Retired Philadelphia police Captain Ray Lewis, speaks with people in Ferguson, Mo., on Thursday. “These people have been exploited and oppressed their entire lives, and now they have their own police department perhaps murdering one of their own,” Lewis told AFP. “And I came out to show solidarity with them.” (Robert MacPherson, AFP/Getty Images)
What if, instead of labeling those in Ferguson mere “protesters,” “looters,” or one of the several other thin titles that the media assign, we called them “sons and daughters,” “fathers and mothers,” “concerned citizens,” and “freedom-seekers”? The former terms connote reactionary angst at best and criminality at worst; whereas the latter phrases recall the dignity that was indeed looted from Mike Brown.
After all, if the people of Ferguson were seen as sons and daughters seeking freedom from America’s vicious legacy of brutalizing black bodies, then perhaps other names would be more fitting for the police and para-military forces that news stories so innocently portray: “occupiers,” “detractors,” “enemies of peace,” “dignity-looters.”
I urge the world to reconsider its entire construct regarding the story of Ferguson, who the main characters truly are, and what all parties have thus far represented. Only then can we begin to uncover the truth that precedes actual peace instead of the compromise to which many seek to succumb.
Rev. Anthony Grimes, Denver
This letter was published in the Aug. 23 edition.
For information on how to send a letter to the editor, click here. Follow eLetters on Twitter to receive updates about new letters to the editor when they’re posted.
