Robert Weisberg writes: African Americans in Ferguson, MO are demanding justice over the shooting of Michael Brown. But, a clear-eyed observer might conclude differently: what they really want is vengeance, a public lynching, hauling out Officer Darren Wilson in chains, watching as he pleads for mercy, then asking the crowd to shout out its judgment and guilty verdict announced, dispatching him as gruesomely as possible while the crowd roars its approval. This is hardly a new idea — recall the festive public guillotining during the French Reign of Terror or mob chants of “to the Wall” in Castro’s Cuba. And, truth be told, I suspect that many non-protestors might be willing to sacrifice Officer Wilson to end the violence.
But, let’s assume that cooler heads prevail and American style justice — not vengeance — does triumph. Would this satisfy the Ferguson demonstrators?
