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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Commissioner's apology for text incident doesn't sway family Since You Asked: State requires headlight use in bad weather Emergency Services Kitchenware, sheets would ease stress of starting over for mom and son Get Up & Go: Dec. 23 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Man wearing fake beard robs Medford bank Police still hunting for third suspect tied to bomb threats, high speed chase Josephine County scrambles to house juvenile offenders Emergency Services Politics and Elections State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change GMO labeling votes recounted under careful watch in Jackson County Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Education Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Logos may offer students 'fifth year' at RCC or SOU St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament A lesson in giving Environment Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock Jackson County holds back on enforcing GMO ban for now No fish, no funding for problem dams Most residents speak against gas pipeline State News Oregon to step up water quality checks on farms Questions remain in death of Oklahoma teen Impostor makes off with Salvation Army donations in Corvallis, Albany Faith-healing couple sentenced to 10 years for death of diabetic daughter Uber suspends operations in Portland for 3 months Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Emile Victor Caloz Donna J. (Hall) Green Death Notices Eva Mae Clement Gerald Steve Stebbins Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable ACCESS receives $50,000 donation from Wells Fargo Sports Latest Stories Dixon’s buzzer-beater gives North title After layoff, Wisconsin knocks off Cal Abdul-Bassit boosts Ducks in OT Upon return, Parker fuels Spurs’ win Bengals top Broncos to reach playoffs Varsity 541 College Sports After layoff, Wisconsin knocks off Cal Abdul-Bassit boosts Ducks in OT Memphis wins thriller, then brawl breaks out Beaver women in top 10 for first time Gutches, Johnson lead Raiders to eighth at Reno TOC Pro Sports Upon return, Parker fuels Spurs’ win Bengals top Broncos to reach playoffs Harden lights up Blazers Harbaugh skirts topic of his, 49ers' future On the rise Community Sports Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape RESULTS/STANDINGS LOCAL EVENTS Business Latest Stories Silvio Calabi: GLA250 is a Merc for the masses Blog: The Holidays Have Arrived Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Employment in Oregon surpasses pre-recession levels Free lunchtime presentation covers business planning Real Estate News Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate More sales, but no change in residential housing median price People In Business People in Business, Dec. 3 Transportation Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Allegiant Air will resume Medford-Phoenix service May 22 Agriculture K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Southern Oregon wine industry had a robust 2013 Opinion Latest Our View: One more try for Josephine safety levy Letters to the Editor, Dec. 23 Michael Gerson: Room for non-conformity nurtures genius Granlund cartoon: Holiday carry-on bags Granlund cartoon: Christmas Day creche Editorials Our View: One more try for Josephine safety levy Other Views: Kingsley Field jobs are welcome Our View: Be careful when you donate Other Views: Detective's sentence violates public trust Our View: Cheers and jeers Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Dec. 23 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 22 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 21 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 19 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 18 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Guest Opinion: Suit threatens family farms and democratic vote Guest Opinion: SOU pool decision short-sighted Guest Opinion: It's time for biologists to let OR-7 go dark Lifestyle Latest stories Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Religion news: Judge rules boy can be given transfusion, despite parents’ religious objections Kitchen Call: The comfort of creamy soups Community blog: Last Minute Gifts for your Critters Blog: HAIKU MONDAY: On Big Water Food Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Kitchen Call: The comfort of creamy soups Community blog: Baking contest finalists combine cookies, candies Community blog: 'Cookbook Book' digests genre's past 300 years Community blog: Liver pat� an easy nosh for Hanukkah and beyond Home and Garden Home Help: Home safety tips for a safe and happy winter season How NOT to install drywall Dear Monty: Siblings dispute inherited real estate Home Help: Create a happy homemade holiday Rogue Valley Christmas light displays Health Health Watch: Small diet changes can make a big difference Community blog: Removing Barriers Is Good Insurance Health Watch: Change up your treadmill workout Community blog: A Dark Night of Healing and Hope Community blog: The Promise of Hope � and Health - Fulfilled Hiking Biking Faith Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Fans, friends and family welcome home victorious SOU team at airport Wedding: Boldt-Mahon Order of Elks national office revokes Medford lodge's charter Jackson County's new health building complete, will serve clients in February Ashland celebrates 'Wild' screening with Cheryl Strayed Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories In the Pocket releases 'I Got News' Live Music in Local Clubs Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present 'The Holly and the Ivy' Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Theater ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning TMTO presents 'A Christmas Carol: The Musical' Music In the