US must put own rights record in order

The shooting of an unarmed African American student by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug 9 has dented the self-proclaimed human rights pride of the United States.

Michael Brown, 18, was walking with a friend to his grandmother's house when police stopped him for questioning regarding an "armed robbery" at a convenience store. Since police officer Darren Wilson treated Brown as a suspect, a quarrel broke out between the two. This enraged Wilson, who started shooting at the teenager and his friend - a later video showed 11 shots were fired, six of which, including two deadly ones in the head, hit Brown.

A CNN video telecast on Aug 12 showing some police officers yelling "Come on, you beasts" at the protesters added proof that racism is still a fact of life in the US. Repeated protests aroused concerns of the general public as well as US President Barack Obama. During his summer vacation, Obama expressed sympathy for the "passions and anger" sparked by the death of Brown.