Ferguson Decision

And now we have a couple of hours of healthy anticipation.  What am I saying?  We have been anticipating since late August.  It's been months of low level anxiety punctuated by occasional moments of abject terror for many people in the St. Louis area.  Now we have the announcement that the announcement is about to be announced, some time this evening.  I love this living on the edge. It makes everyone so pleasant.  The spates of protesters and their shadow journalists have halted traffic, closed businesses, frightened the faint of heart, given their allies something to rally around, encouraged their enemies with "proof" of ill will, and angered many good-hearted people who have tried to live their lives rightly and would gladly cooperate in change if facing persuasion rather than intimidation.  Rather than ask, "What is wrong with this picture?" maybe the question should be, "What is right with this picture?"
At least, if we people of Ferguson and the St. Louis area are investigating our motives and our shortcomings, we are blessed with good counsel in the form of outsiders, pundits who know nothing of our city or our history.  
And I am not just a nay sayer.  I am willing to admit that we are not where we should be, and I believe improved education is a major component of righting our situation.  Better schools are not only possible, they are also imperative.  Education can be the great equalizer, but, surprisingly, burning down the local QuikTrip does not improve the schools even indirectly.
Worse, I believe, than the few unruly protesters have been the anarchists who have hacked into police and judicial official's lives compromising personal information, making threats, pushing families to flee. Fear is a powerful motivator, but it only lasts for a while.  Then flight or fight take over.  Those who remain may be fatigued but they are also angry, not the best atmosphere if real change is the goal.