If people ever feel the need to analyze another trend in American culture, a plausible topic would be how abusive the freedoms of assembly and expression can be.
From a young age, humans are exposed to the belief that mob psychology and violence settle more problems than they create, but in reality, physical vengeance has always come with a price.
The shooting of 18 year-old Michael Brown struck a raw nerve. Long-standing distrust in local government and law enforcement was the fuel and Michael Brown was the spark that ignited St. Louis County’s fierce anti-police outbursts. Such surges of anger grew nearly unstoppable after Darren Wilson, the white officer responsible for Brown’s death, was not indicted.
However, in the wake of this ordeal, Wilson has lost his job and most likely any future prospects for employment. Furthermore, President Obama has issued orders to make 50,000 body cameras and improved training available to police divisions across the country. This should be enough of a first step forward in resolving problems within the American justice system, but chaos in Ferguson and other parts of the nation has not ceased.
It doesn’t look like any demonstrators are working for political breakthroughs by vandalizing local businesses and dragging innocent people into the fray. It’s disappointing that people continue to drag their communities down into a cycle of terror when they need instead to rebuild. Ferguson is becoming a repeat of the 1992 L.A. riots, which resulted in over 50 deaths, 2,000 hospitalized and 12,000 arrests. 20 years, later, there are still destroyed buildings in L.A. that have not been repaired.
The struggle to fix Ferguson has been improving in recent weeks, but behavior change is not enough.
At this point, I’m more concerned for the saner civilians who have had to waste their Thanksgiving weekend and the following weeks cleaning up the aftermath than for the so-called justice protesters set out to establish. Workers and business owners made an effort to dispose of broken glass and repaint walls charred by impulsive arsonists, but some of the defacement was not as easily swept under the rug. A ceramic Buddha statue was beheaded inside of a looted Chinese restaurant and the Ferguson Dental office has been the target of repeat damage, once during an August riot and twice in recent weeks.
The people trying to recover what’s left of their community deserve better. Employees out of work have lost valuable income; protesters have plundered the cash registers of local shops and cafes, in effect stealing their very neighbor’s paychecks.
All of this unnecessary destruction raises a question to demonstrators: haven’t you done enough? Wilson is out of commission, the government is gradually appealing to development and the public has gained awareness. There is absolutely no gain in ruining your own streets and houses.
The United States has a colossal capacity to change, but meaningless devastation is not the way forward.