"It requires listening to people and thinking about what they say."

Yes, it does.  I like to think I have.

Do I "think Brown deserved to die because he was imperfect?"  No.

Do I "think his life was not worthy of a protest over his death?"  No.

Do I think bad things are NOT going to happen if I start fighting with a police officer?  No.

Brown was an 18-year-old black male.  Some white males that age do dumb things.  I do not "think" this - I know this.  

I'm going to assert that some 18-year-old black males also do dumb things.

At one level, I'll concede EVERYTHING'S about race.  At another level, however, it's all about people, irrespective of race, doing dumb things.  Brown did something dumb.

Your article might have placed more emphasis on stupidity, less on phenotype.