Steve Martin
Monday the word came dribbling out that the findings of the grand jury would be announced soon. As CNN always says it was “Breaking News” that would be announced at any moment. Any moment finally turned into 9:00 last night. I can’t understand the reason why such a potentially explosive announcement would be postponed until 9:00 pm? Would it have been better for crowd control to have made this announcement at 3:00 in the afternoon rather than waiting until the cover of darkness can allow so much more violence to take place? Someone wasn’t wearing their thinking cap on this one decision.
Listening to the District Attorney last night present the process and his explanation of the testimony and evidence I came away with the belief that this officer could not be charged. I don’t know why Michael Brown was shot so many times. I don’t know why he charged the officer. I don’t know why he robbed the store of $50.00 worth of cigars and then pushed the clerk back when confronted with the theft. It seems like he started the day with some kind of attitude, and I am afraid that attitude did not serve him well later on that day. There was no explanation of what frame of mind officer Darren Wilson brought to this incident.
This morning some of the so-called news programs are trying to interview people who testified before the grand jury seeking to get them to come up with their judgment of the lack of a true bill by the grad jury. The DA said last night that if you took only one testimony we could prove almost anything. Some testimony fit the evidence some did not. Some people changed their testimony others held fast to their belief. But through it all they were able to come up with some conclusion about what took place.
So, instead of seeking truth and trying to bring calm to a dangerous and volatile situation, it seems that many of the news agencies are trying to ramp it up and create even more controversy.
Perhaps we need to be like the students at A&T who quietly, respectfully protest their displeasure with a system that is biased toward targeting blacks. Perhaps we can be like the people of Ferguson last night who protested with respect for property and life, even asking the outside agitators to stop throwing bottles, rocks, and looting.
James Howell, pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, NC responded with a Facebook post last night: “Lord, have mercy on all of us.”
Lord, do have mercy upon us, cause we don’t have it all together. In fact, sometimes it seems we don’t have any of it together and only trying to get together that which agrees with our own personal agenda. Open our hearts and minds to be able to see life from many other perspectives, and thereby become more open and understanding of all your people. In and through Jesus. Amen.
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