<p>Because it was a manhunt, a sort of suspense drama. the day to day cop killings are ignored.</p>
<p>The media ginned up this Ferguson story for ratings. If the media had collectively stayed away, had not devoted days and days to this story, I doubt this rioting would have happened.</p>
<p>Brown wasn’t questioned because he was jay-walking as someone mentioned at the beginning.</p>
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<p>Here’s Wilson’s account,</p>
<p><a href=“Darren Wilson Described Michael Brown as 'Crazy,' Intent on Killing Him”>http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/darren-wilson-described-michael-brown-crazy-intent-killing-him-n255521</a></p>
<p>According to him, he was pinned by Brown and couldn’t reach for the mace canister. He wasn’t carrying a taser at that time.</p>
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<p>It was verified by autopsy that Brown’s thumb was in contact with the gun.</p>
<p>And the deep seated social issues like the endemic racism and corruption within the LAPD of that era had nothing to do with sparking those riots? Yeah OK. </p>
<p>They didn’t. Many of the looters were actually interviewed. They had no idea a verdict had happened. They saw others looting and just joined the mayhem. And even still there is no justification, no excuse.</p>
<p>CC parents have described their black sons being accosted by police when walking in their own quiet neighborhoods. Followed by police cars. </p>
<p>I am the mother of a white only child who is a son. At some deep level, I live in fear that something will happen to him. Every time I hear of the violent or accidental death of a young man the first hing I wonder is whether he was an only child. Parents of multiple children often pooh-pooh this, saying no child is replaceable, which is of course true. But believe me, there is a big difference between being the parent of a child, and the parent of none.</p>
<p>If I were the mother of a black son, I would be terrified. I can well imagine the deep-seated fear they live with.</p>
<p>So you think two white boy walking down the middle of the street would have been confronted by a police officer even if a call had gone out about a shoplifting of a pack of cigarillos? GMAFB. </p>
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<p>Weren’t about 20 of the white pumpkin festival rioters arrested? And didn’t the rioting stop after one night? I’m not saying it was ok for them do do that, just that law enforcement responded and made arrests, and the violence did not persist for weeks. So what point are you making? </p>
<p>As for whether white shoplifters would be arrested, maybe. The call that went out was not for shoplifting, but for a strong-arm robbery, which is a more violent encounter. Should the police officer have ignored it? He heard the report and the description of the suspect, and saw someone matching that description right by his car. Note that the store employee did not call in the robbery, it was one of the customers. The employee knew better than to call the police to report a theft. </p>
<p>@Emilybee , funny you should mention that….just this weekend, one of our employees was shopping at Ikea in Philadelphia. When he exited the store, he found his vehicle had been broken into and he was robbed. One of the items stolen was his iPad, which had the tracking feature showing it " walking " away, yet close enough that the police who responded to the call might have been able to catch them. Instead, they told our employee that they don’t do that, and suggested he call 911…that’s exactly what he had just done</p>
<p>As someone said up-thread, this entire situation has been a dung sandwich from the start, and it can be laid at the feet of the Feguson PD, regardless of Wilson’s guilt or innocence. Through the fog of the Mike Brown shooting we can see that something is drastically wrong in Ferguson. Another look at the Henry Davis case (guilty of ‘assaulting the police with his blood’) reveals the Ferguson cops to be stone-faced liars, even when confronting non-violent supects. The Police and also the County Attorney created mistrust and now expect everyone to overlook the history of police misconduct in that town.</p>
<p>Notwithstanding the questionable conduct of the police, there is no denying the fact that Mike Brown was a bit of a horse’s ass. A straight up criminal? I don’t know. What I would sure like to know is why he reached for Wilson’s gun and then charged the cop. Doesn’t make any sense to me but I guess we’ll know more when additional information is disclosed.</p>
<p>Getting back to the cops; yes, some white cops have pre-determined ideas about all Black males. Don’t believe me? Then see if you can find links to news stories about past shootings by police in the NYC subways wherein Black undercover officers were shot (nearly fatally) by their uniformed bretheren when mistaken for criminals. During a subsquent TV interview in a training class, one white officer candidly stated that whenever he encounters a Black suspect his priority is to presume that suspect is armed, shoot to protect himself and then sort it out later. He actually said it on camera!!! I get the feeling that other cops share that atitude.</p>
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One of the officers shot by fellow officers is a personal friend of mine. No question that black males are treated with suspicion first based on the color of their skin. No question. Which shouldn’t be, but the important thing is to live to tell the tale. If that means laying down on the ground and being humiliated, that’s a shame. But alive is better.</p>
<p>Don’t cops always assume that any suspect of any color is dangerous? Protecting themselves is always the first priority. That’s why on a highway stop they approach the car carefully and order the driver to exit the vehicle. Officers have been shot and killed just walking up to a car to check ID. Here’s a white kid shot by police for waving a toy gun.</p>
<p><a href=“Autopsy: 13-yr-old carrying pellet gun shot by cop 7 times - CBS News”>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/autopsy-13-yr-old-carrying-pellet-gun-shot-by-cop-7-times/</a></p>
<p>Not everything is racial. That doesn’t mean nothing is racial, either.</p>
<p>busdriver, he had his hands up. Numerous reports support this.</p>
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<p>Also, numerous reports confirming officer Wilson’s account of the events leading up to the shooting . Forensic evidence also supports the officer’s story regarding the struggle that took place between the nearly 300 lb Brown and Wilson. I don’t understand how these facts are ignored here.</p>
<p>I am not denying that there aren’t issues between young black men being targeted by law enforcement.
