Rachael Watson, Staff Writer

Ferguson, MO experiences rioting and looting in response to Michael Brown shooting.

On August 9, 2014 Officer Darren Wilson fatally shot eighteen year old, black student, Michael Brown. This has sparked a controversy like I have never seen before. Riots, looting and arson ensued immediately following the incident, and this spread like wildfire all throughout the nation. Debates and protests placed neighbors at odds with each other, ending only in more violence.

It is always hard to tell what really happened because we were not there, and the people who were have different views on what went down. We only know the general story, but for those who do not know, this is roughly what happened.

Brown and Dorian Johnson, two eighteen year old black men, were walking down a road, one of which was allegedly involved in the theft of some cigarillos. Officer Wilson, seeing the two men walking down the street, observed that Brown fit the description of the suspect and called in for backup.

Officer Wilson then called out to the men to move from the road to the sidewalk. When the men did not move, it seems things turned violent, however it is debated over which party, Brown or Officer Wilson, instigated the altercation. In the end, Officer Wilson had fired twelve rounds from his gun, and Brown had been fatally wounded.

Of course there is a lot of debate and controversy over all of the details, which if you would like to know more about I would suggest reading the New York Times article, “What Happened in Ferguson,” as I believe it does a good job of reporting the story from a fairly neutral standpoint.

I have read several articles, watched many news reports, and listened to countless debates about the matter and out of all of it, what really gets me is the rioting.

This article is not about what I believe happened, but my opinion of what happened as a result. I simply do not understand what is to be gained from fighting fire with fire. As preached and practiced by countless individuals such as Gandhi, Mother Teresa, John F Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr, violence is never the answer, and to use violence only makes the situation worse. “Violence is a disease, a disease that corrupts all who use it regardless of the cause.”

An American journalist, specializing in American and Middle Eastern politics, named Chris Hedges, spoke this and I couldn’t agree more. By burning down shops and buildings, by setting fire to vehicles, and by using violence in protest of violence; you are only hurting your chances of being heard by society because all they can see if the destruction you have caused.

I can see that people are angry, and they have reason to be. I cannot fathom the pain and sorrow the family of Michael Brown must feel. I cannot begin to understand how the lives of Officer Wilson and his family must have changed so quickly. But I am aware of the shock and horror at the way we are treating one another, and at the violence that has ensued. We need to come together as a country and realize that we are all just trying to make it in this world, and do our best every day.

We need to re-humanize our society and even when we disagree, we do so with regard of one another’s lives.