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Benny, 19
I am not really following the protests in Ferguson but I have seen talk about it on Twitter, especially from minority groups. I have even seen some people online defend the police officer who did the shooting. I do believe this is an important issue but I also believe that people are using the incident to justify crimes like looting. There has always been tension between minority groups and local police departments as many minorities feel as if their cases are not treated fairly. Sadly this is only one of probably many incidents to come.
The police department is doing all they can to protect the police officer involved. I think that they have done poorly in trying to cover up the case and have even put the lives of those in the community in danger. I don’t want to say that the department is corrupt and not doing their job but their treatment of the case can definitely improve. I think all police departments, including the one in Merced would respond in a similar matter to the police department in MO. The safety of the officer is first and that is sadly how all police departments act.
The thing that stands out to me the most is just how much attention Ferguson has gained. I believe that all the negative attention the issue has gained is working against Michael Brown because police have now used extreme force to quell the riots taking place on his behalf. If the community simply gathered and did not commit crimes for the sake of Michael’s death, the case would probably skew in his favor.
Donna, 19
I am not following the Ferguson case directly. I don’t go out of my way to find new information as I believe most of it is manipulated anyways.
However I can’t help seeing tons of people on my facebook newsfeed posting about it. Nearly everyday I sign in I see some new post about an update on the issue. I do think its important to keep an eye on what’s going on because if something this huge could happen in such a small town, it can happen absolutely anywhere.
I have seen, first hand, a few officers in Merced that have demonstrated overly violent acts, as well as officers who have talked down on others for doing nothing wrong and practically treated them like criminals when there were no grounds for such treatment. I think police are getting increasingly out of control. They instigate a lot of violence and then think that because they’re in a position of authority its ok. They usually don’t have to face any consequences for their actions.
To me, the most salient point in the situation in Ferguson is police brutality. There are hundreds of videos of police officers using extreme and unnecessary force and the Ferguson case was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Way too often, police officers are free from consequences and it appears that people are just not going to take it anymore.
Alyssa, 21
I have been following the protests in Ferguson. My family has been following the events closely by watching CNN and other news outlets. It is important for my family to follow this issue because we hope that these events will spark a worldwide conversation about race.
I believe in any situation, the police have a responsibility to “serve and protect,” namely they are supposed to be trained not to kill! I believe that police in my community have similar issues to what’s happened in Ferguson because police here treat you differently based on what side of town you live in.
The issue that stood out to me most is that in the community where Michael Brown lives majority of people in power are white and there is a big disconnect between the residents.
Aaron, 17
I’ve been following the protests since about last week when I first heard of the rioting. It’s a very important issue for me but surprisingly i have not heard a single person at school talk about it.
I think police having getting way too out of hand. The police should control the rioting and looting in a suitable manner, but I don’t agree with them using violence towards protesters. In my community it’s not as bad as others, while there are some officer’s that may abuse their power, the majority of the police force is relatively fine.
What stands out the most for me in Ferguson is that it’s not just in Ferguson. It seems that all over the nation police have been using guns more than other means. I think the whole ordeal in Ferguson would have gained no attention if the cop would have used non-lethal force on Michael Brown.
