Have to agree with you about the police force being proportionate to the black population. It's up to the city leaders to bring this change about, otherwise Ferguson looks like apartheid in South Africa.

Another change for the police department should be that police officers be required to live in the community in which they work and the community that pays their salary. This is common practice in municipalities across the county.

Rev Sharpton's screaming and rallying people is what some in the African American community call preaching. Anyone who has ever attended a black church will understand.

I've seen and understand black church preaching ... it's inspirational actually. However, I also recognize demagoguery in action. They are not the same by any stretch.

As Sunny said in a recent post, too bad Sharpton doesn't spend his energy on actually doing something to help the young black kids. I'm still amazed he does not get called out more often for it ... he is an exploiter in the truest sense. Very sad.

It is an obvious conversation, the one about the disproportionate amount of whites on the Ferguson police force.

There are answers being given...albeit not all of them. Problem is nobody is listening very much....they want to hear what they want to hear. What I am offering is certainly not the solution nor all the answers, but it is a conversation for those folks in that area and at least not simply drumming on the obvious.

From an ex mayor of Ferguson on PBS....

"I will tell you my vision of why there is a difficulty of having very few African-Americans on most of the Saint Louis suburbs. One is there’s a lack of African-American men and women going through the police academy. We constantly tried — when I was mayor, for six years, we constantly tried to hire African-Americans. When we did so, they were recruited from other surrounding municipalities because they had the same exact issue of seeking more African-American police officers. And they are unfortunately allowed to pay more money than we have the budget for.

It’s not for lack of trying. It’s just there is enough — not enough candidates available within the African-American community to hire them. I would like the list provided to us, if someone has a list — and certainly we have been trying to do that. Unfortunately, they’re taken from us by other larger communities, even though Ferguson is not small, we are approximately 22,000, and we are the fifth or sixth largest municipality in those 90 that Tony mentioned."



There is also conversations, not excuses, not shrieking but good solid conversation starters on most of the issues raised. I suggest if you really care about this issue that you read it.

Why doesn't Ferguson's police force reflect the community?

There are other answers out there, but while I agree on conversation on this subject, I totally and completely disagree with comments on Mr Sharpton. He is a man who has lied and deceived for a long time. He has dismissed with a total lack of action the pushes by real civil rights leaders who feel the effort WITHIN the community of blacks is falling short. THAT push will not get headlines.

If you wish a list of links, or whatever to support Mr Sharpton and his various and many deceptions, just let me know...I will be glad to supply them to you on here but that everyone is aware of and that conversation is a waste. Those who know him and still follow him...well....best thing is no comment.

Just agreeing. I have been to many many black church services and Mr Sharpton's verbage sans actions except when he gets on tv is NOT REPRESENTATIVE of my experience.

Most pastors who speak passion at these services are doing and not blaming.

I suggest we take all the lawbreakers to the back of the courthouse and shoot them.

I suggest we just use the legal system
and remain inside the courthouse both
literally and figuratively

Bullets are cheaper

Ummm. You have a cousin Vinny? Maybe YOUR pizza is best. Whatever you say....lol.

It's up to the city leaders? Why would city leaders (elected office holders) or ANY employer hire somebody who has not taken the initiative to fill out an application?

Why would city officials hire somebody who has dropped out of high school?

Why would city employers hire somebody who quit an associate degree program the person was enrolled in for purposes of applying for a police job?

If the person him/herself does not apply for the police job, they're not interested in the job! And if they're not interested in the job, they're not going to be good and effective at the job!

It's up to parents, church leaders (like Sharpton) and school faculty and administrators to teach their children to look forward to a future that includes a a paycheck earned by working for it and by earning the the education and credentials to qualify for it.

And don't tell me about "screaming" at black church services. I've enjoyed many of them because of the lively feedback from engaged people in the pews. The reason they are engaged is because the Word of God is being taught with meaning and application and a memorable take-home message the person can refer back to in real life all week/month/year long. God's Word is effective wherever it is read and proclaimed.

Effective pastors do not blame all the black community's problems on their caucasian brothers and sisters! They teach people to be a disciple of Christ, and the root word "disciple" is IN the word "discipline". Self-discipline, with God's help.

Who has not taken the initiative to fill out an application? Who has dropped out of high school? Who has quit an associate degree program enrolled for the purposes of applying for a police job? It's can't be the victim, Michael Brown, because he was a recent high school graduate and headed to college.

Please post a link to the statistics on all this new information.

And where does robbing a convenience store come into his master plan?

Unfortunately we'll never know the answer to that question, will we?

Because everyone in the gov. has turned into a bunch of bleeding hearts and want to cuddle those that take advantaged of those that are down.
I also remember the order in the Florida Keys after a hurricane, "looters will be shot". Guess what? NO LOOTERS. There is nothing more dispicable than someone taking advantaged of people that are down except those that want to protect those looters.

Eventually the demonstrations, and the protests, and the rioting, and the looting, and the endless discussions will all die down. Things will get back toward normalcy in Ferguson, Mo.
And then, I predict, the citizenry will start complaining that there aren't enough stores serving their community, and that those stores that are there charge higher prices than similar stores in mostly "white" communities. And the Rangles and Sharptons and Jacksons will say this is just another example of how black people are being treated unfairly in this country.
Wanna bet?

:BigApplause:

The corporate parent of the looted and burned Quik-E-Mart has already stated they WILL NOT rebuild.