With the current Michael Brown case, there has been an explosion of people calling for change. People are protesting for justice for Brown and change in policy among police departments around the country. And I do believe these are honorable causes, but I'm not entirely sure that the protesting is progressive in most cases.
The most obvious of the destructive protesting is the rioting that occurred after the grand jury decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson was announced. Businesses were looted and destroyed, hundreds of people were arrested around the country, and even one young man was found shot and burned. This kind of protesting, though clearly a minority, does not help Michael Brown's case in any way. First of all, it destroys the lives of hundreds to thousands of other people. Ruining the lives of others does not make yours better. Secondly, it does not improve the image of the community. Unfortunately, this kind of behavior only enforces stereotypes, true or false. Though it is an unfortunate facet, there is still discrimination and racism perpetuated throughout our society.
But we cannot simply delete racism at will. Multiple things need to happen and it will be a process. First, we need to recognize that an individual is not representative of a whole. Generalizing leads to stereotyping. Next, we need to focus on similarities rather than differences. Once the similarities are recognized, then we will be able to celebrate the differences. And the third change I will suggest, though there are many more changes to be made, is that the media needs to treat all cases equally. The augmentation of stories based on the race of the individuals involved only perpetuates inequality.
Okay, now this is where this article gets even more controversial than it already is. Clearly violent protesting is not positive in any way. Yet, I personally believe that peaceful protesting isn't very helpful to most causes either. It definitely doesn't do any harm and it makes a statement, but I feel it is more stagnant than progressive. For example, in my home town of Wichita, Kansas there have been several protests in the past week. For one, members of the Wichita State University community were encouraged to wear black to openly show their support of Michael Brown and their demand for justice. Another occurred at Wichita East High School in which students laid out on the grounds for 4.5 minutes to represent the 4.5 hours the Michael Brown's body lay in the street. I am in no way opposed to these demonstrations and I think it is great the young people are not only forming opinions but publicly declaring them. However, I'm worried that these kinds of demonstrations are merely a way for people to feel like their making a difference when they aren't actually propelling the cause in any way. Change has to be sought specifically. Merely posting a status that you are demanding justice for Michael Brown, or wearing a certain color in honor of lost lives, or laying in the grass to represent the tragic events doesn't actually create justice or change. Words can be powerful, but words without action are easily lost.
What is needed is powerful and positive action. One of the other protests in Wichita did just this. Many people gathered together to demand that police be required to wear cameras while patrolling. This protest had a fixed cause. It calls for a small and specific change that will eventually create a much larger change in the justice system. It is these small, specific, and direct demands and demonstrations that will bring about the most results. Unfortunately, simply calling for justice will most likely not incite change. The call for justice will be best satisfied when the road is taken one step at a time. Though it is hard to be patient in a situation in which lives may be lost, we must recognize that change is usually not abrupt. It takes time, but it will happen.
"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls." Alma 37:6-7
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