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Ferguson protests: It’s time for it to end

December 15, 2014

Smoke fills the streets as some buildings are on fire after the announcement of the grand jury decision Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. A grand jury has decided not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed, black 18-year-old whose fatal shooting sparked sometimes violent protests. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

In the Ferguson shooting that occurred on August 9th of this year, Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed a black 18 year-old named Michael Brown. Brown was unarmed, but several witnesses including Wilson, have testified that Brown was attacking Wilson.

A grand jury has recently decided not to indict Wilson, but five days later, Wilson chose to resign from the Ferguson police department.

Those are the facts, black and white, and whether or not Brown had his hands up or not while Wilson fatally shot him does not deter us from the truth of these statements.

If this were an issue of just two men, there would not be an issue. But because Officer Wilson is white and Michael Brown is black, the issue has sparked national protests, debates, and violence.

Brown is dead, and Wilson will forever be maligned with a death threat hanging over his head, but the issue extends to many other people. Brown’s family is grieving, Wilson’s family members are receiving death threats, the protests are injuring both policemen and civilians, and innocent bystanders are being prevented from commuting to work.

The grand jury has made its bipartisan decision, and while there may be arguments for why the system is flawed, it is the system of a fair trial that the United States was built upon. People must trust the system, though there may be decisions that not everyone agrees with. If there was not enough evidence to indict Officer Wilson, there most likely was not enough evidence to try him in criminal court.

There has been far too much blood spilt on this matter. Time cannot bring Michael Brown back from the dead, but it can help us forgive Darren Wilson. As a police officer, he was reacting to the situation as he thought appropriate, and though it may not have been the most reasonable action, he is human like the rest of us. He made a mistake, which he is paying for dearly, but eventually, the world will either rid of him or forgive him. Either way, it shouldn’t involve the suffering of bystanders who had no influence on the grand jury’s decision.

Joon Sang Kim
Philips Exeter Academyl 11th Grade

One Comment

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