There is no doubt that racism is still a problem in the United States. Whether it festers in minds or shows itself in unjust actions, it is still there. But the real issue is identifying when racism is involved in a situation, and when it is not. The case in Ferguson, Missouri has been labeled by rioters and many celebrities as the outcome of racism, but there is no evidence that this was the case.

The only facts that anyone truly knows about what happened to Michael Brown is that he and a friend stole some things from a store, and were tracked down by a police officer, who got in some sort of argument with Brown and had the impulse to shoot him when he felt threatened. Nobody really knows who the aggressor was, or who was acting irrationally. Yet, mass riots have sprung up all over the country based on the decision of innocence for the police officer, since so many people are sure that Brown was murdered because Officer Wilson had negative reservations about African Americans.

The facts of the case are of minimal importance to the cause of the riots. There is not enough evidence for any person to confidently state that Wilson is guilty. However, this doesn’t truly matter because the people who riot aren’t particularly upset with the Michael Brown case; they are upset with all of the other Michael Browns. Whether or not Officer Wilson did deserve to go to jail, there have been so many cases where policemen have been set free in this type of situation that people across the country have had enough. Brown is being used as a figure and example of so many injustices that have been committed against minorities. Violence is not a way to fight violence, but drastic actions must be taken by Americans if we ever want to see change.

The answer might come in officers wearing body cameras, or simply a new generation of policemen and women, but the injustice must stop soon. Only time will tell.