I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read it. No indictment? No charges? Part of me wasn’t surprised, but the other part of me, the optimistic part, was crushed. The Michael Brown case is another one of the countless examples of how black bodies are valued less than white bodies. This blog post isn’t going to express some very clear, academic opinion about this case. I really just need a place to express my feelings toward many things I have seen on social media and read in different places.
The first thing I thought of, obviously, is the part about bodies. We have seen so many instances where the black body (Michael Brown in this case) is valued less than a white body. Throughout history we have seen different bodies become the symbols of larger social movements such as Emmett Till. Some say that his death was one of the triggers to the Civil Rights Movement. Is it possible that Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown and others will become the symbols of another social movement? The social movement will hopefully be one that will target the social injustice we see in the system we depend on to put bad guys in jail, NOT unarmed young black men that were shot for practically nothing at all. Even if, according to the evidence, there was some kind of struggle between Darren Wilson and Michael Brown, was it right for Brown to be shot? I ask you, was it right? None of us probably know what we would do in that situation, so it’s hard to say what is right and what is wrong.
Probably the thing that upset me most is that people are STILL arguing that we are in a post-racial era. NEWSFLASH! While things like the Ferguson and Trayvon Martin cases still happen, we will still be in an era where race is still a factor, and racism still exists. How many more will it take for us to acknowledge what is going on? How many more murders of unarmed black people will it take to convince us that racism is something still very real in our time? It is hard for me to imagine how anyone sees our society as anything different than racism still existing. It was interesting to me how I could clearly see privilege as a factor in many of the posts on Facebook that I read about this issue. More than usual, I could see that because privilege is invisible to most people, it becomes something that blocks us from seeing the systemic problems at work. I say “us” because I am not excluded from this. I like to think that I am aware of my privilege, but it is very easy to forget and blame others for not seeing it instead. It makes me think that if more white people were aware of their privilege, then maybe there wouldn’t be so much “us vs. them”.
This isn’t the most organized blog post in the world, and it seems as though I have more questions and unorganized thoughts than answers. There were just a few things I wanted to get off my chest about this. I wanted to address the fact that we are NOT in a post-racial society and that this issue is not done being discussed. It’s never done. I urge everyone to take up some kind of activism in the struggle for racial equality, but in the most peaceful way possible. I’m sitting in the Starbucks on campus watching the peaceful student protesters hold up their signs and cry for justice for Michael Brown and for Ferguson. The amazing thing was that the group started out small and has grown throughout the morning. This is the way I picture the movement going forward from here. A small group of people start in their peaceful cry for justice, and, over time, more and more people will join. They will continue the fight “until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” -MLK Jr.
Unruly Bodies 
I have spent nearly every moment thinking about the verdict reached since I first learned of it. I’m appalled, though unsurprised, to know there will be no indictment. I’m so deeply saddened to see in action how little the institutions of this country care about the lives of black individuals, though I am at least comforted to know there is solidarity being formed all across the nation, and even across the world. You’re right, we absolutey do not live in a post-racial society. It pains me to think at how little progress has been made, but the present is profoundly different from the past in terms of access to technology and the globe. Hopefully, with time, we will see the differences in the generations of the future.
To what you said about access to technology, I think one of the main challenges we face in terms of combating racial inequality is dealing with the media and the internet. We see examples of how things like this actually perpetuate and create racial stereotypes, which then brainwashes (for lack of a better word) people into believing those things are true, and acting on them to the point where we see things like in Ferguson where a white police officer is scared for his life because a big black man is running at him, so he sends 6 bullets into the black man’s back. I hope I am making sense here. I have seen examples of this in terms of the hypersexual black woman, and so forth. As insidious as the media and our technology can be, I think it could also be used for good. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I have been invited to several peaceful Ferguson protests just through Facebook events alone. Even aside from that, there are always articles about dealing with racial inequality that we can share with each other on the internet, and other things. Things that bring awareness, that we can use as tools to make the world better. My hope is that more people will realize this.
Even if, according to the evidence, there was some kind of struggle between Darren Wilson and Michael Brown, was it right for Brown to be shot? I ask you, was it right?
I think categorizing the actions of Brown as “some kind of struggle” is a shameful evasion of the truth. Brown struck Wilson repeatedly. That is justification for lethal force. Brown reached for Wilson’s firearm, pushed it against Wilson’s body and reach for the trigger; justification for lethal force. And if you think that being punched by someone 6’4″ and 290 pounds isn’t deadly, you are sadly mistaken.
Martin had Zimmerman in a position where he could not effectively fight back, Was bashing his head into the concrete. Again — deadly force was being used by your ‘black bodies’
Want to talk about Racism, let’s. Want to talk about police brutality, let’s.
But let’s not make saints out of people who were using deadly force against their victims.
From what I’ve read it’s my understanding that there’s an ongoing FBI investigation into what went on during the Grand Jury, and the racism in the Ferguson police department, which means there’s a decent chance of there being at least some level of consequences for those involved.