When civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis begins comparing Ferguson to the violence of the civil rights movement, people
should pay attention.
“Ferguson, Missouri is part of the United States of America,” he noted. “People have a right to protest, they have a right to dissent, they have a right to march in an orderly, peaceful, nonviolent fashion, and the press has a right to cover it.” Ferguson, he added, is “not the Congo, it is not China, it is not Russia. We can do better.”
Lewis is asking the president to declare martial law in the area.
President Obama should use the authority of his office to declare martial law. Federalize the Missouri National Guard to protect people as they protest. And people should come together: reasonable elected officials, community leaders and address what is happening there. If we fail to act, the fires of frustration and discontent will continue to burn, not only in Ferguson, Missouri, but all across America.