This past Saturday marked the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march in Selma, Ala., a day when county officials authorized the savage beating of hundreds of black protesters. Since then, the voting rights of oppressed groups have improved — but by how much, exactly?
Ferguson, Mo., is the brightest-burning contemporary battle of ?American racial conflict.
While fights between the black and white were unfortunately commonplace throughout the 20th century, many Americans believe tensions of this nature have been eradicated.
This sense of finality is not only false, it undermines the work brave individuals are continuing to dedicate their lives to.
A recent investigation by the Justice Department unearthed communication between Ferguson police officers that could be described most tamely as disturbing, littered with exploitive racial language.
Attorney General Eric Holder stated a “highly toxic environment” existed between the Ferguson police and black residents long before Michael Brown was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson this past year.
It seems as though a sea of statistics has flooded the media coverage of ?Ferguson.
A couple of the most startling numbers highlight the disproportionate treatment of black residents by police officers: while 67 percent of the Ferguson population is black, they made up 93 percent of the people arrested in the past three years, according to the ?Justice Department Review.
During the 2013 voting period, only 6 percent of black Ferguson residents participated, compared to 17 percent of white residents, according to the Washington Post.
Personal accounts help give a face to these daunting statistics.
In the summer of 2012, a 32-year-old black man was cooling off in his car after a basketball game in a public park only to be approached by a suspicious officer.
Demanding the man show his Social Security card and identification, the officer quickly accused him of ?being a pedophile.
Held at gunpoint, the man refused, resulting in the officer arresting him on eight charges — all nitpicked. According to the Justice Department review, this man lost his job as a federal contractor as a result of these charges.
Many black Ferguson residents feel the local city is using them as its personal ATM, a source of easy ?revenue.
One woman has paid $550 on what was originally a $151 fine for two parking tickets, and more than seven years later, she still owes the city $541.
The Justice Department has also issued a 26-item statement of steps the city should take to address these racial disparities.
However, this statement is weakened by a lack of any legal ?enforcement.
Many Americans may feel Ferguson has garnered enough attention; however, the Editorial Board believes this is a major oversight. Ferguson is just one example of an incredibly broken system, and it is not difficult to believe similar cases exist throughout the country.
In this instance, complacency is equivalent to tolerance, and the horrible injustices present in Ferguson must never be allowed.
