Ferguson

When Ferguson first broke, I listened from a distance, most of my news coming from folks on my twitter feed. It was two weeks before I tried to get the basic facts, the known and undisputed. Questions and Comments festered and popped.

Re: Rioters and looters who were said to be from outside of the area: Oakland feels your pain, Ferguson.

Re: Pundits who say it's not about race: Fine. Regardless of race, we have a clearly unarmed man fatally shot by police in broad daylight. Why isn't that a source of outrage?

Perhaps I missed it, but I didn't hear any official statement akin to 'We thought the deceased was drawing a weapon' (See: Amadou Diallo) or 'I thought I pulled my taser' (See: Oscar Grant). So it was clear he was unarmed when shots were first fired, correct?

Does Ferguson PD have tasers? Would that have been the optimal choice of deterrent in the situation the officer described?

Jaywalking? Really? I know it's against the law, but in what situation is it worth any law enforcement officer's energy to attempt to cite an adult for jaywalking? (No, seriously. I want to understand why this is not ridiculous. I would be much obliged if you could cure me of this bafflement.)

Initial commercials for Denzel's new movie The Equalizer included a scene where the bad guy says "What do you see when you look at me?" and Denzel responds, "What do you see when you look at me?" and every time I heard it I heard the question black men in Ferguson were asking. I heard a question I have asked too many times.

The summer before my senior year in college, I worked reception for a cheerleading camp. Teams were staying in the dorms on campus, and I was there to assist with check in, etc. One man lost his room key, and came to the desk for help, where I assisted him the best I could. He was profuse in his Thank Yous. 'You speak so well!' he added.

In that split second of shock, I decided to be bemused instead of offended. He repeated his refrain after every interaction we had, including when he finally found his room key (in a pants pocket, if memory serves). To be fair, since I was 20, I probably looked 13*. Still, how else was I supposed to speak? Why wouldn't I "speak well?"

What do you see when you see me?

*That is, if you don't know how old I am, and you think I'm mature for my age, you've probably guessed my age wrong. Actually, even if you don't think I'm mature for my age, you've probably guessed wrong.