Freedom to Speak, No Fear of Violence

SARA HERNANDEZ
Staff Writer

Free things do not come around too often. Sometimes it is forgotten that there are things that are free according to the Constitution — for example, the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech. These things are not always thought of as given rights, and when they are actually exercised, authorities may become aggravated.

In Ferguson, Missouri, there have been many protests over the shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white police officer. Among many citizens, this resulted in thoughts of injustice. These citizens have taken their questions to the street and have been received with unimaginable violence. The conduct of police officers in the city of Ferguson is deplorable. There is no excuse for the overwhelming presence of police vehicles and guns being pointed at innocent protesters during the first few days that the people of Ferguson were protesting.

Largely televised protests in the U.S. do not frequently happen, which is why it may seem terrifying to think of all the things that can go wrong during a protest of that magnitude. Understandably, the job of the police is to think of a way to control these unique situations. However, in the Ferguson protests, according to the New York Daily News, police fired stun guns, tear grenades and rubber bullets at the crowds. To many, these actions were uncalled for. The police took the hostile actions of a few and used that to allow themselves to terrorize others who were peacefully exercising their rights. There will always be those few people who take over peaceful events with violent actions, but this should not mean that people who simply want to protest what they believe in should have to encounter violent police forces.