Back in August, when news first broke of a shooting in Ferguson, Mo., the media world, perpetually tingling with eagerness for white-on-black violence stories, plunged into delirium. An unarmed, black 18-year-old “gentle giant” had been shot in the back while running away from a white police officer! He was just preparing to enter college in the fall. He had been assassinated while holding his hands in the air in a gesture of helplessness. “Hands up; don’t shoot,” chanted protesters. The “hands up” gesture immediately achieved iconic status among demonstrators from Boston to New York to San Francisco.

If the early reports of the tragedy had been accurate, I would have been happy to jump on a plane and march with the protesters. I wouldn’t have set fire to any convenience stores or beauty parlors — nor would I, as Missouri’s governor and U.S. attorney general did, imply that “justice” would mean the “prosecution” of the officer — but I would have demanded a full investigation and, if the evidence supported it, an arrest.