Brown Protests Racially Fueled

White police officer fatally shot African-American teen in Ferguson, Missouri

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder traveled to Ferguson, Missouri, earlier this week with the hopes of striking peace amid a series of protests following the controversial police-related shooting of teenager Michael Brown.

Holder met with many officials, and among them was state highway captain Ron Johnson. Upon conclusion of their meeting, Johnson was able to walk away and restore a level of calmness after a week of unrest. Holder also promised a federal investigation into the incident.

"There's a real fracture out their now. I think people are really trying to work their way through. Out of this tragedy comes a great opportunity to reform that community, but I tjink that is something we can do nation wide," said Holder.

Sue O'Connell, co-publisher of Bay Windows, and Renee Landers, associate professor at Suffolk Law School, joined Wendy Murphy on Broadside to discuss Darren Wilson's fatal shooting of Brown.

Much debate has ensued the shooting. Some feel race may not be as important of a factor in this case as the media is making it out to be. For some though, race is preventing an accurate assessment of the facts.

"Institutional racism completely populates everything we have to think about this," said O'Connell.

Murphy questions whether the media is driving the public into a frenzy over the story.

"The media is ignoring racism on a regular basis," added O'Connell. "At the highest level of media we don't have enough diversity."

Landers agreed with O'Connell, saying this particular incident was the last straw in the many racially charged events that go undocumented.

"What you had was community leadership that did not understand that the community was very upset by the state of affairs," said Landers.

Both agreed that this is a festering problem that will forever be explosive with a lack of leadership, no matter where such a story unfolds. 

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