We are Ferguson

The morning after.

We won't see me taking sides from that day on August 9th. I wasn't there and I could never possibly understand the scope and depth of all that happened in a very short period of time.

I am not a black man coming of age in America. I am not a first responder putting myself on the line day in and day out. But I have made bad choices. Choices that have gone against my own true self and morality. Choices that have gone against how I was raised.

So let us not cast a stone in the direction of parenting for either of the boys involved. There but for the Grace of God go I.

And it seems like that day is full of just that, bad choices. I cannot find a side to choose because no one has won here. Not a single person. Not any of the Browns, not officer Wilson, not Ferguson, not you,  not me. There shouldn't be any sides.

Without a greater understanding of our neighbors' frustration and without a willingness to love, respect, listen and bridge the gap, we are all losers.

I know social media has also shown me some very ugly sides to people I thought I respected, what a shame. And many people have done a disservice in how they have represented themselves, again a loss.

And nothing has changed. No answers have been given. I am not disappointed in the due process that Officer Wilson has received nor do I contest the outcome of the grand jury's decision. I am grateful it was not in my own hands to do so.

But I do feel for a mother's loss when all people want to say is that "he brought it on himself". He made mistakes but he was the child she cradled in her arms and kissed goodnight. And for those of you who believe that a poor mother or a mother of any other color of skin or ethnic background loves their child less than you love yours- shame on you. Therein lies the problem.

We are more than the color of our skin. We are more than our bank accounts, our zip codes, or any outside factor. We are the sum or all our parts and not just one single day of our lives. There is no hero and there is no villian and for those of you looking to simplify it with an us against them, you are perpetuating this and missing the point. WE ARE THEM AND THEY ARE US.

If I have to choose a side in light of the dawn of a new day, I would choose our children. I would choose creating a better, more capable environment for them. I would choose a society where all our children are better served, better educated, better heard, safer. 

There are enough external forces waiting to tear us apart, why are we doing the work for them?

Wishing everyone a safe, peaceful and loving Thanksgiving.