On Monday, Aug. 26, Michael Brown was laid to rest. Since then, Ferguson, Missouri has been quiet.
Although media attention has started to shift from the troubled town, the wounds caused by Brown's death and the subsequent riots are still fresh. As a nation, we haven't even begun to process what happened.
Because Officer Darren Wilson, the police officer who allegedly shot Brown, will not face a grand jury until October, there will be no sign of closure for Brown's family, Ferguson or the rest of America for quite some time.
But it's never too soon to start talking about all the issues this tragedy has forced to the surface.
The events in Ferguson have busted the national conversation on race wide open. The relationship between police and minorities has come under extreme scrutiny. We are at tipping a point, on the crest of a wave about to break into what could be peace or catastrophe.
Brown's death is only one of the more recent examples of a law enforcement officer killing an unarmed suspect. Unfortunately, this trend of brutality has been mostly focused on the black community.
While anyone can be the victim of excessive force, it would be a great disservice to the memory of Brown and those who died before him to not acknowledge the role race plays in this ongoing dilemma.
Of course, this is a problem with roots stretching back to the birth of our country, and to use our limited space to suggest a quick fix is foolhardy at best. We could call for peace and understanding, but our calls would not rise above the din of anger and confusion.
Although we do not condone riots or violence against anyone, we believe this anger is justified. For too long, people of all races have been victimized by an increasingly aggressive police force.
We don't feel like the police are a part of the community anymore. They have become a fringe element that we fear and do not trust.
For many, the police represent a failed ideal, a damaged part of the American dream.
However, this doesn't mean we have to give up.
After all, the police are not space aliens we can't communicate with.
They are humans.
We have to hold them accountable for their actions. We have to use our power as citizens to break through the walls of secrecy and corruption. We have to demand better.
By knowing our rights and standing up for them, we can stem the tide of violence that has become synonymous with law enforcement.
Although it's hard to think about that now, there are lessons to be learned from Ferguson. Like the L.A. riots in 1992 and the Watts riots in 1965, this horror has a purpose.
The mistakes that led to Ferguson belong to all Americans, and we have to learn from them if we expect anything to change.
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