We have another ugly racial situation in the Saint Louis area – which has had more than its share these days.
First we had the shooting and killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; an incident without evidence of any racial component which has been turned into a racist\’s wonderland.
Then we had the beating and killing of Zemir Begic, a White Bosnian immigrant who was beaten to death by four hammer-wielding Black teenagers. Although Saint Louis police, at least initially, said that race did not appear to play a part in this killing, many people suspect otherwise…as they do in the Michael Brown case.
And now we have this, as excerpted from Christine Byers\’ article in the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch:
ABosnian immigrant has been charged with making a false police reportafter claiming three black teenagers threatened to kill her in theBevo Mill neighborhood because of her ethnicity.
Policesaid Monday that a surveillance video from a nearby business showsSeherzada Dzanic, 26, of the 4400 block of Gannett Street, just getout of her car and lie in the street shortly before a passing driverfound her Dec. 5.
Just what Saint Louis – and the rest of the country – needed.
I can hear the rationale argument now: Michael Brown was a thug, Darren Wilson did what he had to do, the autopsy report makes it clear that the stories about Brown surrendering with his hands up or being shot in the back did not happen thus every “witness” who said so was lying, but Brown is now a hero – a civil rights icon – while Wilson will spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder and worrying every time he leaves his newlywed wife alone. Therefore…..
…the second part of this is supposed to be an explanation that Black people had it coming. As though every Black person is to blame for the Michael Brown/Darren Wilson situation.
Sorry. I can\’t buy that. It is not a reasonable rationale. Not even 1%. All I see here is that a woman filed a false police report and implicated Black people in a nonexistent crime.
And, unlike the other two examples, there is no doubt at all that this is racial in nature.
A long time ago, as a student, I lived in Saint Louis for a year. I have to say I don\’t envy anyone residence in this star-crossed city right now. Not for a year, a month, a week or even a day.
Let\’s all hope that, at some point, things can simmer down and smooth out so people of good will, regardless of color or ethnicity, can simply live their lives in peace.
