Rachel Patron: Ferguson, Missouri: The anatomy of a riot

Florida was lucky that Trayvon Martin’s killing in Sanford in February 2012 did not trigger a riot.  But if we consider the anatomy of a riot, we’ll know that it wasn’t simply dumb luck — but the absence of destructive forces.

First, the entire country, both black and white, grieved for Trayvon. Apart from some loony right-wing talkers, everyone acknowledged that Trayvon might have been their son — and President Obama said that he might have been his. Yes, there were protests and marches in Sanford, demands for justice and cries for change together with the accusation — probably true — that, had Trayvon not been a hooded black teenager, he wouldn’t have died. And yet, despite some provocative national outcries — Floridians refused to riot. We did not possess the combustible elements or destructive chemistry.

These, unfortunately, are present in Ferguson, Missouri — population 21,000. First:  18 year-old Michael Brown was not killed by a vigilante but by a policeman with six years on the force. Presumably the policeman had graduated from Police Academy, where they teach you how to assess the possibility of your life being in danger. Facing a young, unarmed man — even a tall and heavy one — does not qualify as imminent danger; just as the “perp” clutching some stolen cigars does qualify as a major heist. (My idea of the back story is that Michael Brown had been dared by his buddies to do something wicked before going off to college.)

The shooting’s aftermath is living history relentlessly played out on CNN and MSNBC for the past two weeks, to the exclusion of all else, such as:  A convoy of Russian trucks turned away by Ukrainian troops; 20,000 starving women and children  evacuated from a mountaintop in Iraq; Israelis and Hamas militants killing each other with intensified rage. … But all our networks care about is a few hundred rioting youth in Ferguson        — because violence next door is sexier that thousands of miles away. This blanket coverage gives the rioters a chance to spout off on TV — the ultimate aphrodisiac.  A few TV anchors remarked that “the whole world is watching Ferguson.”  Guys, you’re delusional!  Those in the world who watch believe that Americans are crazy.

Let’s crunch some numbers: Ferguson has about 7,000 white residents and 14,000 blacks; out of those, let’s say 3,000 staged a peaceful protest demanding the name of the policeman who had shot Michael. If I were a marcher, I would wonder if the police were concealing the name out of fear that black folks might lynch him. Weird, because black people are not known for lynching.

Tragically, for some young men from Ferguson — and other towns, I’m sure — marching peacefully was too uneventful, so they embarked on a looting rampage, incapable or unwilling to ask themselves: How does stealing a television set and burning down the store, qualify as “Justice for Michael”? And where was the police when this economic vandalism and destruction were taking place? Scared to be attacked by the mob is no excuse.

OK, you’ll say, everyone has failed. What else is new?

It may not be “new” but this country’s greatest failure is not providing jobs for this young demographic.  These young men should get up in the morning and go to work at jobs. Then they would never endanger by spending nights screaming and stealing. The Rev. Al Sharpton and others use the imprecise term “lack of OPPORTUNITY” to describe what’s wrong.  I disagree; what is lacking is not just opportunity, but SKILLS. In any job you must perform a service, for which the employer will pay you a decent wage. And to acquire such skills, you must force yourself to learn.

Nothing comes out of nothing, said King Lear — and if you know nothing, they’ll pay you nothing.

Rachel Patron is a former opinion columnist for the Sun-Sentinel. She resides in Boca Raton and is at work on a contemporary American novel. Column courtesy of Context Florida.