The Vulture of Culture

A grand jury will soon decide the fate of Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson on or after Nov. 15, according to USA Today.

The decision will determine whether Wilson will be charged with killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown or whether Brown was culpable in his own death.

This tragic incident has ignited anger among many Americans and, in particular, the black community. It’s a narrative we have seen too often: a young man shot before being given the right to due process in the court of law.

I recently attended a Black Student Union meeting in which panel members discussed the importance of voting, legislative issues and, eventually, what justice for Michael Brown looks like.

It was a question that really made me ponder for a moment. Some participants answered they would be satisfied when Darren Wilson was arrested while others wanted him to be charged. Some even said they wanted the police department in Ferguson to be disbanded or elected representatives, such as the mayor and the governor, to be removed from office.

But after hearing all of those answers, deep inside of me I still wasn’t satisfied. I still felt like Michael Brown died in vain,that his death was the antithesis of what America is supposed to idealistically represent.

I thought about Eric Garner, Oscar Grant and so many other young men of color who have been ruthlessly killed as though they were less than human. As though they were less than dogs. I thought of Trayvon Martin, walking in the rain while wearing a hoodie as he was stopped by a neighborhood watchman ­­— changing the paradigm of race relations in the 21st century.

I thought about how among 75 major cities in our nation with the largest police forces, 60 percent of police officers live outside of the city and therefore are not inclined to have any interest in the community past receiving their paychecks.

I thought about how in Ferguson only 11 percent of the police force matched the identities of 67 percent of the citizens they serve.

I thought about Rialto, California, where body cameras used by police units has decreased the number of incidents where the use of force is implemented.

I thought about how African Americans make up 40 percent of our prison population even though they only make up 13.1 percent of the U.S. population.

If we could solve all of these problems with the snap of a finger, then would I be satisfied? Would justice finally be served for Michael Brown?

Then I realized, I don’t think I’ll ever be satisfied. The emotional wounds left on me from these incidents are indelible.

I want to see a post-racial America. I want to live in an America where every black man — scratch that — every man is guaranteed their due process and given an equal shot in our justice system. But I just can’t see it.

I can’t see it for myself. I can’t see it for my son. I don’t even know if I can see it for my grandson.

Am I wrong?