I Don't Agree, But I Understand...

Let me preface this by saying: I've never been a fan or an advocate of tearing stuff up out of frustration. With that said, I understand the pain, anguish, and frustration the people of Ferguson feel. I don't agree with the looting and vandalism, but the raw emotion of helplessness, despair, hopelessness had been simmering just below the surface for some time.

Contrary to what the media may have people believe, this didn't start this past summer. St. Louis County has been known to be corrupt, immoral, biased, unfair, racist, bigoted, underhanded, and any other adjective you can conceive for generations. Those not familiar with the area would have you believe Greater St. Louis was some kind of criminal wasteland. Newsflash: It's not!

Like every metropolis in the U. S., St. Louis has its problems with crime, violence, and corruption. For those who know nothing about the area, that would have you to believe otherwise, please mute them.

The residents that rioted and protested in Ferguson aren't common criminals. Most are everyday working men and women, who like many of us are working just to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Some were people who were out of work for varying reasons. These weren't gangbangers, as the mainstream media would have you believe. These are people who have had enough of the mistreatment by the ones who swore to uphold the law, serve, and protect and enough of the system that repeatedly failed them.

On August 9, 2014, an officer of the law violated the trust of the people and a young man's life was cut short. That was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. Eventually the people said, "Enough is enough!" The people were right. Injustice had skated by too long in Ferguson and the first reaction to the outrage, was outrage!

My only points of contention were the following:

• Outsiders were allowed to come in, wreck your town and go back to their respective dwellings - away from the epicenter. My dad told me when I was just a boy, "Don't ever let someone come into your home and tear up your things." I get it, the residents don't own the businesses and property destroyed, but they utilize those services, so in a way, it was theirs.
• You have people there trying to make an honest living by owning bakeries, salons, and various shops. These aren't the people that shot, killed, and left an unarmed 18-year-old lying in the street. They didn't pull you over for bogus reasons, they didn't kick in your doors with bogus warrants. Those business owners should have been spared the wrath of the masses.

This isn't a reprimand, yet an acknowledgement that you, my friends, have been seen and heard. From coast-to-coast, to various locations across the globe. We see you, Ferguson - and you're not fighting this fight alone. God sees your tears, he's heard your complaint, and His justice is at hand.