Rome Is Burning

Today we learned Amnesty International has sent a team of observers to Ferguson to monitor what they view as human rights violations. This is a huge development in this town more inept than the Barney character from Mayberry. What this means is that the world in seeing the crimes at the hands of the police. Frankly, the police bare much of the blame for the situation from the killing to the manner in which they have managed the situation in the streets that look in many ways like Bagdad or some war zone.

I am certain everyone can remember the incident involving the last Rodney King where the police beat him nearly to death; if not you’ve seen the video. After the police officers went to trial and were found not guilty, riots ensued, and the question was why. The world saw the event captured on video – the argument was “we did not see what we thought we saw." This is often what happens when the police try to arrive at the conclusion, which is most often “justified.” This seems to be the desired outcome in Ferguson – “there is nothing to see here."

The power of the men in blue that represent the state has enormous power, often unchecked. They will protect each other at all cost, regardless of the wrong. They operate under a code and have a playbook that has been used for time and memorial. In the time of Jesus, Rome was the state and their enforcers operated like thugs, we know how they dealt with decent. They hung him on a cross, and black people are being murdered at the hands of the police state.

This country was founded on decent with what they called a Revolution by those opposed to the states (England) rule to gain its freedom. They specifically said, all American’s have rights; one is freedom of speech, and another is the right to assemble. In my view, the state, Missouri, has attempted to take away both. The only conclusion, in concert, with what appears to be their perfection of the officer who shot the child is to cover up to get them to “justified."

Each night for the last ten days, we see people trying to demonstrations that turn chaotic. The cops say, they are being attacked by the crowd. Yet, it seems like they are the only ones who believe that story. From my vantage point, it is the police who have crossed the line every step of the way. A reporter on the scene, CNN’s Jake Trapper, reports:

"I want you to look at what is going on in Ferguson, Missouri, in downtown America, OK? These are armed police, with semi-automatic rifles, with batons, with shields, many of them dressed for combat. Now why they’re doing this I don’t know, because there is no threat going on here, none that merits this. There is none, OK? Absolutely there have been looters, absolutely over the last nine days there’s been violence, but there is nothing going on on this street right now that merits this scene out of Bagram. Nothing! So if people wonder why the people of Ferguson, Missouri are so upset, this is part of the reason. What is this? This doesn’t make any sense!"

Every empire created since the existence of mankind has fallen mainly from within. If the news media is being treated so harshly; what do you think the police are doing to the black community? America’s amoral racial disparities have been exposed to the world. With respect to the blatant police abuse by people sworn to “protect and serve”; it seems to be protecting the officers involved and to serve their own interests – business as usual. If justice is not served here I am fearful that Rome will burn. And that’s my thought provoking perspective…