If it is driving up and down Manchester Road or into the city, exploring The Loop, or spending my Sundays in Clayton; Saint Louis will always be a place that I consider home away from home. Nothing will ever change that. Of the times I have come back to visit, I return to familiar territory and to a city that holds a very large part of me.
A few nights ago, I was on Facebook when I saw that one of my friends posted a warning to stay away from Chesterfield Mall. Seeing that I use to live in Chesterfield, and about a seven minute drive from Chesterfield Mall, I was apprehensive by the warning but did not think much of it.
The following day, a different friend posted a very similar warning yet this time the warning was to stay away from St. Charles county and Mid Rivers mall.
Though I do get on Twitter on a regular basis, 95% of the time- I usually scroll right to the top and unless they happen to be the first few tweets on the page, I typically won’t read what is on my timeline. However, yesterday- one of the first few tweets that was on my timeline said ‘#prayforSTL’.
A bit curious as to if the previous warnings I saw on Facebook were relevant to the hash-tag #prayforSTL, I decided to go read the news. To my dismay, the warnings and the hash-tag had a direct correlation.
A few nights ago, I was on Facebook when I saw that one of my friends posted a warning to stay away from Chesterfield Mall. Seeing that I use to live in Chesterfield, and about a seven minute drive from Chesterfield Mall, I was apprehensive by the warning but did not think much of it.
The following day, a different friend posted a very similar warning yet this time the warning was to stay away from St. Charles county and Mid Rivers mall.
Though I do get on Twitter on a regular basis, 95% of the time- I usually scroll right to the top and unless they happen to be the first few tweets on the page, I typically won’t read what is on my timeline. However, yesterday- one of the first few tweets that was on my timeline said ‘#prayforSTL’.
A bit curious as to if the previous warnings I saw on Facebook were relevant to the hash-tag #prayforSTL, I decided to go read the news. To my dismay, the warnings and the hash-tag had a direct correlation.
To the protesters in St. Louis,
I am not here to write about the killing of Michael Brown, nor will I write on whether I side with the police or those protesting against them. There are already plenty of opinionated articles about who is right and who is wrong; this will not be one of them.
My heart and prayers go out to the parents of Michael Brown and the love ones he left behind. Death is one of the most agonizing things to cope with and no parent should ever have to bury their child. However, grief and mourning is not- and should never- be an excuse for violent.
It leaves one lost for words when reading multiple headlines with titles such as ‘St. Louis descends into war-zone’ or ‘Ferguson, Missouri has turned into a war-zone’, and to see pictures of the riots that happened during the past few days.
I ask you this, what is being accomplished by this violence? Protesters exclaim that they are fighting for justice; yet what justice is being done by looting, burning down buildings, and these riots? What justice is being gain by causing your fellow citizens concern for their safety? You say you seek justice and to put an end to discrimination. That within itself is something that you have every right to stand for but violence is not the answer.
St. Louis is known for its crime. The actions you are partaking continue to add to an ongoing problem. If you seek to put an end to discrimination, do so in a manner that will diminish the problem at hand. You say you want an end to discrimination and you want equal treatment from the police, yet the police are currently fighting against you due the danger you are creating.
Your use of violence is simply the easy way out. Anyone can burn down buildings, loot a store, and start a riot. It does not take much skill. Give anyone lighter fluid and they can set a building up into flames. Gather an angry mob and together you can form a riot. Your use of violence is not being respected by anyone and quite frankly, it is not going to earn you justice.
If you want justice, you are not going to get it by continuing your riots. Violence is the easy approach, respect is the difficult approach. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a 'no fly zone' over Ferguson, Missouri until August 18th due to the violence that you are causing. It is absolutely ridiculous that it has crossed over to this extreme.
Not once did Martin Luther King Jr. lay his fingers toward any of his protesters. MLK fought to put an end to discrimination and his nonviolent approach is what earned him respect. President Theodore Roosevelt earned the Noble Peace Prize for negotiating peace in the Russo-Japanese War. These men made history fighting peacefully for the justice that they believed in, and in doing so they gained the respect that they rightfully deserved.
