Peace, it's wonderful -- if only the troublemakers would give it a chance to take hold.
A year ago in
Then there was all the collateral damage inflicted on just as innocent public servants. A helicopter being flown by the
What a difference a year and a change of tone on the part of the nation's leadership can make. Commemorations of last year's violent hate-filled events took on a wholly different and much more welcome tone on Saturday. Police seemed to outnumber visitors and were diligently searching the bags of everyone allowed to enter at two and only two specified checkpoints. "It's nice that they're here to protect us," said a saleslady at one of the shops downtown. Last year it was a different story. It looked like a war zone last year compared to what it is today.
Among the ceremonies over the peaceful weekend was a "morning of reflection and renewal" at the
And it was only fitting that it should have occurred near a statue of
The police donned riot gear for a Rally for Justice on campus, which led to angry students chanting: "Why are you in riot gear? We don't see no riot here!" Maybe that's because the show of force by law enforcement had been enough to prevent any trouble while giving all an opportunity to shout out their opinions. Which is the way it ought to be at a great university in a great country.
What we had at this shining moment, as professor and community organizer
Typical of a lot of good folks' reaction to the return of the police to
It is not force itself that threatens the peace of any community but unrestrained, free-roaming violence. And this year a well-armed community rose up and took back its neighborhoods and streets. Give us a happy ending like this one every time. But be on guard: This story could be repeated when people decide to take the law into their own hands. That's not law and order but vigilante justice, which is not justice at all.
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Paul Greenberg is the Pulitzer-winning editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. His column has appeared in JWR since June, 1998.