<p>“It’s a reaction common among antebellum southerners on the issue of slavery during the 1850’s and more recently, segregationists or their fellow travellers during the 1950’s and '60s…”</p>
<p>Oh good lord, I am not an antebellum southerner nor a segregationist. Give it up. </p>
<p>" I speculate about the Brown case because of what we do know, such as a Wilson being unique in not having to write a report of the shooting, the history of that department and all the other cases we see constantly. The important part of all of these cases is the pattern."</p>
<p>If it’s ok to notice patterns, is it ok to notice any patterns about who commits violent crimes? Not saying I have any fount of knowledge, but just asking here. </p>
<p>It was so stupid making announcement last night at an hour when so many idiots were out waiting for action to start. So many of the looters and mischief makers were probably already liquored up and ready to start trouble. It is as though CNN scheduled the announcement to accomodate them and get a lot of action to show on TV. The announcement should have been done at daybreak when troublemakers are sleeping it off.</p>
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<p>I have to disagree with such conclusion. The people who answered the decision by burning their own villages or the ones they happen to visit for the sole purpose of creating a disaster zone had ZERO interest in the process. Their only interest was to obtain what they consider justice. And that justice could have only ONLY outcome. Not only to see charges pressed but to have a full conviction. </p>
<p>All the rest is non-sense. The decision could have been made public at 6am or 10pm, and the results would have been the same in terms of lawlessness and egregious behavior. As far as maintaining order, it was a no-win situation from the get go. Too many army-type vehicles and too much show of force versus let them wawe their pitchforks and burn the town to the ground … anything would have been criticized. </p>
<p>Claiming that transparency might have mitigated the impact of the decision simply ignores months of incendiary declarations by community “leaders” who exist solely for fueling unrest and pretending to seek peace and justice. </p>
<p>Perhaps people should consider that one way to combat what is perceived as undue actons by the police is to stop engaging in behavior that triggers the reaction. Brown is dead and perhaps lost his life by an escalation that should never had happened. Had he not robbed a convenience store and reacted peacefully, there is little doubt he would be alive today. </p>
<p>Continuously defending victims that were only victimized as a result of their own stupidity and disregard for the law will never be part of the solution. Attempting to educating the disadvantaged and actively supporting projects to help them get out of the vicious cycles of poverty and lawlessness is the solution. But it starts by being honest about what should not take place, and what has happened in Ferguson last night should be the poster child of what NOT to do. And it should be vehmently condemned and not supported by litanies of flimsy excuses and non-sense. </p>
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Come on, Admit it. When you’re alone, you wear hoop skirts and say “fiddle dee dee.”</p>
<p>Again, I dont know if Wilson was justified or not, but the grand jury process was a sham. Several posters here have said that Brown was stopped when the call came over the radio, however the day after when the police captain had his press conference, he said, Officer Wilson had no idea about the robbery when he stopped Brown. This is why I am upset. Ferguson PD has very shoddy procedures, and Wilson has been allowed to create a narrative after the event due to lack of documentation. He may have been justified, but a trial out in the open wouldve been nice.</p>
<p>Also, I would never defend the idiots who were rioting last night. I think they have ruined the credibility of the protesters, who have marched quietly for the past 3 months. They wanted to riot, and the county knew it, which is why it was a bad idea for them to announce at night. </p>
<p>It has been clearly documented, that protests have been peaceful during the day, and knuckleheads come out at night. So why announce at night? It was so they could say, “see, told you so”</p>
<p>xiggi is right about the timing. The verdict before the LA riots in 92 was announced mid-day. Our offices closed almost immediately, by H and I were in danger as we tried to get home. Looters were running out of the stores as commuters were just crawling past due to the traffic. It was very dangerous. </p>
<p>It made sense to announce the decision of this grand jury after the commute was over and school children were home. It’s too bad it couldn’t have been timed for a blizzard. Only that would have prevented the destruction of last night.</p>
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<p>Agreed. I thought the officer in that situation was incredibly sexist–not so sure whether he was racist. Although given the history of the LAPD I don’t think it’s unreasonable to suspect that he might have been racist as well.</p>
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<p>I think we all agree that the timing was unfortunate.</p>
