For the past four months, the people of Ferguson have been standing up for the very oldest American ideal: democracy, a say in the decisions that affect their lives. Just now, I was shocked to learn that the state of Missouri will not pursue a trial over the killing of Mike Brown. This latest miscarriage of justice shows that our democracy is still haunted by the oldest American reality, present at our nation’s creation: a belief by many in power that not all of our voices, and lives, truly count. We can, and must, do better.