THE CRUX OF IT: New evidence and a clearer picture.

New footage of Michael Brown was released and it tells a different story than that of the police. At the time, the idea that Brown was a thief and had committed assault circulated constantly in the news.

That seems to be a dubious conclusion at best.

Although this newly released footage is compelling, and is valuable because it dispels the narrative that was published about Michael Brown, it is also somewhat beside the point.

I say that because despite the fact that is speaks to a mis-characterization of him, it was never relevant if he robbed the store or not.

The single most important point was whether or not he did anything AT THE TIME OF HIS SHOOTING that warranted the penalty of death.

It’s beyond done at this point but I think that a striking similarity arose between the situation of Treyvon Martin and Mike Brown.

The two kids were essentially minding their own business, someone approached them in a hostile and negative way, they both reacted aggressively and with self-interest, something physical ensued, the initial aggressors quite literally could not handle themselves and the end result was death by bullet wounds and manic desperation.

They didn’t deserve to DIE for their non-compliance.

Mike Brown is gone and that won’t change of course, but neither will the demonizing of those like him.

What needs to change is the response to unarmed kids and the cowardice that leads to their murder.