The events of the past 10 days in Cincinnati show that, despite how far we have come in our 125 years as a nation, every one of us has so far to go.
Both the police, who shot an unarmed black men, and the rioters who turned the Queen City into a realm of violence, are glaring examples of what is wrong with America, and what has been wrong with America since day one: our racism and proclivity to violence.
Racial profiling among police has become the hot-button racial issue in this country today, with good reason. The cornerstone incident among many that have brought profiling to the fore was the slaying of Amadou Diallo.
Diallo, a black man, was gunned down by police who inexplicably mistook a wallet he was taking out of his pocket for a gun. The cops were later acquitted. Diallo, of course, is not alone.
Yet, whether the police are more inclined to shoot someone if he or she is black is obviously impossible to prove, as are any motives.
But, it is impossible to say racism and hate no longer exist in this country. Decisions such as the one made Tuesday in a Mississippi referendum see to that. That state decided, almost perfectly along racial lines, to keep the confederate symbol on its flag.
Still, the last thing we should do, even in these times of outrage, is fight fire with fire. The second lesson we should all take from Cincinnati is that the way to end hate and violence does not come through more hate and violence.
The only ways, if we are ever to truly realize Martin Luther King’s dream, are through patience and rational thought and discussion.
Dr. King was a believer in Mohandas K. Ghandi’s civil disobedience theory. Instead of just taking a day off of work once a year, let’s do Dr. King a true service and practice non-violence.

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