Video on Eric Garner, the man from Staten Island who died just an hour later after being taken down and choked by a police officer.

An article and loads of documents on the Michael Brown case, the man who was shot by a police officer after an altercation.

A great article on how these recent deaths have affected all of us - divide between races.



I'm confused at what has transpired. People have died and if you look at the genesis of why police were involved it was minor reason. How does this kind of stuff happen? I'm confused at what I have seen from people far away and people close to me. I'm in disbelief at some of the things people say and feel.

I can't relate, not really. I've never been a victim of racism. I've never thought I would be killed. I'm not in the minority. I've never gotten so angry with a person that I attacked them. I've never been a cop. I don't know what kind of challenges they go through day-to-day. I don't know what its like to protect and serve others. I don't know how it feels to have a gun strapped to your belt is like. I don't know what that kind of power is.

But that doesn't mean I should't have an opinion or think things need to change.

People jump to a side and speak in absolutes, but I don't feel that the issues at hand are that simple. I don't feel that we should be divided. I feel that this should be a time to seriously reflect on our morals, our values, what we believe in, who we really are. People riot because they feel that they are not being heard. People lash out because they don't know how else to get people's attention.

The media holds on to a certain story an exploits it, but at the same time, should this shake us?

I will say this, it truly tragic that Mr. Garner and Mr. Brown died. I think its terrible. I do not think they deserved to die. I don't think their actions should have resulted in the kind of excessive behavior shown towards them. I think we can do better. I do think this has to do with race and class. We need to have an open mind and dialogue. We can't just shut down and quit. And I have no idea of what I should do to help.


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