Derrick Z. Jackson is a columnist for the Boston Globe.
And, as we wait for the grand jury finding in Ferguson, Missouri – which should come any moment now – he has explained the problem we face – though maybe not the way he thinks he has.
Here is the first paragraph of Mr. Jackson\’s latest column:
Thenational hysteria over the Ferguson grand jury is a fresh indictmentof America. The core issue is a charge of police brutality by a whiteofficer shooting an unarmed black 18-year-old man. Yet all around thecountry, the talk is about black violence.
See the problem?
In one paragraph, just three short sentences, we have been told that the core issue is police brutality and bewilderment that people are talking about Black violence.
Note to Mr. Jackson: Black violence is very likely what caused Police Officer Darren Wilson – a six year police veteran with not one complaint ever lodged against him, racial or otherwise – to shoot Michael Brown. And, though you somehow neglected to mention it, Michael Brown – the “unarmed black 18 year old man” – was, 6\’ 4″, weighed almost 300 pounds, had just robbed a convenience store and roughed up the owner who tried to prevent him from leaving, was high on marijuana, and who, based on the leaked forensic findings, was right on top of Officer Wilson, not running away as his lowlife, criminal pal dorian johnson claimed.
Another note to Mr. Jackson: The talk about Black violence just might be based on the rioting and looting which took place for a week afterward, and which people in Ferguson and elsewhere are damn worried about now, if the grand jury does not indict.
One more note: Did you happen to hear the screams from Black groups, including (but not solely) new black panther party, demanding death for Darren Wilson? Or the threats being screamed at police officers in Ferguson every night? Or the just-written graffiti on a landmark arch, which I put up earlier today, saying “We burn…you burn with us. FTP (fuck the police)”?
Should that raise concerns about Black violence? Mr. Jackson? Or do you think this suggests nothing other than peaceful protesting?
See, the real problem is not that some sweet choir boy was brutally singled out for murder by a rogue cop. The real problem is that people like Derrick Z. Jackson continue to fraudulently position it this way – and, by so doing, encourage the thugs who are laying in wait to react violently if no indictment is forthcoming.
We\’ll see how this plays out starting tonight. I hope Derrick Z. Jackson is able to wake up tomorrow morning proud of what his words may have contributed.
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UPDATE: It is about 6:15 Eastern time.
And now that we have had a night of complete anarchy, violence, looting, and arson, I wonder if Mr Jackson understands the situation any better.
Unfortunately, I would bet he does not.
