Ferguson Part Deux - No charges to be filed!

Parent Cafe
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<p>Note that all of the past (unpublicized until recently) troubles with Ferguson’s police department have likely created an atmosphere of such great distrust between the citizens and police that the citizens of Ferguson largely will not believe him under any circumstances, regardless of whether he was totally right, totally wrong, or somewhere in between.</p>

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<p>Waving a real-looking fake or toy gun is not a particularly good idea.

<a href=“http://cbsnews2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2014/11/23/ea875dc3-555d-4bb6-b40c-d1dd980edea4/thumbnail/620x350/2bb8ccee73caf41214c2f12b6ee3ff8d/airsoft.jpg[/img]”>http://cbsnews2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2014/11/23/ea875dc3-555d-4bb6-b40c-d1dd980edea4/thumbnail/620x350/2bb8ccee73caf41214c2f12b6ee3ff8d/airsoft.jpg

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<p>The issue seems to be larger and more systemic than just the Ferguson PD based on articles I posted in #59. </p>

<p>Seems like this extends to racial issues around housing/local government in the St. Louis/Ferguson areas going back many decades. It’s also an issue which is often ignored by those who have an interest in maintaining the appearance that “all is fine” when the reality may be different upon closer scrutiny. </p>

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<p>Several kids in my old NYC neighborhood had realistic looking battery-powered Uzi automatic water guns. Worst thing that happened to them was the local cops warned them not to wave them around in public sidewalks outside parks/playgrounds after someone did call in to express concern.</p>

<p>Granted, this was back in the mid-late '80s and the kids with the realistic guns happened to be or could pass as White.</p>

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<p>Obviously, Ferguson is not unique in terms of poor relations between police and citizens, particularly black citizens.</p>

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<p>A violent punk did not deserve to die,!,</p>

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<p>I don’t know what happened between the officer and Brown. I do think white privilege has a huge impact on how white people interact with law enforcement compared with black people. But I still don’t know what happened, and it’s too big a leap for me to conclude the grand jury failed because the officer wasn’t held accountable for what is a systemic problem in Ferguson or the United States. This is such a polarizing discussion, one either sees this as a thug cop abusing his power and hunting down a random black kid, or an overgrown gangsta coming at a scared cop. People on both sides are very sure they know what happened without a full analysis of evidence. </p>

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<p>“busdriver, your contemptuous tone adds nothing to the conversation. Seriously.”</p>

<p>I have total contempt for those people who are looting and burning down the businesses of Ferguson, with black and white owners. Threatening and scaring the people who live and work in the community is criminal. While you may have complete respect for the looters and arsonists, not everyone agrees, especially those who have family members there.</p>

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<p>A young black man doesn’t have to be a thug to be killed by police officers. </p>

<p>Yusef Hawkins, Amadou Dialo, and the case of the young black man killed in Harlem last week which was an “accident”. Yusef was playing a pick up game of street football & Amadou was holding a cell phone. </p>

<p>But the PA man who killed a dozen police officers last month was brought in alive. Had he been black, we all know what his fate would have been. </p>

<p>I spoke to a very close family friend this morning. We discussed the moment that our sons were born and how were were filled with joy but also with fear. Why? Because we knew what was in store for boys who look like them. So sad that our sons are 12 years apart, but we shared the same feelings. </p>

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<p>busdriver, it was this post of yours that I found obnoxious:</p>

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<p>NO ONE thinks looting is the answer to problems in Ferguson or anywhere else. And MOST of the protesters in Ferguson have remained nonviolent throughout this whole episode. But understanding the outrage in the black community might be a start to making progress on race relations. So might not having a double standard for this sort of behavior depending on the color of the perpetrators’ skin.</p>

<p>From an opinion piece on the difference between treatment of black and white rioters:

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<p><a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/20/opinion/kohn-ferguson-protests/”>http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/20/opinion/kohn-ferguson-protests/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>sally, we finally find something we can agree on. I am obnoxious.</p>

<p>I do not think the violence has anything to do with outrage in the black community. Those people are protesting peacefully, not trying to harm others.</p>

