was dismissed from the courts.

The uproar of protests as a result of this decision left horrific damages on businesses, homes and lives in Ferguson. The burning and vandalizing of businesses ensued throughout the night.

Business owners still are struggling to recover and rebuild their businesses. These violent protests will leave a profound impact on Ferguson.

There are several issues we can extract from this case.

First of all, there is the incident itself, and Wilson’s use or abuse of power.

Second is the grand jury process and whether or not the case should have been further investigated in a trial.

The last issue, and the one I am going to take a closer look at, are the massive protests that have followed and continue to follow nearly a month later.

Ferguson is forever changed, and people are being hurt not just from the physical damage, but by the differing attitudes of Americans towards this issue.

Apo sheds light on what this means for Ferguson

Apo, originally from St. Louis, Missouri near Ferguson, returned to his hometown a few weeks ago to view the mark of the protests on the city. Much like Chicago, Ferguson is known for having bad and good neighborhoods. However, in Ferguson, these neighborhoods are even more racially segregated than Chicago. West Florissant used to be known as one of the worst neighborhoods in Ferguson, but after the protests, violence and danger characterizes the city as a whole.

“It’s sad because now when people think about Ferguson, it will always be synonymous with violence and this incident,” said Apo.

While walking through Ferguson and taking photographs, Apo spoke with Kathy, the white owner of a children’s clothing store. Like many other business owners, Kathy was painting the outside of her store after it had been destroyed. Her sentiment reflected that of other entrepreneurs: they were devastated and disappointed in the people of Ferguson. Kathy said that she agreed with the peaceful protestors, but the violence left immense damage. Some stores are still marked by police tape for inspection from the initial protests that occurred after the shooting in August.

Although Apo acknowledges the issues surrounding the event and their need to be addressed, he calls for a greater sense of grief from the American people.

“We should be mournful before jumping on issues,” Apo said. “Even when my friends talk about Ferguson it makes me mad because that’s my town and people don’t fully understand it.”

I agree with Apo in that there is a general mob culture in America. People feel that they immediately need to choose a side on an issue before even analyzing the facts or being sensitive to those immediately hurt from the situation. This happens everywhere from the political arena to the social media world.

Apo also talked to a black woman in Ferguson, who said that she told her son not to run in public so that he wouldn’t seem suspicious. “I couldn’t just give her statistics on blacks and whites to make a point. She knows, she’s lived through it,” said Apo.

Apo’s discussion with the woman exemplifies the idea that we cannot take every incident and make it into an example of problems that need to be solved. We need to be compassionate with people who will be forever changed by what has happened.

Personally, Apo believes Wilson should have been indicted, stating that there is always a dispute of evidence that can be further analyzed in a trial.

“I support the peaceful protests because it reminds us to be in solidarity with the people suffering. It is just like how Catholics have solidarity with Jesus during Lent,” said Apo.

What does this mean for us as high school students?

Whether on TV, in the newspaper or on social media sites, most of us have heard many facts, opinions and judgments made on the Brown shooting and following protests. There is only one true story that happened on the night of August 9, one that we may never fully know. However, the way we react to the news and issues defines us as thinkers and as people.

Always know your facts. It doesn’t matter if you’re preparing for a debate or making a personal decision. Understand the information from all sides of the story, while identifying which sources are reliable and accurate. There will always be facts that cannot be argued, and it is up to each of us to decide what they mean to the topic at hand.

Regardless of the opinion you have, be diligent in how you present your opinion. This may be via Twitter, discussions in class or research papers.

The protestors in Ferguson had a strong opinion, one that many others around the country share. However, their actions were harmful and unlawful, not the best formula when you are looking to constitute change. It’s OKAY to be on the majority side of an issue, if it’s what you believe, but be weary of the mob culture or simply jumping on the band wagon so that you can still hold your personal values throughout the issue.

Remember that every news story affects someone’s life personally. It could be one of our own lives. As a society, we should be compassionate and sympathetic to those harmed, emotionally and physically.

Personally, I think that there is much gray area in this case. Wilson did not effectively handle the situation, but he did what he thought was right. Brown was a thief and criminal, but he did not deserve to die.

What I ask of myself and of America in this moment, is that before arguing about racial politics and the justice system, let us remain in solidarity with the people of Ferguson. They are enduring a hardship that has changed the course of history, and my prayers go out to them.