Ferguson: A shameful scar in U.S. human rights history
There are probably few other countries in the world as
self-righteous and complacent as the United
States when it comes to human rights issues, but the Ferguson tragedy is
apparently a slap in the face, reports Xinhua.
Following a grand jury decision on Monday not to indict
white police officer Darren Wilson, who shot dead African-American teenager
Michael Brown in Ferguson , Missouri ,
protests and demonstrations have flared up and expanded to scores of cities
across the United States .
After the ruling, Barack Obama, the country's first
African-American president, called for respect for "the rule of law"
in an hour-long speech Monday night.
The tragic incident and the subsequent ruling are
characterized as a miscarriage of justice and a violation of human rights.
Besides, the very fact that an incident that happened in a
small town more than three month ago has triggered long-standing, widespread
public indignation against the country's law enforcement system is strongly
demonstrative of some deeply-rooted maladies in the United States , a self-styled human
rights defender and judge.
Racial divide remains a chronic disease after civil rights
leader Martin Luther King delivered half a century ago the landmark speech
"I have a dream" and voiced his aspiration for equal rights of the
black people in the country.
In its worst violence in recent times, the acquittal of four
white policemen in the beating of a black motorist in 1992 sparked a six-day
riot involving thousands of people across the metropolitan area of Los Angeles , leaving as
many as 51 people dead.
In history, racial tensions cut deep in the United States .
a country that always points its fingers at other countries on the issue.
Today, the scar is obviously far from being fully healed, as
a recent survey showed that some 51 percent of Americans do not believe
African-Americans could be treated equally with the white people by the law
enforcement.
Some might argue that racial differences and conflicts are
unavoidable in a "melting pot" like the United States , where people come
from virtually every corner of the world.
But it is undeniable that racial discrimination against
African Americans or other ethnic minorities, though not as obvious as in the
past, still persists in every aspect of the U.S. social lives, including
employment, housing, education, and particularly, justice.
The death of Brown should serve as a stark reminder for
Uncle Sam that there are a lot of human rights violations in its own soil and
that it should first fix its own problems before criticizing other countries.
It is highly advisable that all countries, including the United States ,
enhance communication and cooperation on human rights issues and learn from
each other's experiences and lessons to make improvement rather than point
fingers at others.
Comments
Post a Comment