EHS Reacts to Ferguson Riots

By Broderick Topil

Ferguson, Missouri is the scene for riots, protests, and memorials being held in honor of Michael Brown, the teenager that was fatally shot 6 times by a police officer just past noon on Saturday, August 9. Weeks have passed and the riots, protests, and memorials remain, gaining much attention as all major news networks have covered the scene. The issue has been addressed by President Barack Obama and Missouri Governor Jay Nixon. As the nation is seemingly upset over the unarmed teenager being shot to death by police, what is causing the uproar in the town of 21,000?

A nation still sore from the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012, a similar encounter is what caused thousands of people from across the country to arrive in Ferguson, with intentions of gaining answers, and making the situation noticed.

Robyn Kelso, government teacher at EHS responded with this when asked about her initial thoughts of the shooting of Brown, “Sigh. Not again. Not another Trayvon Martin case. Part of me hoped there was more to it, but given racial tensions in our country still today, that thought also crossed my mind– I hope this isn’t racially motivated. As Americans, it seems to me, if you know your history, a racial angle should cross your mind initially, like it did mine.”

As for the Martin case, the unarmed teenager seemed suspicious to the neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman, and after confrontation, Martin laid dead with no apparent reasoning other than suspicion.

What seemingly happened in Ferguson is that police officer Darren Wilson confronted Mike Brown for jaywalking, and that is when the situation turned for the worse. Brown allegedly hit Wilson in retaliation, and Brown laid dead in the street, while Wilson suffered serious facial injuries.

Senior Sidney Johnson believes, “The most disturbing part of this whole ordeal is not the initial shooting, the descent into looting, or the government’s response; it’s the fact that jaywalking turned into an altercation which turned into laying dead in the street. This happened because he didn’t respect cops, and this is why he didn’t. It’s a vicious cycle.”

The FBI is doing a parallel investigation to the issue and details are still unfolding. This entire ordeal has turned now into a movement, rather than a moment. For whatever stance the people may take, the country as a whole can learn a lot from the events following this fatal shooting.