Having seen the images coming out of Ferguson, Missouri, in recent days, it’s hard to believe that what protesters there really want is justice in the wake of the Michael Brown shooting. Whether they claim to want justice for Brown, his family, their community or for all the black men who have died as a result of being on the wrong end of a policeman’s service revolver, the violent reaction to the lack of a grand jury indictment for the officer that shot him reeks of many things — but not a desire for justice.

It will take days, if not weeks, for the public to digest all of the information that came out of the grand jury investigation and to formulate a truly informed opinion on whether justice has or has not been served. One gets the distinct impression that the masses who gathered to burn cars and throw rocks and loot businesses would have only been appeased with an indictment, a clear sign that guilt had already been assigned before due process.

Which begs the question: Are the protestors truly interested in finding justice, or merely seeking a way to quench their thirst for vengeance?