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The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
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Baseless accusations perpetuate protests in Ferguson

Maybe it’s the turkey talking, but what if I were to say that President Obama was elected simply because he was black? After all, he has a funny name and may or may not have even been born in this country — and even worse, he wasn’t independently wealthy. As a one-term senator, the man had no business beating someone like John McCain or Mitt Romney with all their extensive political experience. Therefore, he must have won because he was black.

I’m pretty sure that if I actually believed President Obama was elected because of his race, I would be accused of jumping to conclusions and race baiting; which is exactly what has occurred in Ferguson, Mo. in the wake of the Michael Brown shooting.

Since Brown was shot and killed back in August by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who happens to be white, the media and many people around the country immediately jumped to the conclusion that Brown was shot because he happened to be black. Almost immediately there were protests condemning Wilson’s actions as racially motivated, even though there was not one shred of evidence to suggest this was the case. Yet instead of the focus being on whether or not Wilson acted legally, the majority of the focus was on race.

Thankfully, just before we all settled down for a delicious Thanksgiving meal, a grand jury finally reached a decision on the Brown shooting and whether or not Wilson acted within his legal rights as a police officer. To the disappointment of protesters around the country, the grand jury found Wilson to have acted legally in his decision to shoot and kill Brown. The facts released by the grand jury showed that Wilson had reason to believe that Brown, who was walking down the middle of the street with a friend, matched the description of the suspect who had earlier stolen cigarillos from a convenience store.

The grand jury reported that, upon confronting Brown and commanding him to get out of the street, Brown did not comply and instead acted aggressively towards Wilson, setting off a chain of events that led to Wilson using lethal force. While there are still a few circumstantial facts that remain unknown, the grand jury found Wilson to be innocent, and, most importantly, there was no finding that his actions were racially motivated. This lines up with Wilson’s record as a police officer, which shows no previous evidence of racism or other inappropriate behavior. The picture painted of Brown during the trial is of a man who bullied a convenience store clerk and stole cigars and later refused to comply when asked to get out of the street while acting aggressively.

Yet, despite the evidence that shows Brown’s actions that night were criminal and the complete lack of proof that Wilson had a racial bias, people continue to protest these findings. After the verdict in Ferguson, protesters stormed the city, burning cars and looting businesses. The media and the public continue to make this about race even though their claim is as thin as my claim that President Obama was elected just because he is black. I don’t need a grand jury to refute my ridiculous claim because there are simply no facts to suggest that Obama was elected solely because of his race — if anything, it was in spite of his race. It’s probably best if I drop my baseless accusations, and those who continue to inject race into the Brown shooting should too — but then again, maybe that’s just the turkey talking.

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