The Congressional Black Caucus Weighs In On the Ferguson Decision

What America needs to understand about Ferguson is that the protests that erupted in the wake of the grand jury decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown, is that it’s not about Michael Brown. The tensions have been boiling over for years and years. The George Zimmerman verdict in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin has in retrospect, touched off over a year of injustice in the eyes of the black community at large.

On Monday, December 1st 2014, the Congressional Black Caucus touched on this issue.

America has a whole has been in debate about whether or not Race is a real issue in our nation, or if there are just a few Race baiters and Agitators who are stirring the pot. Social Media hashtags like #Ferguson and #FergusonDecision – are filled with evidence that we clearly have a race problem in America. Watch the full session from this special session, focusing on “Race in America after Ferguson” – with several speakers from the CBC; including Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Charlie Rangle, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and several more – here are some ‘clips’ below.

“Hands Up, don’t Shoot, is the rallying cry of people all across America, who are fed up with the injustice involved in continuing to see unarmed African American men killed, as the result of a gun fired, by a law enforcement officer” – Rep. Hakeem Jeffries – more ‘highlights’ from this special session.

More from The Congressional Black Caucus On Ferguson: Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus said “Officers Kill Our Black and Brown Men and Boys Without Repercussions” – (*Update November 4, 2017, this video “Enough is Enough” & the above “hands up don’t shoot” with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, was pulled from our original post; and was replaced; )

More from The Congressional Black Caucus On Ferguson: Full comments from a Former Prosecutor, Congressman Gregory Meeks.

“Black in America. What Ferguson says about where we are, and where we need to go.”

Congresswoman Robin Kelly, on the floor of the House, addressing this issue as well. “We too mourn Michael Brown, and what it represents… after yet another black man is killed by the Police. Members of my family have and do serve in Law Enforcment … and I have had positive experiences with that community. On the whole I think those who put their lives on the line for our communities are good, but that does not negate the fact …. that we have too many police officers who fear the black community… No community should live in fear of the ones who are meant to protect them.”

Rep. Joyce Beatty speaks on the death of Michael Brown, and ‘what his loss represents’ (which again is the bigger picture here)

“He was supposed to start Technical College, planning to become a heating and cooling engineer one day…. Michael Brown fell victim to a Criminal Justice System which fails so many black males…. We are scholars, We are lawmakers, We are our brothers keepers. Should we get more people registered to vote? Yes but it’s going to take more than that. We must work with the President to get the requested $236 Million to equip police with body cameras.”

More from The Congressional Black Caucus On Ferguson: Former Police officer, Congressman Andre Carson shares his thoughts on the floor – “No parent should have to go through such an Ordeal… I can relate to the frustration being felt on the streets of Ferguson and the streets across America right now. The History of this Great nation past and present is plagued with incidents of bigotry and discrimination in our Justice system. Racial injustice continues to impact our communities and with each incident like this one, Old wounds are re-opened… Many in our community feel abandoned by our Justice system.”

Congresswoman Eleanor Norton Holmes talking about The Big Picture “Demonstrations have been going on even though we are days away from when, the indictment did not come down. Why have demonstrations broken out all across America? There is a message here that comes from the demonstrations and from the words of the Parents of Michael Brown. His father pleaded that his son, not have died in vain. The people in the streets are there, to see that Mike Brown has not died in vain. That once again, probable cause has once again become, Colorblind. This shows that this tension has been simmering beneath the surface…”

We are All Mike Brown!

Just as was the case when the Civil Rights Movement was all the rage … this is not just about black people; This is about all people. Injustice anywhere is Injustice Everywhere. All of us are in the same boat and more than just the Black Caucus needs to get upset about this issue. We are seeing all across America that several people are bothered by this and several related decisions. No indictment in the case of John Crawford…. unarmed, shot and killed in Walmart. No ruling yet on the choking death of Eric Garner. Several cases that just keep happening over and over, with no sign of justice to be found … as of yet. Are we a post-racial society? Clearly we are not – there is much work to do!