Last August police officer killed a teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. The people of the city of Ferguson reacted with an eruption of violence. They had had enough! The majority of the people in Ferguson are black and have been unfairly treated by authorities in law, schools, business, churches, etc., all their lives. So when an eighteen-year-old, unarmed black man, Michael Brown, was killed by a white police officer, Darren Wilson, that was the last straw.
The violence is an eruption of pent-up anger at their feelings of powerlessness. Last night, the jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson. The people of Ferguson expected this. To them, it's an unfair decision, but typical of a system predetermined to keep black people down.
The Archbishop of St. Louis, Robert Carlson pleaded with the people to direct their frustrated anger and disappointment in other ways, rather than violence. Here is his plea.
The violence is an eruption of pent-up anger at their feelings of powerlessness. Last night, the jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson. The people of Ferguson expected this. To them, it's an unfair decision, but typical of a system predetermined to keep black people down.
The Archbishop of St. Louis, Robert Carlson pleaded with the people to direct their frustrated anger and disappointment in other ways, rather than violence. Here is his plea.
"Whatever you do, do not lash out with violence at your brothers and sisters. Do not seek to destroy or divide. Instead, we must come together as a community through prayer, mutual understanding, and forgiveness if we are to obtain peace. Rather than fuel the fires of hatred and division, we should strive for peace in our own hearts and share it with those around us. Violence does not lead to peace; they are opposing forces and cannot co-exist."
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