Urban Crises6260728

Michael Brown’s death on Saturday, August 9, 2014 has sparked local, national, and even international outrage from all corners of the globe. Twenty-three newspapers from all over the world over are chronicling the ongoing unrest in Ferguson, Missouri with an almost exasperated sense of “again?” in their voice. For Americans, and for the rest of the world, the picture being painted is very clear: how can we continue to perpetuate the image of true democracy and freedom when all that is prevalent within the communities of our country is racism-fueled violence? How can we tell the world how to treat their citizens, specifically their black citizens, when we still do not know how to treat our own?

These incidents with excessive force of the police on African Americans is nothing new and date all the way back to times of slavery in Colonial America. Back then, African Americans were seen as second class citizens, even as animals, to be treated as prizes and toys for the discretion of white slave owners. If a slave so much as looked out of line, they were dismembered, publicly abused, and even killed for the sheer value of entertainment. As of late, these sentiments are becoming far more real with the murders of unarmed Eric Garner and unarmed teen Michael Brown.

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