On Aug. 9, 2014, Caucasian police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed an unarmed 18-year-old-African American Michael Brown. The incident was racially motivated.
Or, could it be …
On Aug. 9, 2014, veteran police officer, Darren Wilson, shot and killed 18-year-old African-American man Michael Brown in self-defense. The incident was a justified shooting.
How about …
Many of you have heard about the 18 year old who was shot and killed in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 9. That young man’s name was Michael Brown. The police officer who shot him was Darren Wilson.
The sad truth is a young man lost his life on that day.
The other sad truth is that our society has already tried the incident in the court of public opinion.
And the media has clearly provided all the evidence for us to make a fair and unbiased decision. Right?
Well, here are the truths we know at the time this was printed: Based on an autopsy report, Brown was shot six times, including twice in the head, and four times in the arm. Additional autopsy reports are pending, as well as toxicology reports, ballistics and DNA.
Yet, with so much information still in the air, media outlets are reporting on any speculation and hearsay they can get their hands on. To me, it seems as if the media has completely forgotten how an investigation is handled.
Instead of giving the only indisputable facts of the case, it is selling the emotional aspect of the story.
Yes, an 18-year-old lost his life earlier than anyone ever should. But that doesn’t give anyone the right to find officer Wilson guilty without due process.
The prosecution has the burden of proof.
If the facts of the case show that officer Wilson unjustifiably killed Brown, then he will be put in prison for a very long time.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines justice as “the maintenance or administration of what is just, especially by the impartial adjust-ment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments.”
How dare any of us to prejudice this incident.
How can we?
Perhaps your opinion is based on news outlets providing only certain sides of the story. Maybe it’s the constant propaganda from the self-righteous politicians with their own personal agendas. Or maybe it’s simply our individual life experiences and human instinct to prejudge.
There are injustices in this world; there are bad people on both sides of the law.
This incident is being properly investigated on a federal level due to these concerns. Until the investigation is complete, shouldn’t we all withhold judgment?
Now this process is going to take time. There are many questions that still need to be answered. Such as, what was found in the toxicology report of both Wilson and Brown? Did Michael Brown wrongfully attack officer Wilson before the shooting? Did officer Wilson use brutal force from the beginning of the encounter?
We must also take a look at the character of both Brown and Wil-son. Doing so will help us better understand how either one may have reacted to the situation.
As an American citizen, I ask you all to take a step back; soak in all aspects of this investigation; throw out all the nonsense the media feeds you; and listen to the facts they report.
In the words of Mark Twain, “It ain’t what we know that gets us into trouble, It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.”
I believe in our justice system.
And I believe it is our duty as a society to ensure justice for all.
Justice Council writes the Justice for All column. He can be reached at [email protected] or at 217-786-2311.