Ferguson essay by Saints tight end Ben Watson strikes chord on social media

WDSU News (New Orleans) ^ | 11/26/14

[Theoria]

We are all potential threats or criminals in today’s police environment.

[Dick Bachert]

Good words from an obviously good and thoughtful man! May more like him come forward!

[Night Hides Not]

Next up: Roger Goodell announces a four game suspension for Ben Watson.

[isthisnickcool]

A strong armed robber, a member of the gang of red.

A Blood he was.

Attacked a cop.

Now he’s dead.

[blam]

This is news worthy because it is so unusual for a Black person to speak with such truth and honesty.

[383rr]

Amen. I know the names.

[kabar]

That is not what Watson meant if you look at what else he said. It is because he is black.

I don't find what Watson said to be all that encouraging or worthy of endorsement. He is perpetuating black victimhood. And he ignores black on white crime due to racism--a far greater problem than white policemen abusing black youth.

As far as the police are concerned, they are not out of control or is there widespread abuse of liberty by the police. They are the ones protecting us from the criminals and the anarchists.

[kabar]

Did you read the entire 650 word piece? Here are some things that were left out of the post:

I'M SYMPATHETIC, because I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened. Maybe Darren Wilson acted within his rights and duty as an officer of the law and killed Michael Brown in self defense like any of us would in the circumstance. Now he has to fear the backlash against himself and his loved ones when he was only doing his job. What a horrible thing to endure. OR maybe he provoked Michael and ignited the series of events that led to him eventually murdering the young man to prove a point.

I guess Watson is not buying into the Grand Jury verdict and the Rule of Law. Aren't the facts and evidence conclusive? Why the "maybes" and moral equivalence?

I'M OFFENDED, because of the insulting comments I've seen that are not only insensitive but dismissive to the painful experiences of others.

What does he mean by this? Whose painful experiences is he talking about?

I'M CONFUSED, because I don't know why it's so hard to obey a policeman. You will not win!!! And I don't know why some policeman abuse their power. Power is a responsibility, not a weapon to brandish and lord over the populace.

In the case of Michael Brown, perhaps his failure to obey a policeman had to do with his prior strong-arm robbery of a convenience store.

I'M HOPELESS, because I've lived long enough to expect things like this to continue to happen. I'm not surprised and at some point my little children are going to inherit the weight of being a minority and all that it entails.

Michael Brown was not the victim of racism. He robbed a convenience store and attacked a policeman in his car attempting to take his weapon--a felonious, unwarranted attack.

Watson is trying to have it both ways. In the immortal words of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"

[98ZJ USMC]

I don't find what Watson said to be all that encouraging or worthy of endorsement.

Neither do I. He's angry. OK. It's not that these injustices are still being perpetrated. It's because you are being lied to and you are seeing that which you seem to have a confrontational bias towards.

Eyes are still wide shut to the root of the problem.

[waxer1]

All I can say to this idiot is READ THE TRANSCRIPTS you may re think this. I am reading Damion testimony. It is absurd unbelievable no wonder the GJ ruled the way they did. In his testimony he claims offer Wilson tried to pull brown into his car via half open window. laughable.

[Eddie01]

"I'M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes.

I'll take the inaccuracy of this statement if it draws readers in to experience the rest of he statement.

It's the closest thing to the real root cause - personal responsibility - that I've seen and read so far.

I'll take it.