michaelbrown

In response to the controversy surrounding the shooting death of Michael Brown -- and especially the differing versions of events from officer Darren Wilson and others who were at the scene -- there has been a massive call to equip police officers nationwide with body cameras.

The Brown family themselves have been outspoken on the matter, and it seems the White House was listening. In a report released yesterday, the Obama administration laid out a proposal to spend $263 million on improving law enforcement, $75 million of which will be used to equip cops with body cams.

I am troubled by what I have seen.

In recent weeks, we have witnessed terrible, on-going episodes within our borders through photos and video that speak volumes about the tragedy of race. Racism is as old as human history, and there is a long, rich history of capturing race conflicts in the US by photographers like Charles Moore, Bruce Davidson, Gordon Parks and others.

But in this post 9/11 world, the balance of power has shifted towards authority -- militarized officers outfitted with high-powered machine guns and body armor straight out of central casting for a Michael Bay film who seemingly police differently depending on the color of your skin.

Post-Dispatch photojournalist David Carson has covered a number of intense situations, including the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq. But it was just this past weekend, in the 21,000-resident town of Ferguson, Missouri that he faced one of his scariest moments yet.