My girlfriend’s six year old is a sweet little boy. He’s thoughtful, he’s intelligent, he’s loving. Sometimes he hits his sister. He knows it’s wrong, he doesn’t feel good about it, but she was being mean to him and not listening to his pleas. The frustration becomes overwhelming. He erupts. It may be messy, the violence may be reprehensible, but welcome to humanity. We’re not the logical beings you may want us to be.
When my parents were small children, black men were still being lynched in the Jim Crow south. When my grandparents were small, their own grandparents could tell first hand accounts of the Civil War. Racism is not a long ago historical artifact. Culturally, there are still open wounds. Healing takes more time than we’ve had. There are still grievances to be aired and voices to be heard. When ignored, people are going to lash out. It’s human nature. Let’s keep this in our collective hearts and minds when we discuss the news of the destructive actions being taken in Ferguson, MO.
A violent act doesn’t balance out any other violent act. Understanding might. I understand that Darren Wilson may not be an overtly racist man. He may have been afraid for his own well being in a situation that has to be lived in to be fully grasped. He may have fired his gun again and again and again at Michael Brown because in that moment, he felt he had to.
I also understand that taking the life of another human being is a crime in this country, and that whether you are a police officer or a civilian, you should stand trial to be held accountable for your actions. In a trial, both sides get to speak for themselves, unlike the one-sided grand jury that went down in Missouri recently, where no rebuttal was offered.
Who knows… A trial probably would have come to the same conclusion the grand jury did. Officer Darren Wilson would probably have been absolved of any wrong doing. Would there be rioting afterwards? Maybe. But maybe the time a trial takes would have provided some healing. Maybe folks would have felt as if their voices were being heard and at least given careful consideration.
The boy will hit his sister again. To her, I impart the importance of being respectful and actively listening. To him, I disparage the counterproductive nature of violence. When it happens, all I can do is show loving kindness to both of them. They may not be the logical beings I want them to be, but maybe if I hear them out, I can guide them on that path.
Shiny Red Nothing 