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<p>I think rioting has to do with one thing primarily: being young and male and immature. It happens all over the world, for all kinds of reasons. In Ferguson it absolutely is connected to frustration about the perceived lack of value of a young man’s life, in my opinion.</p>

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<p>“Waving a real-looking fake or toy gun is not a particularly good idea.”</p>

<p>No, it’s not a good idea - but the boy was 12. 12 year old boys play. .If it was a 12 year old white boy I have no doubt the police wouldn’t have shot him. </p>

<p>It’s like the police shoot blacks men and boys first and ask questions later. </p>

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<p>My family used to live in Clayton, near the courthouse. It’s a lovely area, with businesses, shopping, restaurants, and upscale condos and old homes. Wash U is in this area, though not near the courthouse. I was afraid there would be more violence in Clayton than there was. My heart breaks for innocent business owners who were looted by thugs. No excuse. </p>

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<p>The white kids at the pumpkin fest in NH are just as much thugs as the looters in Ferguson. No double standard here. Lock em all up. </p>

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<p>It’s what I said on another thread: it’s the lens through which too many white people view black people. A white teenager wearing grungy clothes and behaving rudely is called an idiot. A black teenager doing the same thing is called a punk and a thug. </p>

<p>A few days ago police officer was in the stairway of an apartment building. A young black man and his girlfriend entered the stairwell, and the policeman shot him dead. The man wasn’t armed, wasn’t threatening, wasn’t suspected. It was a rookie cop, probably scared and on a hair trigger. Even the police dept is saying there was no excuse for the bad shoot. The presumption just seems to be if they’re black, they’re a threat. </p>

<p>We know that - contrary to procedure - the officer was not required to write an incident report. He was able to tailor his story to the subsequent evidence. So here’s the question i’ve had about the Brown shooting: Exactly how did the whole incident start? What did they say to each other. I have a sneaking suspicion that the officer used language that was incendiary, unprofessional, and essentially set the stage for an improper response by a teenager. </p>

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<p>I was in a Walmart parking lot one time when a young unattended kid was waving a gun at me out of a parked car’s window…I don’t know to this day if the thing was a toy or a real gun. I kept moving and called cops to checkout the kid…didn’t hang around to see what happened.</p>

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<p>They released the grand jury documents. A few summaries I read contradicts initial impressions,</p>

<p>All 3 autopsies are in agreement; no shots entered from the back. He wasn’t running away when shot. Brown was not raising his hands in surrender when the fatal shot was fired according to the bullet trajectory.</p>

<p><a href=“Documents Released in the Ferguson Case - The New York Times”>Documents Released in the Ferguson Case - The New York Times;

<p><a href=“Witnesses Told Grand Jury That Michael Brown Charged at Darren Wilson, Prosecutor Says - The New York Times”>Witnesses Told Grand Jury That Michael Brown Charged at Darren Wilson, Prosecutor Says - The New York Times;

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In this instance we have video of the young black man behaving as a violent punk just before the fatal incident. It’s not speculation. And I completely agree with the Brown family that body cameras on police are critical for the protection of both the public and the police.</p>

<p>I personally called the police officer here who killed Eric Garner violent punk because he clearly was and I hope he is indicted. It’s interesting that there have been no riots here and much support among the community to and from the family of Mr. Garner.</p>

<p>Young black men need jobs. they need those first steps onto the ladder of success and responsibility that will give them other things to worry about than stealing cigarillos. Unfortunately, the last six years have wiped out the future for this generation and the next few years don’t look very bright for them, either. Very sad. </p>

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<p>According to the news I heard, they weren’t sure if the fake gun part was relayed to the officer.</p>

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<p>Okay - then what about the case of John Crawford of Ohio? He’s the young man who was killed in a Walmart for “threatening people” in the store with a BB/pellet gun. Turns out, he picked up the gun in the store and was carrying it around (despite claims on the 911 tape that he was loading it and pointing it at people) when police entered the store and shot him dead. In the back.</p>

<p>The 911 caller now admits he lied about the bullets and the threatening part. </p>