Question is, what can effectively be done to improve relations in this community and law enforcement ? Hiring more blacks would be a good start…I suspect they would need to recruit for this, just as they do in other minority communities with high crime rates.</p>
<p>And I also think black youth need positive role models in their lives. The statistics of black children being raised without their fathers is staggering. I think that Brown’s parents failed him , but then mom was 16 when she had him.
There is a lack of respect for themselves, others and authority . We as parents on CC share the common thread of wanting the best education we can for our children.
The cycles that are so prevalent in these communities need to be broken.</p>
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<p>And not surprisingly, there are already accusations that the DA Robert McCulloch who has had a history of being biased in favor of law enforcement and perceived as such has deliberately “thrown the case” to protect Officer Wilson so the grand jury won’t indict him. </p>
<p>I find it remarkable some posters are fine with the whole judicial process when there’s enough dubiousness from having McCulloch as the DA and his past history and subsequent actions have borne that out. </p>
<p><a href=“Background of prosecutor in Ferguson case has some questioning probe's credibility - CBS News”>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/background-of-prosecutor-in-ferguson-case-has-some-suspicious-of-bias/</a></p>
<p><a href=“20,000 sign petitions seeking special prosecutor in Michael Brown shooting”>http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/sign-petitions-seeking-special-prosecutor-in-michael-brown-shooting/article_d0cc6e7f-8b32-5153-8ab4-86ebdc4659ca.html</a></p>
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<p>That is a gross oversimplification. </p>
<p>Many riots also start when those rioting have the perception of feeling powerless, ignored, and abused by those in positions of authority. They also tend to be exacerbated by perceived heavy-handed actions by law enforcement/military personnel.</p>
<p>There were quite a few incidents which would be considered a riot which are celebrated in our national myth by many Americans…such as the mobbing and tarring and feathering of British tax officials by the “Sons of Liberty” right before the American Revolution or mobbings which occurred in the wake of the Boston Massacre which was sparked by British soldiers firing into a crowd. </p>
<p>More recently, during the Tienanmen Square crackdown in '89, a similar mobbing or to some, “riot” occurred when a PLA officer and a soldier in a jeep type vehicle were mauled to death by a crowd after the officer stupidly ordered the soldier to machine gun the crowd. Not too surprisingly, they rushed and killed both of them in response. </p>
<p>The case was presented to a grand jury because the DA wanted back-up. Typically, it would have been ruled justified in about 3 days. That is the usual procedure. </p>
<p>“busdriver, he had his hands up. Numerous reports support this”</p>
<p>Are you addressing the right person? I don’t think I have said a single thing about his hands up or down.
It does sound like the grand jury was presented with evidence that he came several feet towards the officer. I have no idea where they are saying where his hands were placed.</p>
<p>As far as the pumpkin riots being compared to this, were there shots fired at those? Was the community terrorized, and businesses burned down? I wasn’t watching the news reports on those riots.</p>
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<p>Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been stopped for speeding a few times, and <em>I’ve</em> never been ordered out of my car. Or even ASKED to exit my car. Or been asked to allow them to search it, which I absolutely would not do.</p>
<p>Actually, all of those things have happened to me, a white woman. Maybe different jurisdictions do things differently. I wasn’t speeding either. I drive like an old lady.</p>
<p>Then why did they stop you?</p>
<p>That was a quote from someone who addressed you bus driver. I happen to agree with your posts on this thread ;)</p>
<p>I don’t put much trust any eyewitness accounts. They are notoriously unreliable. I think that is why so many police cars are not equipped with video cameras. Muddies the water and allow the police’s report to be more believable. </p>
<p>There was a story a few months ago of a black women and her kids pulled over by a cop. I can only imagine what their story would have been if there was no video. </p>
<p><a href=“Woman and children accidentally pulled over at gunpoint by Texas police - ABC7 Chicago”>Page Not Found | abc7chicago.com - ABC7 Chicago;
<p>Or this gem: <a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/25/justice/california-police-videotape-beating/”>$1.5 million payout for woman beaten by California cop - CNN;
<p>Does anyone believe if it had been a 51 year old white women the cop would have beat her or if there had been no video a settlement and resignation of the police officer? </p>