It was not until seeing that unique ABC News interview with Ferguson, MO Police Officer Darren Wilson that I came to actually understand what had happened on that fateful August evening when he repeatedly shot at, and killed, unarmed Black teenager Michael Brown. You see, according to Officer Wilson himself -- the day after he was excused of any wrongdoing by a so-called Grand Jury in Ferguson -- he believed that he had been grabbed by "Hulk Hogan", the comic book hero of green skin and legendary superhuman strength. So, it is now clear, Officer Wilson thought he was shooting and killing a Green man, not a Black man -- which is apparently acceptable in Ferguson, MO.
What is not -- and can never be -- acceptable in any nation claiming to be civilized is the sad rationale given by Officer Wilson as to why he just had to use lethal force against an unarmed Black teenager. It seems that Brown's only misbehavior at the beginning of that fateful August 9 confrontation was walking in the street rather than on the sidewalk in Ferguson, MO. That would indeed not be a capital offense in most jurisdictions -- but then, most jurisdictions with majority Black populations no longer have overwhelmingly Caucasian police departments with arrogant officers so badly in need of both training and common sense. Nor do they have prosecutors so determined to rationalize such a tragic senseless killing. Nor would the officer's own story about a 90-second confrontation be believable, as it defies belief that what he claimed happened could occur in 90 seconds.
The moment when all of this became so clear to me -- and, hopefully, to most Americans of good will -- occurred during Officer Wilson's ABC News interview, as he explained very clearly what went through his mind during that brief confrontation with Michael Brown. According to the officer, he asked himself whether or not he could legally shoot and kill this unarmed Black teenager -- not whether that act would be essential to his safety, nor whether that act would be required in these particular circumstances, nor even whether the shooting would be justified -- rather would his killing of this unarmed man be legal. Essentially, what that meant to the officer was: "Can I get away with it?"
Yes, Officer Wilson also claimed that he "feared for his life" -- a claim which is used all too often in the United States to try to defend indefensible actions and justify the totally unjustifiable. Even if that allegation were true, there were many other options available to any well-trained police officer short of using lethal force and ending a young life. The conduct of the Ferguson prosecutor in this entire matter has been to totally ignore such issues -- but then, that prosecutor's improper failure to represent the public interest, and his lack of any semblance of balanced fairness, should have totally disqualified him from presenting the case to the Grand Jury. Now, it is high time that the U.S. Attorney General file Federal civil rights violations charges against Officer Wilson, the Ferguson police authorities, and that prosecutor over this shameful abuse. Justice delayed is, indeed, justice denied.
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