There is already enough crime and violence in this world, you simply do not need to add to the statistics. You want justice, than change your actions. You want to put an end to discrimination, than change your approach. You want respect, than earn it. Burn out your flames and put down your fists.
As I mentioned before, you have every right to want justice and an end to discrimination. And for that, I will stand with you. However, your approach to obtaining justice is something I will not condone nor will I support.
I do not want to fight against you but I will not fight with you. I take this stance as someone who doesn’t want to see the city she loves to be portrayed in such a barbaric manner. Someone who doesn’t want to visualize streets being barricaded with the police and SWAT team. Someone who wants the peace of mind of knowing that her friends, whom live within the borders of your riots, don’t have to worry about your next attack.
I take this stance as someone who believes that justice is completely obtainable through the use of non-violence.
Sincerely,
Catherine
I am not here to write about the killing of Michael Brown, nor will I write on whether I side with the police or those protesting against them. There are already plenty of opinionated articles about who is right and who is wrong; this will not be one of them.
My heart and prayers go out to the parents of Michael Brown and the love ones he left behind. Death is one of the most agonizing things to cope with and no parent should ever have to bury their child. However, grief and mourning is not- and should never- be an excuse for violent.
It leaves one lost for words when reading multiple headlines with titles such as ‘St. Louis descends into war-zone’ or ‘Ferguson, Missouri has turned into a war-zone’, and to see pictures of the riots that happened during the past few days.
I ask you this, what is being accomplished by this violence? Protesters exclaim that they are fighting for justice; yet what justice is being done by looting, burning down buildings, and these riots? What justice is being gain by causing your fellow citizens concern for their safety? You say you seek justice and to put an end to discrimination. That within itself is something that you have every right to stand for but violence is not the answer.
St. Louis is known for its crime. The actions you are partaking continue to add to an ongoing problem. If you seek to put an end to discrimination, do so in a manner that will diminish the problem at hand. You say you want an end to discrimination and you want equal treatment from the police, yet the police are currently fighting against you due the danger you are creating.
Your use of violence is simply the easy way out. Anyone can burn down buildings, loot a store, and start a riot. It does not take much skill. Give anyone lighter fluid and they can set a building up into flames. Gather an angry mob and together you can form a riot. Your use of violence is not being respected by anyone and quite frankly, it is not going to earn you justice.
If you want justice, you are not going to get it by continuing your riots. Violence is the easy approach, respect is the difficult approach. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a 'no fly zone' over Ferguson, Missouri until August 18th due to the violence that you are causing. It is absolutely ridiculous that it has crossed over to this extreme.
Not once did Martin Luther King Jr. lay his fingers toward any of his protesters. MLK fought to put an end to discrimination and his nonviolent approach is what earned him respect. President Theodore Roosevelt earned the Noble Peace Prize for negotiating peace in the Russo-Japanese War. These men made history fighting peacefully for the justice that they believed in, and in doing so they gained the respect that they rightfully deserved.
There is already enough crime and violence in this world, you simply do not need to add to the statistics. You want justice, than change your actions. You want to put an end to discrimination, than change your approach. You want respect, than earn it. Burn out your flames and put down your fists.
As I mentioned before, you have every right to want justice and an end to discrimination. And for that, I will stand with you. However, your approach to obtaining justice is something I will not condone nor will I support.
I do not want to fight against you but I will not fight with you. I take this stance as someone who doesn’t want to see the city she loves to be portrayed in such a barbaric manner. Someone who doesn’t want to visualize streets being barricaded with the police and SWAT team. Someone who wants the peace of mind of knowing that her friends, whom live within the borders of your riots, don’t have to worry about your next attack.
I take this stance as someone who believes that justice is completely obtainable through the use of non-violence.
Sincerely,
Catherine