Then do it at 8 AM the following day, which is when organized protests were planned anyway. 8:30 PM is a great way to ensure that the young and disaffected make up the bulk of the crowd and that the groups who have been planning and training for this are not present in large numbers, if at all.
They know this just from recent Ferguson history.
Also, what do the people who are doing the burning and looting think this is doing to help?
It's a mistake to try to read it as constructive when at heart it's despair and outrage. I'm not saying it's the right reaction. But lashing out is a very human reaction - again, encouraged by the fact that what you had was largely a crowd of young, disaffected men who've just been basically told they are fair game because they're just so inherently scary.
The more cynical part of me thinks the announcement was planned for maximum prime time coverage. I can't let myself think of anything more sinister or I'll just give up. I should probably just stay away from the internet today. I'm heartsick and dismayed at all the ugliness I've seen people reveal about themselves. I'm even starting to be bothered by people whose views I agree with.
And not to be all "outside agitators!" conspiracy theory, but on the news last night, one of the people at the front of the crowd somewhere was wearing a Guy Fawkes mask.
Narrrrrrr. One FB friend is sanctimoniously saying that anyone without a law degree should not be expressing an opinion about the grand jury decision.
I don't have enough coffee in me to do more than glare and the screen and mutter "Fuuuuuuuuuuck youuuuuuuuuuu."
(She is a very recent college graduate and is SO VERY SURE of the way the world should work. Half the time I want to hug her and half the time I want to thwack her on the head.)
They're so cute at that age.
One FB friend is sanctimoniously saying that anyone without a law degree should not be expressing an opinion about the grand jury decision.
You can tell that person that, according to one of your online friends with a J.D. what your friend calls "a law degree"), the D.A. set forth a pretty good case for voluntary manslaughter. (You don't need to tell that person that I last studied criminal law almost 30 years ago, and I have never needed to know the laws involving homicide as part of my practice.)
If there is a silver lining to the Michael Brown matter, it's that it feels like a tipping point. The media aren't treating police shootings as one-off incidents anymore -- they're looking at a broader problem. Which means the opportunity to attempt (or at least discuss) broader solutions.
Oh, hey, I just got my 200th follower on Tumblr last night. It only took me three years.
Congrats, Tom!
I...am ignoring the news. I don't have room in my head to be angry at anything else right now.
Only one person on my FB feed made me want to punch things this morning. That is vastly better than I expected.
In other news, I had an interview for a position at a university within commuting distance this morning. It sounds like it could be a good fit. Here's hoping.
