Rage in Ferguson: Is racism in America inevitablydrawing to a close?
Time and Demographics will Prevent Future Fergusons (La Presse, Canada)
"In the
United States, historical context exacerbates the situation. The population
continues to struggle with a legacy of racial division, slavery and segregation.
… The demonstrations we are seeing will eventually run out of steam. The gulf that
exists in the United States promises to eventually fade, particularly since,
within decades, the number of visible minorities will supplant those of the White
population."
The tensions that erupted after the death of Michael Brown,
a young Black man shot down by a White policeman, have again highlighted a
defect in the American empire: blatant racism, combined with a poverty that afflicts
the Afro-American population in particular.
The town of Ferguson, Missouri, has been at the center of
the news for more than a week. The intervention of militarized police there is
not unusual. One is convinced simply by looking at the widely circulated photo
of a policeman dressed in camouflage, perched atop an armored vehicle, aiming
his gun at peaceful demonstrators. However, militarization doesn't explain
everything.
Ferguson police: A turning point in the post-911 weaponization?
The events in Ferguson are reminiscent of those that
occurred in Florida two years ago, when a volunteer patroller George Zimmerman
shot and killed a young Afro-American, Trayvon
Martin. His acquittal raised the ire of the population.
Closer to home, it is also a reminder of the riots that
shook North Montreal after the death of Fredy Villanueva, killed by an officer of the City of Montreal Police [SPVM] in 2008.
The conclusion of Martin Courcy, a
psychologist appointed by the SPVM to shed light on
the events, was unequivocal. "Racism and systematic harassment by the
Montreal police toward minority youth is at the root of social tensions that
culminated in a riot," reported Le
Devoir.
In the United States, historical context exacerbates the
situation. The population continues to struggle with a legacy of racial
division, slavery and segregation, as President Barack Obama has said.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Although segregation was abolished almost 50 years ago,
prejudice and discrimination still exist. Added to this, for many Blacks, there
is the frustration of being poor in a wealthy society.
The Afro-American population earns less, is more affected by
unemployment, and is less educated than the average American. Blacks are also
over-represented in the prisons.
At Ferguson, although Afro-Americans account for two thirds
of the population, power is in the hands of Whites: only one in the six city councilors
is Afro-American. On the police force, there are only 3 Black out of a total of
53 city officers. In their editions yesterday, The Washington Post and The
New York Times reported the comments of several citizens who said they had
been harassed by the police.
The demonstrations we are seeing will eventually run out of steam.
The gulf that exists in the United States promises to eventually fade, particularly
since, within decades, the number of visible minorities will supplant those of
the White population.
However, the immediate situation calls for a more widespread
awareness, particularly on the part of police, because other tragic incidents
will inevitably occur elsewhere.
