How do we heal after the Ferguson grand jury decision?

Someday the only race that will be considered is Human. Then, perhaps, some form of peace will be achievable. Until then...

One thing we can do is stop using the media’s inappropriate terms like “the grand jury's decision to not prosecute the police officer” the Grand Jury had no such decision to make and when it is stated in those words it implies impropriety. A prosecutor can decide not to prosecute a case, but the Grand Jury can only find whether or not there is enough evidence to find probable cause that a crime has been committed. If probable cause is found the Grand Jury returns a “True Bill” if not they return “No True Bill”. In this case the Grand Jury was given instructions on several different types of homicide crimes. They then had to decide if the evidence presented to them equaled probable cause in any of the crimes. So the Grand Jury found the evidence presented to them did not meet the probable cause standard, they did not decide not to prosecute. Falling for the biased media terminology is a cause for miscommunication and division among us.

The only healing that now needs to be done is for CID to collect and review the tons of video documenting looting, destruction of property, assault, arson, and innumerable other violations of the law. Then sit down with the prosecutors office and Sheriff and bring charges and bring to trial all of the dirt bags that they possibly can. This will go a long way toward cleaning some of the trash out of that community and making it a better one for all involved. I refuse to comment on the many other "ideas" presented as they are just fueling public stupidity.

In lieu of the decision and race baiting the media plays into, I'm not sure we can heal. Until the next big issue comes to the forefront. Over 70 major cities protested. Not sure why, when there was compelling evidence that a line was crossed. We cannot pacify wrong behavior, likewise we cannot condone wrongful use of deadly force. Where did this go wrong? I'm not sure it went wrong anywhere, because I wasn't there and didn't witness the interaction between Brown and Wilson. I am forever disappointed that we let it go on for so long. 60 days tops...this should of been wrapped up tight. Understand there needs to be autopsies and pathology reports, but two of them? This case raised so much awareness regarding the racial tension. We have across the nation. I most of time feel the only time the race card gets pulled is on white people. Mexicans can't be racists? Blacks can't be racists? Asians can't be racists? It boggles my mind all the black on white crimes there are, but the only ones that makes the news are the white on black. Our country is afraid to stand up to the two sided bigotry that exists in today's society. A hate crime is a hate crime no mater what color your are...Ie, Mexicans killing a gay Mexican. We need to police our own, if we rely on the police to fix everything, there will only be more killing.

Personally, I'm disgusted. Not over the Grand Jury decision, I fully agree with the decision. I've been disgusted with the behavior of the rioters and looters since August. What sense does it make to burn down your own town because you don't agree with the grand jury decision? Martin Luther King Jr made so much progress in the 60's on the premise of nonviolent protest. Sit ins and marches paved the way for civil rights and burning businesses, homes, and cars and looting businesses does no good.

I try and empathize if you don't agree with the decision of Officer Wilson or the Grand Jury. Not agree, but try and see your side. But protest responsibly, not riot and loot irresponsibly.

We need to get to the root of the problem which started with this male adult who thought it was okay to commit strong armed robbery and then fight with a police officer. It starts with the upbringing. It starts when they are young. Parents need not teach their children to be afraid of cops but that cops are there to help. 98% of cops aren't out on the streets looking to arrest young black men on the premise that they are young black men. You should rear your child to respect themselves and others around them. The current culture doesn't not do this. Look at the popular music of today and its glorification of drugs, abuse of women, fighting, gang activities, shootings, and racism against other races (yes, racism goes both ways). That needs to change.

Teach children to dress properly. Who really thinks it is okay to walk around with your pants around your knees? You will never get a career level job like that! College should be encouraged even if you have to take out student loans. The military is a great option as well as we all know. But the military needs to do a better job of teaching discipline as well.

You should have pride in yourself and your community. If you don't like your situation, change it! Pick yourself up by your bootstraps and do something about it! Learn the value of hard work. Is it fun, no but will it be rewarding, yes. Don't let yourself or your children be a victim of circumstance. Many millionaires today started out with nothing. I know a gentleman whom 5 years ago didn't have 10 dollars to his name. Now in the past year he has been able to spend almost a million dollars just on vehicles (3 trucks, 2 Challengers, a Viper and a Maserati) and he did this with hard work! He could have looked at his life and said, well my parents were poor and didn't have anything so I won't have anything. No body in my neighborhood has money so I won't have money. The kids down the street don't have good jobs and are in gangs so that's what I'll do. No, he changed his situation through hard work.

Also we need to end the glorification of the welfare state. There are too many people out there that think that the government owes them something. Too many people who think that welfare is a career decision. Welfare and unemployment were designed to assist you in a time of need and for a short period.

Bottom line, healing comes from change. Change the mentality overall. And it comes from all sides.

