The Fox News headline reads, “There are no police: Ferguson Store Owners forced to fend off looters” The station goes on to post a report using what appears to be one of the three black reporters employed by the entire network to offer a counterargument that paints the police in a highly positive light while placing the blame of the incident squarely on the victim and those who are protesting in support of the victim. Of course, if these people were just protesting there wouldn’t be a narrative for Fox to hold on to. It isn’t just Fox. CNN is now spinning a similar narrative, talking about officers too politically afraid to intervene. This paints the protesters in an entirely negative light.
What scares me more is the possibility of some business owners doing as Fox suggests and defending their businesses with weapons of their own. Worst still, militias could get involved and raise the conflict to a whole new level, all under the auspices of protecting small business.
Martin Luther King Jr. understood that everybody in a situation has their own agenda. Nobody in this situation on the side of the protesters has the gravitas to realize that and take control of the situation in a way that allows the black community there to look truly positive. Instead the media focus turns towards looters and this spreading tale of black aggression.
I don’t know which facts being offered about the shooting are legitimate. One thread that runs through all the reports is that there was a physical altercation between the officer and the victim that transpired through the car window. Afterwards the victim tried to flee and was gunned down. What caused the officer to behave in this manner is up for debate, but it sounds like he felt threatened and responded to that threat in a way that far exceeded the responsibilities of his position. In other words, he got pissed off and scared and stopped acting like a well trained cop and started acting like a man who has been threatened and needs to handle that threat.
Some Thoughts:
- My youngest claims to be a Cowboys Fan. He’s out of the family.
- Started playing Madden 25 again and I’ve worked myself into a financial quandary. I must start releasing top players in order to stay below the salary cap. That makes the game really fun in a different way. I like it.