Ferguson Decision

I just listened to the St. Louis county prosecutor give a windy speech about the Ferguson grand jury's finding in the Michael Brown killing.  From the moment he opened his mouth and started in with the explanations and justifications and rationalizations, you just knew where it was leading.  The grand jury found no probable cause to indict Officer Wilson for anything, not even involuntary manslaughter.

And then I listened to our President, who was presidential and urged calm and peacefulness and respect for the rule of law, as he should, as he must.  But you could tell he was disappointed.  So was I.  This entire episode is an ugly reminder of how far we still have to go.  Obama said as much, in carefully couched language. 

In our society, the presence of police/law enforcement is essential.  We know that.  Sometimes, cops have a tough job.  Sometimes, they have to make split-second decisions.  Sometimes, they must use lethal force.

The Michael Brown killing was not one of those cases.  How many times must you shoot an unarmed person before self-defense turns into execution?  If nothing else, it was clearly excessive force.

Officer Wilson may have been within the law when he gunned down Michael Brown in the street.  But he'll never work in law enforcement again, and he'll have the rest of his life to contemplate his actions.  I hope he'll consider this:

There is often a difference between being within your rights and doing what is right.

Best wishes for Ferguson, Missouri.