Of all the things protesters in Ferguson, MO are called, the one thing they’re not called is “Patriot”. It’s time to change that.
by Shimbo
Patriot [pey-tree-uh t, -ot or, esp. British, pa-tree-uh t]
noun
1. a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion.
2. a person who regards himself or herself as a defender, especially of individual rights, against presumed interference by government.
For too long now, the word “patriot” was synonymous with the image of disaffected hillbillies who thought America should exist as it did when the Constitution was first written, at least as it pertained to all things they didn’t like.
It’s a word co-opted by people who don’t think they should pay their taxes because the Federal Government is off doing tyrannical things such as providing affordable healthcare or working to limit gun crime, you know, all the liberal things that are destroying our country. To combat this, these “patriots” venture out into their neighborhoods, going out of their way to exert their freedoms by openly carrying firearms in grocery stores, calling the President of the United States a “socialist” and a “Nazi”, all in the name of defending their beloved country.
All the while, American neighborhoods, areas that are so often ignored or derided by these “patriots” are burning. Regardless of what you think about Michael Brown, he is a latter-day Crispus Attucks. Regardless of who he is or what he did prior to his death, he’s the flashpoint for everything that followed.
In the nine days since Brown’s death at the hands of Officer Darren Wilson, the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, MO has been the site of protests almost non-stop. During that time, the scene there notably resembled things you’d see in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Gaza Strip. It would be hard to describe to anyone a month ago that something like this could happen in America, unless you were part of an ever-increasing militarized police force.
For some, it’s easy to say that the onus of the problem falls on the protesters, particularly those who use the protests as a free opportunity to loot and to riot. Of course, only part of that narrative is being told, as reports are now getting out that many protesters are instrumental in fending off looters. However, as journalists are detained and citizens are gassed, even before the state-mandated curfew, it’s time to take a serious look at who are the true patriots.
Going forward, and certainly this is a personal choice, but I’m no longer going to refer to the people in Ferguson as protesters. In my mind, and hopefully in many of those who read this, they are patriots. They have drawn a line in the sand, and they are standing up for what they believe. What’s important to note, for those who wish to lay blame to exonerate law enforcement completely, is that Crispus Attucks was no man of import. He wasn’t a lawmaker or some other VIP, nor was his death the sole catalyst for the uprising that would give way to what would become our war of independence from the British. The same can be said for Michael Brown.
While people are outraged at the death of Brown at the hand of law enforcement, this was just one of many tipping points. For the people of Ferguson, as in many towns with a similar racial make-up, this was exposing a raw nerve, one so painful that it had to be dealt with at all costs. In case you didn’t know, one of the large disconnects in the St. Louis suburb is the fact that for a town so heavily populated by black men and women, the legislative and authoritarian power firmly rests in the hands of the white minority.
As blacks in the town face disproportionate levels of policing by mostly white cops, this has, in turn, caused tensions to grow to a full boil. In the August 17th edition of the New York Times, writer Jeff Smith detailed just how bad it’s gotten:
“With primarily white police forces that rely disproportionately on traffic citation revenue, blacks are pulled over, cited and arrested in numbers far exceeding their population share, according to a recent report from Missouri’s attorney general. In Ferguson last year, 86 percent of stops, 92 percent of searches and 93 percent of arrests were of black people — despite the fact that police officers were far less likely to find contraband on black drivers (22 percent versus 34 percent of whites). This worsens inequality, as struggling blacks do more to fund local government than relatively affluent whites.”
Now we can go back and forth about how power is distributed or whether or not blacks in the area ceded the power long ago, the fact of the matter is that right now, today, these affected men and women have had enough. For those who want to demonize these people as rioters and looters, it’s easy to understand why some of them come to that disappointing conclusion. The truth is, crime is high in black communities, except, in Ferguson, it isn’t. In fact, based on 2012 statistics, Ferguson’s violent crime rate is right in line with the national average, and has been on a sharp decrease since 2008.
For whatever the reason, these people are fed up with the status quo. Seeing Michael Brown lie dead in the street was a spark for many, and the militarized police response to protests served as the powder keg ready to blow. Whatever you feel about Brown, he died an unarmed man. Questions will always exist as to whether he had to die the way he died. All we can do now as a reasonable people is support the patriots of Ferguson, because they are standing their ground not just for themselves and their homes, but for their consideration as people. Not just people of color, but as human beings.
If there’s any question as to whether or not those who protest in Ferguson are indeed patriots, all you need to look towards are the battered and the bruised. The eyes bloodshot and crusted over from exposure to tear gas. The people unwilling to bend or break because this is their time to stand their ground in their community…their home.
Hashim R. Hathaway (Uncle Shimbo) is the host of the Never Daunted Radio Network, and proud father to NeverDaunted.Net. You can reach him on Twitter @NeverDauntedNet