Persuasive Essay On Gene Lyons

An African American man was killed by a white police officer. This event may seem minor, but the magnitude of this could have never been predicted. The “shot heard around the world” might have a new meaning. A young African American male was shot and killed by a white police office, but no one could have predicted the following events. Supposedly the African American, Michael Brown, had his hands up pleading “don’t shoot.” The United States rose up in an uproar claiming social injustice and racism. News stations and the tabloids ran with the story producing eye-catching headlines. These stories transformed a nation and forced people to pick a side. The problem with all of this is many people made their opinion based on rumors. Gene Lyons is the complete opposite of …show more content…
However, this fact still does not change the opinions of the closed minded. One feels enraged when he or she hears about a police officer killing an innocent man for no reason, but when he or she finds out Brown attacked him after a robbery for no reasons the opinion on the situation changes. One problem arises when a white man finds a white cop innocent: it brings up racism. The fact of the matter is that a majority of the protests and riots consisted of African American citizens. When supporters of Michael Brown find out someone believes the white cop is innocent, they say that there is discrimination against African Americans. When the supporters do not have sufficient evidence to support the case of Michael Brown they turn to the racism card. Lyons brings this up by saying, “Nobody’s allowed to ask what made Brown pull a strong-arm theft in broad daylight and then commit suicide by cop.” That is the part of the story that is ignored by the media, but it is arguably a pretty important detail. The nation has seen both Michael Brown’s and the court’s sides, but there is one side not heard from: the