feature: “in defense of black rage” – re: ferguson – via salon

“In defense of black rage: Michael Brown, police and the American dream”. This is the title of a piece by Brittney Cooper published by Salon. 
Excerpts: “I don’t support the looting in Ferguson, Missouri. But I’m also tired of “turning the other cheek” and forgiving”. (…) “On Saturday a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager on his way to college this week. Brown was shot multiple times, though his hands were in the air. His uncovered body was left in the street for hours, as a crowd from his neighborhood gathered to stand vigil.” (…) “The people of Ferguson are angry. Outraged. The officer’s story is dubious.” (…)
“It seems far easier to focus on the few looters who have reacted unproductively to this tragedy than to focus on the killing of Michael Brown. Perhaps looting seems like a thing we can control. I refuse. I refuse to condemn the folks engaged in these acts, because I respect black rage. I respect black people’s right to cry out, shout and be mad as hell that another one of our kids is dead at the hands of the police.” (…) “I believe that racism exists in the inexplicable sense of fear, unsafety and gnawing anxiety that white people, be they officers with guns or just general folks moving about their lives, have when they encounter black people. I believe racism exists in that sense of mistrust, the extra precautions white people take when they encounter black people.” (…) “The irony is that black people understand this heightened anxiety. We feel it, too. We study white people. We are taught this as a tool of survival. We know when there is unrest in the souls of white folks. We know that unrest, if not assuaged quickly, will lead to black death. Our suspicions, unlike those of white people, are proven right time and time again.”
Full article here.
Thoughts?

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