America has made several strides to reduce racial discrimination in the last hundreds of years. The country is now being lead by a black president, and its Congress and Senate chambers is peppered with lawmakers of mixed race among the whites. However, there are still incidents of racial injustice still occurring in some parts of the country which calls to question whether the US is truly, a "land of the free."
The fatal shooting of 18 year-old black teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer might have been just another headline if not for the color of their skin. On the other hand, it also put the police of Ferguson, Missouri in the spotlight, questioning their policies on handling potential suspects. Citing a slew of accounts by Ferguson residents, CNN reported that the community echoed only one thing: civil rights injustice is still alive in this part of town.
Freestyle Barber & Beauty owner Mike Knox, who told the news outlet that he was once stopped for DWB, or "driving while black," said that he is not surprised that Brown might have smarted off Officer Darren Wilson, who shot the teenager to death. Brown, who was unarmed when he was shot to death, caused a melee in Ferguson, which turned violent.
On Wednesday, Fox News said US Attorney General Eric Holder, who is also black, expressed his understanding at the reaction over Brown's death. On the other hand, he stressed that it wasn't color that was the root of the problem, but how heavy-handed police have been in recent years. Holder revealed during a community meting in St. Louis that he was already a federal prosecutor then when he was stopped by cops.
This was also echoed by other white residents in Ferguson. CNN mentioned a lawsuit filed by the family of mentally-ill Jason Moore, who died on September 17, 2011 of cardiac arrest after police tasered him. According to his family, Moore was walking around naked and did not pose any threat to the police.
Since August 9, unrest is still prevalent in Ferguson. The New York Times said that on Wednesday, only 60 people were counted by authorities who have participated in the protests.
