Some thoughts on Ferguson

To the editor:

Social Security, which for many years was known as the “third rail” of American politics, has passed that title to “race.” To be labeled a “racist” is a fate worse than death. I write hoping to avoid electrocution, not about the incident which took place at Ferguson, Missouri, but about its aftermath and its implications. This missive is not about whether Michael Brown had his hands up pleading not to be shot by an enraged racist policeman or if Officer Wilson was viciously attacked by a black alleged hooligan.

In this never-to-be-perfect world, I have no doubt that African-Americans have been treated in a discriminatory manner by police. Just as I have no doubt that people have been treated in a discriminatory manner because of their religion or disability. In the aftermath of Ferguson, we tend to lose sight of the numerous times a day similar encounters are dealt with in a sensitive, fair and constructive manner by law enforcement personnel in America.

That is the trap of Ferguson: to think that the whole tenor of Ferguson, with a police department of three blacks in an overwhelmingly African-American community, is happening in every law enforcement agency in America. That would deny the extraordinary effort this country has made to overcome racial discrimination. An effort that to be sure has been imperfect, but what isn’t?

To create an environment in which a policeman, when faced with a split second decision of life and death, needs to contemplate his risk of prosecution is an impossible position. Surely, it is also untenable to have a law-abiding citizen walk the streets of our country in fear of law enforcement officers. I do not believe that the general castigation of the police in America brings a solution to this conundrum, when an approach that is more specifically directed would be more constructive. In addition it would be helpful to highlight the many positive efforts that police departments around the country are carrying out on a daily basis to improve race relations. This might also include what the African-American community is doing and can do to that end.

Man bites dog always makes the news; dog bites man rarely does.

HOWARD RING