Pocket releases 'I Got News' Live Music in Local Clubs Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present 'The Holly and the Ivy' Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Seattle rock band Smokey Brights plays Howiee's Community Events Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dancing People Company celebrates the solstice Dance to the Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra Dining Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Ooblies Artisan Waffle Sandwiches Brunch at Loft Brasserie Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Our View: One more try for Josephine safety levy ... Man wearing fake beard robs Medford bank ... Former Ashland student saves surfer from pounding waves ... Our View: One more try for Josephine safety levy ... Man wearing fake beard robs Medford bank ... Former Ashland student saves surfer from pounding waves ... ANOTHER VIEW Michael Gerson: In Ferguson, where next? Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Nov. 30, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Nov. 30, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News My hometown of St. Louis has given up its sad secrets. Journalists — like tourists taking in the sights of social dysfunction — have explored its courthouses, its speed traps, its racial tensions and its redlined housing history. Cable television has carried images of burning cars and tear gas, which better qualify as "breaking news" than clergy-led marches and civic dialogue. From the coverage, one would think a whole city walks on broken glass. Perhaps it does. There was a killing, everyone (at least) agrees. Was it permissible? A grand jury decided that it was under Missouri's lethal-force law. Was it preventable? We should hope and expect that police find other, less lethal options to restrain charging, unarmed teenagers. Was it meaningful? That depends on what comes next. It is the task of the legal system to impose one narrow version of justice: guilt or innocence. The role of politics is different; it consists more of questions than verdicts. Why do circumstances such as this one reveal such dramatically different views of police, courts and the basic fairness of our society? Why do some citizens of our country feel so tenuously connected to its promise and protections? The law requires disinterested rigor. Politics requires a measure of empathy. If I lived in a nation that had systematically oppressed people of my background for hundreds of years; that was utterly indifferent to the failure of the school my child attends; that disproportionately profiles, harasses and even jails people like me for minor legal offenses; that offers little realistic hope my children will be treated better than I am, then I might feel differently about the justice and compassion of my society. This is not an excuse of violence — really community self-immolation — but it is an explanation for deeply rooted suspicion. Why should this theoretical me expect one portion of our civic infrastructure — the legal system — to be fair and level when the rest seems tilted at a steep, upward angle? This makes the role of a public official — as opposed to a lawyer or a community activist — unavoidably complex. In his reaction to the Ferguson decision, President Obama effectively summarized this difficult mandate: Social order is the first commitment of government, and police do essential work; but racially biased policing undermines social trust and we can't paper over sources of community resentment. This is not a tension but a balance, which elected officials of both parties are called to display. In St. Louis, a 16-member panel created by Gov. Jay Nixon now walks that tightrope. Usually, commissions are formed as a substitute for action. The Ferguson Commission had better be different. It is charged by executive order with addressing the "social and economic conditions underscored by the unrest" — really with reassuring people that their legitimate concerns will not be forgotten after the cameras move on. Nixon has selected a diverse and representative group including clergy, businesspeople, academics, community and protest figures. It may involve some drama for the head of the state Fraternal Order of Police to find agreement with a protest leader who had written that "racism killed" Michael Brown. The Ferguson Commission has promised not simply a report or white paper but a series of proposals for legislative action. Possible objects of reform? Concentrated low-income housing, presenting layers of social challenge. A proliferation of small school districts without adequate tax bases. (Three local school systems have lost or are nearing the loss of accreditation.) A proliferation of police forces and municipal courts, funded largely through aggressive ticketing and prone to profiling. In other cities — say Boston — police have built and banked some capital of community trust over the years, which can be expended during a crisis or tragedy. In St. Louis, on a hot, August day, the account was empty. These are difficult, structural changes, scattered across dozens of municipalities and government entities. And placing trust in a commission may well be naive. It is, however, also placing trust in the possibility of civic participation and self-government. If that is misplaced, it would dramatically compound the Ferguson tragedy. What might national media and political figures do now to be genuinely helpful? Measure the results of the Ferguson Commission in 100 days, in a year. Press other communities to engage in urgent self-reflection and reform before tragedy forces their hand. Even more: Present the vision of a shared future in a common country — including rich and poor, black and white — instead of sweeping up the glass. Michael Gerson's email address is [email protected]. 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