Your question seems like you don't agree with the jury decision. Cops have killed more civilians than insurgents have killed troops since the beginning of the war in Iraq. The only "healing" that I see that needs to happen is the butt hurt people that did not get their Kangaroo Court need some salve on their 4th point of contact. This situation was tragic, no doubt. There are no "winners" here. The reason it blew up is because the rabble rousers (Jackson, Sharpton, and the liberal media) made it into the situation it became. It sucks that this kid is dead before he ever really experienced life. It sucks that Officer Wilson had to take the life of a teenager. It sucks that we have such racist people that stirred this into something that it was not. The Grand Jury was privy to ALL the evidence. They heard from ALL the experts. They were given the full interpretation of the applicable laws. In the end, after hearing all the witnesses, seeing all the evidence, and being informed of what the law says- they chose not to indict Officer Wilson. The system worked the way it was supposed to work. Hell, it actually worked better- most officers involved with the shooting death of a civilian are not put through this- they get the department "internal investigation" (cops investigating cops...gee, like lawyers investigating lawyers....wonder how that normally turns out?). These investigations nearly always comeback with "no wrong doing on the part of the officer". The "healing" that needs to happen is from self inflicted wounds. Why did Michael Brown get such special treatment? THAT needs to be looked at and fixed. All the looting and burning in Ferguson right now is just because these people are showing that they didn't really care about Michael Brown- they just did it because it is the type of people that they are. (to be fair, from everything I have read, most of the looters and people burning buildings and cars are NOT from Ferguson).

It is hard for a country to heal and move forward when you have an administration that has done nothing to calm the country down. Instead they have they have done more to divide this country. Until we remove this administration, put God back in our schools and country, and sticking to our constitutional law, we will NEVER reverse the damage that has been done. WE can though, I really believe we can, however, we have to get the leaches off the hind tit and that is everyone, white, black, asian, Hispanic.... it does not matter, if they can work, they should work.... when you are working, when you are succeeding, when you have accomplished something, it makes you feel worthy.... sorry, I digress.... God, Help us save this country from self-destruction....

I am heavily conflicted with the grand jury's ruling. I'm at a point of no trust from any party involved with this case. I can't trust the justice system, can't trust the media, can't trust the public, and this is all for legitimate reasons. The racial tensions are reaching all time highs and our society prefers to ignore these issues. The image that we are giving other countries and even enemies is detrimental to our success as a world power as well. Witnessing the level of citizens whom are enraged by ferguson and the constant deaths by the hands of our police officers can be overwhelming. This can lead to bigger issues in the near future and it is like a boiling point type of issue. In regards to what we as citizens see daily on all forms of media, it's like the tip of the iceberg with what is being showed to us. We as people need to make legitimate observations and maintain a sense of neutrality without letting emotions control us. The ferguson issue is a result of what's been festering and growing at an uncontrollable rate and we all as citizens have a responsibility to seek resolve. That resolve is contingent upon maintaining peace and upholding a standard of unison. There is no immediate solution to the aforementioned issues, rather small steps toward progression. I can safely say we need to target economic and equality issues along with meticulous observations of crime. Poverty is a huge factor to our problems but they are many more. Another day for that discussion I suppose.

The situation in Ferguson is tragic. I have a lot of family and friends in the area, From what I have heard directly from the streets, the majority of the protests are peaceful. However that's not what we are seeing in the news. SPC(P) Jay Heenan said it best, "...healing does not sell newspapers and commercial spots." Which is a HUGE reason why I don't really watch the news and rather get my information from the source. The sad part is that social media is just as bad about broadcasting the riots, too. So, no one is without blame to the negative depiction.

How do we heal??
WE ALL need to communicate with each other. Try to put yourself in the other person's shoes and understand their point of view. The one thing I tried to never do while I was enlisted was bring my race into work. We talked about cultural differences and tried to gain an understanding of each other's background. Both of my parents served in the Army. My father is a retired 1SG and my mother was honorably discharged after 6 years of service. Both were born in Alabama and Mississippi. Racial discrimination has been embedded in my memory since I was a kid. However, I do not use it to validate my actions or others' perception of me.

I had a huge discussion with 2 friends that I served with (both white). One was discharged last summer & the other is still on active duty. They wondered why I felt the way that I did and I told them about my personal experiences about being profiled. My motivation for protesting is slightly different than most people. Some people want Darren Wilson's head on a platter. I want accountability for our law enforcement officials and have the judicial system work the way it's supposed to. I do not think that was done here; that's just my opinion though.

I am currently attending the FBI National Academy with a ton of Law Enforcement Executives. We have discussed this topic in length.

A few items I will throw out there.

1. Foremost we live in a nation of laws that citizens are expected to follow.
2. Community relations with Law Enforcement must be strengthened
3. Leaders from the national level to the local level must be involved
4. ALL criminals need to be held accountable
5. The public should be educated as to the role of Law Enforcement and how they can legally respond to different types of incidents. (this ties into #2)

Since the initial incident in Ferguson, over 41 police officers have been killed in the line of duty across this great nation.