Langley & Fogleman 1

Anna Langley & Blakeley Fogleman

Professor Blair
26 February 2015
UWRT 1102-051
It Takes Two Sides to Every Story
How would you feel if you didnt think justice was being served? This was what the family of Michael Brown was feeling after the Ferguson accident occurred. Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager, was shot and killed on Aug. 9, by Darren Wilson, a police officer, in Ferguson,
Mo. (What Happened in Ferguson?). Brown and a friend were walking down the street when officer Wilson yelled and told them to get onto the sidewalk. Because they didnt listen to the officer immediately, the officer became short tempered. A fight then broke out, causing officer Wilson to have to stop the incident. He had to shoot because Brown wasnt following directions the
officer was giving. According to an NBC news online article, Browns friend, Dorian Johnson
claimed that Brown ran for his life, stopping at one point with his hands up in surrender and
yelling, I dont have a gun, stop shooting! But according to Johnson, Wilson, however continued to shoot until the teenager fell to the ground. Because Wilson is white and Brown was
black, the case has ignited an intense debate over how police interact with African American
men (Evidence Supports Officer's Account of Ferguson Shooting). Media in the U.S. seemed to
become biased based on the information they wanted to hear. Based on Darren Wilson Supporters Rally To Bash Media, Ferguson Protesters, it seemed to us that this author was choosing to
hear Wilsons side by covering only the Darren Wilson supporters point of view. These supporters used biased opinions and assumptions when

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speaking on the Ferguson incident. The advocates used techniques such as stacked evidence,
begging the question, and red herring fallacies to try and prove that their side of the story was
correct.
The article was filled with stacked evidence pertaining to Wilsons case. There were no
answers given from Mike Browns side of the situation, only Darren Wilsons supporters. The
authors, Matt Sledge and Emily Kassie, chose to attend an event for the Support Darren Wilson Facebook page instead of an equally supported event that gave opinions from both sides.
Because of this, the opinions were only concerning Wilsons innocence and persuading the readers to only see that point of view. Readers would mostly likely only understand what Darren Wilson faced during this situation rather than seeing the side of Michael Browns story as well. This
use of stacked evidence made it almost impossible to accurately see both sides of the Ferguson
incident.
Some of the opinions given from the Darren Wilson supporters also brought up begging
the question. One man stating that Michael Brown got exactly what he deserved certainly raises speculation of why it was he deserved to be shot to death. The man, named Jeremy Arnold,
gave no evidence backing up his statement whatsoever. Another woman took Wilsons side by
stating that Wilson looks like a decent guy. This statement was her way of saying that Darren
Wilson was most likely not guilty in the case. This certainly brought up begging the question because it was not nearly enough proof to show that he was indeed innocent like she thought he
was. Another statement that brought up begging the question was spoken from Michael Smith.
Wilson was just protecting his life like any of us would do, he stated. Smith doesnt give any
evidence that proves Wilson was simply just trying to protect his life. Wilson supporters

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assume Wilsons action was the only choice he had in the situation. Why wasnt backup called
before shooting? No one knows why Wilson decided to pull the trigger, but Wilson supporters
have came to conclusions without backing up their knowledge. Unless Michael Smith had been
in a situation like the one Darren Wilson was in, he nor the other supporters would know what
actions they would have taken during the circumstance. Wilsons supporters cant assume that
they would have done exactly what he had done in the situation just because they agreed with the
officers decision.
The red herring fallacy is misleading detail that pulls the public away from the actual argument. Because Wilson is white and Brown was black, the case has ignited intense debate over
how police interact with African American men (Evidence Supports Officer's Account of Ferguson Shooting). This shouldnt necessarily be what the incident is about, however, that seems to
be the defining point in the matter. When researching this topic through Media Matters for America, we found that race, racism, and inherent biases on all sides are a part of what's happening in
Ferguson and communities across America (Conservative Media Still Denying How Racism And
History Fueled Ferguson). This article follows this same idea, making sure to state key points
regarding the fact that Wilson was white and Mike Brown was black. A few opinions regarded
the fact that the black community has been very hard on Wilson. It is understanding that the
community is giving Darren Wilson a difficult time, but race shouldnt be drawn to attention as a
way to prove a point. Once the jury decided Wilson was indeed innocent, the rally continued.
Unfortunately this article points out that no African-Americans were at the pro-Wilson gathering,
making it seem as if they were being racist about the situation. Michael Brown, an unarmed
black teenager, was shot and killed on Aug. 9, by Darren Wilson, a white

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police officer (What Happened in Ferguson?) Instead of the article simply stating the names
of the two involved in the shooting, each of their races were included to segregate each side of
the argument.
There are many perspectives and outlooks from protesters that live in the U.S. trying to
argue the side they are for or against. Unfortunately, protesters are biased and look at one side of
the situation. In the particular article that we read, it seems both the authors and protesters use
fallacies such as stacking evidence, begging the question, and red herring to prove their point.
In agreement with Darren Wilson Supporters Rally To Bash Media, Ferguson Protesters, taking
sides in the Ferguson shooting should not be based on race or the color of your skin. A supporter
stated that she has black friends who support Wilson, but they cant publicly declare their feelings for fear of angering their family members. If the media continues to segregate each individual based on their race, the US will never be able to work itself up to an interracial society.
The supporters of both sides have assumed they know all the details. Unfortunately, there were
many inconveniences such as a minimum amount of witnesses and no cameras around to find out
the truth immediately. Because of the upset this has caused to the family, many have found this to
be a racist shooting from Wilson. As the media continues to assume they know what happened,
even after the trial, the Ferguson debate will continue to be a problem. Racial issues shouldnt be
the problem in the situation, but the media has made this issue much bigger than it ever should
have been.

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Works Cited
"Conservative Media Still Denying How Racism And History Fueled Ferguson." Media Matters
for America. 2015 Media Matters for America, 03 Dec. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <http://
mediamatters.org/blog/2014/12/03/conservative-media-still-denying-how-racism-and/
201751>.
"Evidence Supports Officer's Account of Ferguson Shooting." Washington Post. The Washington
Post, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/new-evidencesupports-officers-account-of-shooting-in-ferguson/2014/10/22/cf38c7b4-5964-11e4bd61-346aee66ba29_story.html>.
"The Killing of an Unarmed Teen: What We Know About Brown's Death." NBC News. N.p., 13
Aug. 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brownshooting/killing-unarmed-teen-what-we-know-about-browns-death-n178696>.
Sledge, Matt. "Darren Wilson Supporters Rally To Bash Media, Ferguson Protesters." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <http://
www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/23/darren-wilson-supporters_n_5703055.html>.
"What Happened in Ferguson?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Aug. 2014. Web.
24 Feb. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/13/us/ferguson-missouritown-under-siege-after-police-shooting.html?_r=0>.
Wood, Nancy. Essentials of Argument. Upper Saddle River: Pearson / Prentice Hall, 2006.
Print.