First and foremost, I continue to be impressed by the Brown family and their pleas for non-violent, peaceful demonstrations and for something positive to come from this tragedy.
Their disappointment is not surprising but their statement was a class act.
I listened, rather than watched, the prosecutor read the "no true bill" finding as he presented the entire description of the process. I have never heard him before but I was impressed with what I heard. He sounded very straightforward and rational and it was clear that he genuinely felt for the loss that the Brown family experienced.
Kudos to both the prosecutor and the Brown family for emphasizing that people should make their voices heard in order to change the conditions in North St. Louis County so that this never happens again.
I don't know what will happen tonight and in the coming days. I sincerely hope there is no violence or that it is minimal or short-lived. But in the months to come the people of St. Louis must come together to resolve the obvious issues that exist in this community. Schools must be improved and the Justice system needs to be reformed. We need intact families and economic opportunities.
As I pointed out in my last post there are problems with white kids in the suburbs as well. I spoke to an old friend the other day who informed me that Rolla, which used to have a beer problem, now has a heroin problem.
In many ways we are all in this together. Black and white, city and county, rich and poor, we are all affected by these changes in our society.
Let's hope that tonight brings no irreparable damage. And then maybe by the time we give Thanks and eat turkey we can begin plans to turn things around.
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