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New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson tackled his conflicting feelings about Ferguson in a Facebook post that has gone viral. The 33-year-old father of four said he was inspired to write down his emotions after a grand jury decided Monday not to indict Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown.As of Thursday morning, Watson's essay has been shared more than 344,000 times and garnered more than 600,000 "likes" on Facebook. Commentators are hailing him for being both objective and open in a case that has polarized people across the country. At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my thoughts: I'M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes. I'M FRUSTRATED, because pop culture, music and movies glorify these types of police citizen altercations and promote an invincible attitude that continues to get young men killed in real life, away from safety movie sets and music studios. I'M FEARFUL because in the back of my mind I know that although I'm a law abiding citizen I could still be looked upon as a "threat" to those who don't know me. So I will continue to have to go the extra mile to earn the benefit of the doubt. I'M EMBARRASSED because the looting, violent protests, and law breaking only confirm, and in the minds of many, validate, the stereotypes and thus the inferior treatment. I'M SAD, because another young life was lost from his family, the racial divide has widened, a community is in shambles, accusations, insensitivity hurt and hatred are boiling over, and we may never know the truth about what happened that day. I'M SYMPATHETIC, because I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened. Maybe Darren Wilson acted within
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Topic: NFL Player Benjamin Watson Reflects on Ferguson in Viral Facebook Post (Read 543 times)
