No purpose: Ferguson unrest not a step toward a real solution

There seems to be a disconnect among some of those who are gathering in the town of Ferguson, Mo., to mark the anniversary of the death of Michael Brown.

They say they are there to protest the number of black youths killed by police and to stop what they see as targeting of black youths by law enforcement.

They are invoking the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and comparing themselves to Civil Rights pioneers like Rosa Parks.

And they are doing so as they throw rocks and bottles at police and create general mayhem.

The truth is they are not there really to protest. They are there to cause a disturbance -- the type of disturbance that the last time a city allowed it to get out of hand ended in violence and looting, ironically in minority-owned stores.

And that is exactly the opposite of what those who truly did battle for Civil Rights in this country called for all those years ago.

There are some people who want a discussion of this issue. They want to talk about all of it -- black youths' arrest rates, police relations with the minority community and how to make it better.

They want to talk about violence, drugs and guns as well as crime statistics and the threats the officers face -- as well as the danger that those who live in the country's toughest neighborhoods must deal with every day.

But, unfortunately, they are not the ones filling the streets.

Those who gather there do not really know the facts of the Michael Brown case. They repeat what they have heard -- and condemn the official actions as just more coverup.

But then again, for some of them, it was not really about Michael Brown anyway.

There was a need for a designation of a state of emergency in Ferguson last night. There was real danger of a gathering that had the potential of getting out of control.

But if we want a real solution, a new vision -- someone has to stop the "outliers," those who are there just to break the law.

It really has to be about justice.

That goal has to be pursued through dialogue and a commitment from both groups to do what is right and to understand all aspects of the issues these communities and police face.

And that cannot be accomplished with rocks.

Published in Editorials on August 11, 2015 10:59 AM