The Silver Lining.

Had the large young man on the video in the liquor store, who later confronted the officer on the street and scuffled with him for the gun, been Spanish-speaking or of European descent, there is no doubt in my mind he would be dead today too. Ditto an Asian. A big menacing Samoan, even.

It's not a black members-only thing, sadly.

And it has nothing to do with slavery, friends, but our current concepts of power and force, and law and order.  Don't look now, but plenty of black men benefit in playing this game too.

When you earn a journalism and law degree, and spend years working around the country at various papers and companies, you start to think more rationally and less emotionally.  A white Mike Brown under the same circumstances would likely be dead today too, brought down by Officer Wilson's bullets. 

Do you understand that even?

I'm not sure if that's much consolation to the family, but it kind of upends the media narrative and reparations advocates to think this is more about police powers and perceptions than racial discrimination.  Fomenting racial unrest might feel good (and help the careers of up-and-coming newsies who want to see their names in the stories too, other than bylined observers and accurate recorders) but that's taking your eyes off the ball...

Who benefits there? 
I hope this passes quickly, and the people in the streets go home and think hard about how real change in society is made.