#PrayForFerguson, #JusticeForMikeBrown, and #HandsUp were only some of the many worldwide trending hashtags on Twitter during the tragic event of the shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Ferguson, Missouri experienced a loss in terms of a young life and trust in law enforcement on August 9 when officer Darren Wilson fatally shot Brown.
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I never have an initial feeling about these types of incidents. I like to research the case before I say anything because it is only fair, especially when a death is involved. As an officer there is a lot of psychological responsibility in taking a life, and it isn’t taken lightly.
— Erica Williamson
Brown, who was about to begin classes at St. Louis’ Vatterott College, was suspected of stealing from a local convenience store and threatening the store clerk prior to his death. The scene plays out both ways, causing huge controversy that continues to this day.
It’s unclear what exactly happened, but at some point Wilson shot Brown, whose body was left on the street in broad daylight for four hours as forensic experts investigated the scene. Two weeks ago, the Ferguson police chief apologized for the length of time Brown’s body was left visible in the street. The apology did not do much to quell the anger, and protests erupted all over again.
The investigation into what actually happened will likely all come down to witnesses’ testimony. Some witnesses say Brown struggled with Wilson and reached for his gun. Several other witnesses say they saw Brown run away from Wilson and raise his hands in surrender when Wilson proceeded to the head shot.
Law Enforcement teacher Erica Williamson is one of many educators who have students interested in discussing the events that happened in Ferguson in their classes. She said that the shooting in Ferguson was a tragic event.
“I think hate plays a big factor in all brutality,” Williamson said. “The fact is it is a learned behavior. No one grows up hating everyone or certain people naturally. It’s a big ugly cycle.”
Brown’s shooting made a huge impact on social media in site likes Twitter and Tumblr. Thousands of people from across the country used social media to follow the protests and the local police department’s use of military style weapons response after a convenience store was burned down in the community.
Williamson said it is important not to jump to conclusions when observing a controversial event and response like what happened in Ferguson.
“I never have an initial feeling about these types of incidents,” she said. “I like to research the case before I say anything because it is only fair, especially when a death is involved. As an officer there is a lot of psychological responsibility in taking a life, and it isn’t taken lightly.”
Protests are still going on every night in the streets of Ferguson with protesters expressing their feelings towards police brutality and asking that Wilson be punished for shooting an unarmed black teenager.
Another high-profile case happened this summer with the death of 43-year-old Eric Garner who was put in a chokehold during an arrest for selling untaxed cigarettes by NYPD Police in Staten Island. The choking eventually killed him because of contributing factors such as asthma, obesity and cardiovascular disease, according to a report by the city medical examiner.
Senior Ryder Kurkoski agreed that the protesters must continue to show their outrage toward the botched handling of the arrest.
“I felt that it was a shame for what happened to Michael because police brutality does exist and it’s a big problem in the world that has ceased to change,” Kurskoski said.
Enormous support for Brown and Garner flowed from social media for both of these cases in which viral video ignited explosions of strong reactions on all sides.
Senior Jennifer Torres shared her strong feelings about how they police handled the situation.
“The protesters are acting correctly in my opinion because if they aren’t speaking their mind now on how they feel about this situation then they’ll never be heard and a change won’t be made,” Torres said.
With such high profile cases of racially charged police incidents, President Obama was forced to respond to the problem of growing mistrust of police, which he said has a corrosive effect on the nation.
“It makes folks who are victimized by crime and need strong policing reluctant to go to the police because they may not trust them,” he said Sept. 27 in an address at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual awards dinner.