<p>Another thing I noticed was that when the conclusion was announced, the TV cameras were focused on an unattended police car in the midst of a group of protesters. A few people tried to shake the car as if to turn it over, and the police didn’t come and stop them. Surely they knew the marked car would be one of the first targets of the growing rage as the news spread in the crowd. Even after someone threw a brick or rock through the back window of the vehicle, the police didn’t come immediately. It was almost as if they wanted the vandalism to be captured on film for the very reason of “I told you so.”</p>
<p>See my earlier post. You don’t want people on the roads during the anticipated trouble. Interstate 44 was shut down by a mob of people last night. The commuter rail lines could have been attacked. School children needed to get home. </p>
<p>From a young friend’s Facebook post:</p>
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<p>pizzagirl- When I met you, weren’t you in a hoop skirt fanning yourself with a fan and drinking a mint julep?</p>
<p>I think the reason for taking it to a grand jury was that McCulloch was highly confident that he could not get a charge to stick by going in front of a judge for a preliminary hearing/arraignment. Then both he and the judge would have been accused of protecting the police officer. The grand jury had the power to request data and testimony, so they heard a lot more than the judge would have. As unusual as it was for the accused to testify to the grand jury, I think it would have been much more unusual for the defense to present at a preliminary hearing.</p>
<p>The prosecutor has released lots of data, you can read through that and decide how you would have voted.</p>
<p>The police and political situation in the St. Louis area is a mess. We need fewer municipalities and fewer police forces. If the task forces that are put in place because of this shooting lead to better governance, that would be a step forward. </p>
<p>Seems there have been plenty of mistakes.The most significant evidence is based on forensics. If Brown was charging Wilson as the DA contends (proved by gunshot wound and blood evidence) the system has worked. The larger problems are the perception of bias and the reality that people of color are often treated unfairly by law enforcement.</p>
<p>What would have happened if Wilson had a partner in the cruiser. Would last night have been different if Brown’s stepfather wasn’t screaming “burn this B•••• down”</p>
<p>I have nothing but compassion for the Brown and Wilson families and the people of Ferguson. </p>
<p>Where is the leadership (political, religious) </p>
<p>My mantra and suggestion for the path forward:</p>
<p>Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God.</p>
<p>Matthew 5:9 </p>
<p>Really good opinion piece in the NYT today. Very critical of McCulloch.</p>
<p><a href=“Opinion | The Meaning of the Ferguson Riots - The New York Times”>Opinion | The Meaning of the Ferguson Riots - The New York Times;
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<p>That’s what you want to believe. But reasonable minds think differently.There is already an ingrained perception that the judicial system is rigged against minorities. So taking it to the grand jury where there is secrecy only bolsters that perception. If McCulloch had gone with a preliminary hearing then it would have been transparent since everybody would have gotten to see it. Additional, it was widely reported that people wanted the prosecutor to recuse himself because they do not trust him. McCulloch even dared the governor to remove him from the case.</p>
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<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-bob-mccullochs-pathetic-prosecution-of-darren-wilson/2014/11/25/a8459e16-74d5-11e4-a755-e32227229e7b_story.html?hpid=z3”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-bob-mccullochs-pathetic-prosecution-of-darren-wilson/2014/11/25/a8459e16-74d5-11e4-a755-e32227229e7b_story.html?hpid=z3</a></p>
<p>If there is one thing I would prefer the protesters to do is to channel some of that energy into registering to vote and then fully participating in the process. With Ferguson being two-thirds black, getting involved would hopefully result in local representatives( mayor, city council, school board, police, etc) that have their best interest as a priority.</p>
<p>I am not surprised they did not indict and I feel it was the correct decision based on the evidence.</p>
<p>I do believe we would be better of if all police cars and police officers were equiped with cameras that were always on.</p>
<p>Would be nice if somehow police weapons all had cameras too.</p>
<p>No civil rights bills were ever passed by looting or setting cars on fire</p>
<p>(Paraphrased comment from president Obama this evening. )</p>
<p>Just now in Minneapolis a car was trying to pass through a crowd of people marching in protest of the Ferguson verdict. Some witnesses say the car accelerated into the crowd and others say the driver appear fearful when the crowd surrounded the car and then he/she accelerated to get away. I do not know which statement is accurate, but the reporter says a couple people suffered minor injuries. </p>
<p>Here’s a nice little photo essay of riots that have seemingly gone unnoticed, for the most part. I certainly don’t remember any news coverage of most of them.</p>
<p><a href=“https://storify.com/betakateenin/white-people-riots”>https://storify.com/betakateenin/white-people-riots</a></p>