Things I Tell My Wife by Matt Knutson

“Oh, how quickly we forget the peace-filled words of Nelson Mandela,” I remarked to my wife as I read about protests and crime occurring in Ferguson, Mo. As national news began covering the story last week, Sera and I were on vacation far from any coverage. I was startled to read stories about police brutality and civilians looting shops occurring in my country. How ignorant of me to think this behavior was below America’s standards.

It’s been less than a year since the world mourned Mandela’s passing, and our nation’s leaders are intelligently echoing his words of peaceful protesting. Some people of Ferguson are apparently choosing not to listen. I was shocked when I read the governor of Missouri imposed a curfew to curtail violence and two days later lifted it due to its ineffectiveness. What in the world is happening down there to cause such unrest?

The death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, has once again brought attention to the issue of racial injustice in America and accountability of police. No matter the results of the autopsy and subsequent trial(s) that will come out of this particular case, something needs to be done to address the concerns of minorities in our country. They should not have to cling to sensational media stories like the deaths of Brown or Trayvon Martin for someone to notice or care about their mistreatment as a people.

“People respond in accordance to how you relate to them,” Mandela said. “If you approach them on the basis of violence, that’s how they’ll react. But if you say, ‘We want peace, we want stability,’ we can then do a lot of things that will contribute towards the progress of our society.”

The violence being carried out in Ferguson is a reaction to the initial fatality of Michael Brown. Then, when police respond to violent (and nonviolent) protestors with more violence, the system of law and order began to collapse. Ferguson needs to re-establish peace, and to do that, the people need to be able to respect authority.

While both Brown’s and Martin’s deaths have been attributed to racial inequality in southern states, we know the sentiment isn’t limited to the deep south. African American males take up 40 percent of the incarcerated population, even though the total population of African Americans in America is roughly 13 percent. Why the disparity? Certainly that population could be committing more crimes, but many studies suggest laws and law enforcement target this population more than others. If that’s true, we should be diligently focusing to improve this population’s merit rather than targeting these citizens for prison sentences. I fully support someone being found guilty of a crime having to serve his or her sentence, but I cannot believe African Americans are committing such a drastically higher number of crimes in this country compared to other groups.

Because little is being done to change the status quo, protests occur. People are injured. Stores are looted. Ignoring inequality and allowing it to linger causes these disruptions. No matter the actual circumstances in the circumstances for and against Brown and Martin, the underlying story of inequality exists.

There have been many points in history where Americans would like to acknowledge the end of racism, but inequality will never disappear. We can only work toward improving the current reality. In 1863, slaves were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. Years later our country witnessed the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2009 America elected its first African American president, and yet chaos tied to alleged police brutality against an African American occurs in Missouri this month.

“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb,” Mandela said. “When people are determined they can overcome anything,” Mandela said. “It always seems impossible until it’s done,” Mandela said. This man walked out of jail after 27 years not filled with bitterness, but the courage to lead his country out of apartheid in South Africa peacefully.

I hope these words from one of history’s greatest pursuers of freedom reaches the brokenness in Ferguson. Comfort cannot be found in the violence occurring from protestors, police and the passersby committing crimes of opportunity. As the governor of Missouri stated when he imposed his curfew, “The eyes of the world are watching.” Let us be an example to other nations on how to peacefully stand up for what is right.

 

Rochester resident Matt Knutson is the communications and events director for United Way of Olmsted County.