Let me start off by saying that no one has been more critical of the police in Ferguson (and police in general) in the last few days among the comments here than I have, often to the point of wondering if I had gone too far. I still hold beliefs about law enforcement in general that most would describe as far too harsh, but everyone should take a look at this article at Talking Points Memo.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
This is all it would have taken from the beginning of this horrible tragedy to start the healing process. A man of integrity who views himself as part of a community he is serving rather than an active participant in a war against citizens. If the Ferguson and St Louis County PD had shown ONE OUNCE of the compassion and understanding this Highway Patrol Captain has, NONE of this would have happened. Respect is earned, not given, and yes, that even applies to police officers, who all too often just expect and demand it by right. This man knows better, and deserves credit. He reminds me of General Russell Honore, who rolled into New Orleans after the hell of the first week of Katrina and immediately started making things right. I still have alot of ill-will towards law enforcement in general right now, but a couple thousand Ronald Johnsons would go a long way to improving that view.