As the violence in the town of Ferguson, MO (about 19 miles north of St. Louis) begins for a second time, I'd just thought I ought to take a couple minutes to provide what I hope to be helpful feedback on the situation. I don't intend to make any comment on the case of Michael Brown itself, however; instead, I'd like to address the present circumstances.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees all U.S. citizens certain rights on the law. These rights are meant to safeguard our basic needs as human beings and prevent government or other entities from oppressing our freedoms. However, as with many of our rights, we all too frequently ask where the most extreme boundaries of our rights end and far too infrequently ask whether the current time, place, and circumstance is appropriate for us to exercise our rights. Too much time spent asking questions like if the exercise of a Black Mass is within our right to free speech, and not enough time realizing why refraining from reciting our political beliefs in a public library is actually a good idea.
Among other important points, the First Amendment grants citizens the right to assemble peacefully. Naturally, as U.S. citizens, the people of Ferguson and beyond have taken up their rights to freedom of speech and assembly by taking to the streets of their town in protest, most of them peacefully. However, some of the crowd has proven to be violent and in the days after the initial shooting in August, many of these acts of looting and violence were committed by people who weren't even from Ferguson. These people do not care for Michael Brown, nor do they care for the town of Ferguson, as they look to profit from her destruction. Though I have little doubt the case is the same today, time will tell if those responsible for the recent destruction are from out of town.
For the Ferguson police and others responsible for keeping law and order in the area, I have no doubt that each officer gearing up for each night prepares himself mentally for the violence that he may encounter. Knowing that violence in these volatile situations is imminent, they take no chances when it comes to weaponry, body armor, and other safeguards. Ferguson has become a war zone, and those officers have the difficult task of maintaining the rule of law, for everyone's sake. But for now, I'm sure each one of them just wants to make it through the night and back to their families.
This time, this place, and these circumstances makes the town of Ferguson the inappropriate site to exercise our freedom of assembly. And it is the duty of every single peaceful Ferguson citizen to realize that and stay off the streets and out of the way of police. It doesn't matter how peaceful you've made your protest. If it's in the streets of Ferguson, you're only getting in the way of those tasked to uphold law and order and as a result, become complicit with the destruction, burning, and looting of local businesses and the welfare of your next-door neighbors. The dinner bell has been rung, and the vultures who would use your peaceful protest as an excuse to create mayhem and carnage will bring destitution upon your town.
Does this mean that citizens upset by the decision should just accept it and move on with their lives? No. But there are certainly other, more creative and sensible ways to peacefully protest than to hinder the police from effectively saving your town.
