The police left Michael Brown’s body on the street. To Charles Pierce this fact is the worst horror to emerge from Ferguson, MO:
Bodies are not left in the streets of the leafy suburbs. The bodies of dogs and cats, or squirrels and raccoons, let alone the bodies of children, are not left in the streets of the leafy suburbs. No bodies are left in the streets of the financial districts. Freeze to death on a bench in the financial districts and you are whisked away before your inconvenient body can disturb the folks in line at the Starbucks across the street. But the body of a boy can be left in the street for four hours in a place like Ferguson, Missouri, and who knows whether it was because people wanted to make a point, or because nobody gave a damn whether he was there or not. Ferguson, Missouri was a place where they left a body in the street. For four hours. And the rage rose, and the backlash built, and the cameras arrived, and so did the cops, and the thing became something beyond what it was in the first place. And, in a very real way, in the streets of Ferguson, the body was still in the street.
When even the president urges the beginning of a “healing process,” what can citizens do?
In “Fifth Avenue, Uptown,” James Baldwin explains how a private project in Harlem called Riverton became a slum. That it turned into one was used by bigots to adduce their bigotry: see, this is what happens when you let them run their own affairs:
Other people were delighted to be able to point to proof positive that nothing could be done to better the lot of the colored people. They were, and are, right in one respect: that nothing can be done as long as they are treated like colored people.
If Michael Brown had been a white boy, do you think Ferguson police would have left his body on the street for four hours?
Begin my mincing two cloves of garlic, then sautéing them in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
Next, add one 4-oz. can of diced green chiles, 1 cup of frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw them), one 15-oz can of beans (pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained), 1 tsp of cumin, and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (less if you’re sensitive to heat). Stir these ingredients together well.
Add 8 oz. uncooked wide egg noodles and 2 cups of vegetable broth to the skillet. The broth will not cover the noodles, but that’s okay. While it’s simmering with the lid on, the steam will cook the upper noodles while the lower noodles simmer in the broth. 
Place the lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to high, and let it come to a boil. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Stir it well once, half way through.
While the skillet is simmering, slice three green onions, roughly chop about 1/4 bunch of cilantro, and shred about 2 oz. of pepper jack cheese.
After simmering for ten minutes, the noodles should be tender and most of the liquid absorbed. Stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream. Add most of the sliced green onions and cilantro, saving just a little for the top.
Lastly, sprinkle the cheese over top, place the lid back on the skillet for a few minutes, and let the residual heat melt the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro and green onion over top, then serve.
Oooh, creamy comfort.
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