Editor, Manteca Bulletin,

As I was sitting here watching the outcome of the Ferguson ruling by the Grand Jury, I had a sick feeling in my stomach.  Each fact, piece of evidence, and DNA was explained in detail. It stunned me on how the people of Ferguson reacted to the findings.  

After all the independent law enforcement findings, even those by the coroner hired by the Brown family.  How could anybody refute the facts presented? DNA, facts and evidence have no color, there is no black, white, red or green. This is a bad guy trying to obtain a police officer’s weapon. The police officer did what he was trained to do, he should be deemed a hero.  Officer Wilson’s life was on the line that evening. 

An individual who would opt to engage an armed police officer is capable of hurting many innocent people.  If Officer Wilson did not neutralize this threat immediately, who else would have been injured? If Brown had shot another innocent victim, Officer Wilson would be chastised for not protecting an innocent bystander.  I am glad we will never find out.  As for the people looting other people’s business, why in the world would anybody think that would help any situation?  

I have heard so many lame reasons why Officer Wilson should have been indicted but the facts will always prevail. Yes, the thug was unarmed but he also was large in stature, did not follow officer’s commands, lunging into the Officers patrol car. Yes, these are the facts. If a bad guy was within my personal zone and reaching for my gun, I would not have hesitated doing the same thing.  Police officers are trained to protect themselves and the public from thugs like Brown. It is funny how that works, the laws that protect us from bad guys, also incorporates laws that protect police officers from getting shot.  

They are entitled to go home to their families after every shift. Sometimes that happens, sometimes not, but that is their job, like it or not.  It irks me that this has become a color infused incident and not a bad guy/good guy scenario.  Years ago we watched cops and robbers movies. Everybody rooted for good guys not the bad guys who would wreak havoc on a city. Have times changed that much where people would defend the “bad guy” who robbed and tried to shoot a law enforcement officer?  It sickens me that our society has put race before good and evil.  

I am also ashamed of public figures like Mayor Kevin Johnson invoking his personal opinions and fueling the fires in Sacramento.  You are an elected official by the people, why would you express such unsolicited opinions to the people of your city? A mayor of any town should be bringing its city together in times like this, not the opposite.  People have lost their ability to reason and accept the things in life that they don’t want to hear. I don’t want to hear of a young teen in this town being shot, it sickens me. I’m glad the people of Manteca did not decide to loot and burn businesses here. People in this town are taking intelligent, well thought out steps to prevent this from happening again. But bad things happen in this world, that’s the way it is.  

We are all human beings, and we should all be protected from evil.

Dee Johnston

Manteca