Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's Christmas without the commercialization. A time for quiet reflection and family fun. And now, with three little ones, a time for hand-outline turkeys and both the serious and the funny things they say they are thankful for. Black Friday - not so much. How long will it be before stores just offer a Thanksgiving meal? And, when they do, will the lines form on Wednesday?
Gearing up
For me, Thanksgiving to Christmas is personally a wonderful time, but, in my role as a state representative, it's the worst time of the year. Pre-filing of bills has started and I'm eagerly anticipating next session. Yet, I'm also mentally preparing for the challenges ahead. Waiting is the hardest part.
Ferguson
Ferguson was - and is - a tragedy and travesty on several levels.
There's personal tragedy. Michael Brown's death is tragic - regardless of whose story you believe about what happened in the crucial moments before his death.
And there's public tragedy. Rampant distrust of the criminal justice system in poor communities is tragic. The mistrust, while oft misplaced, has some valid causes. For example, there are several tiny St. Louis municipalities that more closely resemble organized troll guilds than legitimate government, as its revenues rely on traffic tickets extracted from residents than a stable tax base. These troll cities compound matters by operating municipal courts in the St. Louis area that apparently consider due process an optional inconvenience more appropriate for circuit courts. If you're seeking concrete examples, read the reports of Radley Balko in the Washington Post.
Mistrust of law enforcement is also a travesty. Higher crime areas need more law enforcement, not less. To be most effective, law enforcement requires trust and cooperation with the communities they police that is obviously lacking in too many places. But there's a Catch 22 here. A large part of the mistrust stems from a feeling that minorities are unfairly targeted by police. Increasing police presence in poor communities with high minority populations feeds mistrust.
So how do law enforcement officials build trust? Well, for one, the police force should at least partially reflect population demographics. In Ferguson, 67 percent of the population is black but only 7 percent of the police force is. Like it or not, that creates a trust problem.
Second, police should distinguish non-criminals from criminals. Radley Balko's article in the Washington Post tells the story of Nicole Bolden, who, after a minor traffic accident that was not her fault, was cuffed and arrested in front of her two small children for her failure to appear in municipal court for a traffic ticket. Bolden holds responsibility for her failure to meet her obligations. But, after being caught, she spent weeks in jail - costing the municipality that jailed her more money than they'd ever collect for the traffic ticket fine. The more Nicole Boldens there are, the more distrust grows.
The Tuesday night "protestors" actions towards officers this week were a travesty. A riot is never righteous. Yes, bad cops exist and occasionally even good cops make terrible mistakes, but the overwhelming majority of officers serve for the right reasons, and act with heroism and bravery to make our communities safer every single day. This seems like such an obvious statement it shouldn't even have to be said, but after watching some of the coverage of Ferguson this week - it seems this might be a controversial statement for some.
As I watched on television, my thoughts were with those officers and the people of Ferguson trapped by criminal elements who were using the event as an opportunity for mayhem. Those officers on the screen this week were trying to save Ferguson - and for their efforts they had bricks thrown, shots fired, and insults hurled at them. The small business owners, many of whom agree with the protestors, are just trying to live their version of the American Dream. Like the officers at work this week, these small business owners are working to make Ferguson a better place to live. And yet, for their efforts, many saw their shops vandalized and looted.
And then there was the classic Greek tragedy of Gov. Nixon response. From his initial no-show in August to his failure to quickly send the National Guard to protect Ferguson businesses, Gov. Nixon consistently failed to rise to the challenge. I recognize, as should everyone, that Gov. Nixon was put in an impossible situation. There is not a single person who could have handled Ferguson perfectly. Yet, avoidable mistakes were made. For example, how could Gov. Nixon not try to stop the grand jury announcement from being made at 8 p.m.? How could Gov. Nixon refuse to take charge and responsibility for the response? Gov. Nixon's now infamous and cringe-worthy answer to the simple question of whether the buck would stop at his desk probably best explains his entire response to Ferguson.
State Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, represents Missouri's 60th District.