Mike Brown: Trayvon Part 2

[CCTAU]

Easy there. You pigs being in cahoots with the KKK like you are, you're going to need someone like CCTAU. Not me.

Hey now.

I only trust those cops in my chapter.

[Buzz Killington]

I'll just leave this here.
http://conservativetribune.com/mike-browns-mom-tweet/

[Pell City Tiger]

I'll just leave this here.
http://conservativetribune.com/mike-browns-mom-tweet/

She's just as responsible for what happened as Mike Brown himself.

[GH2001]

I'll just leave this here.
http://conservativetribune.com/mike-browns-mom-tweet/

Confirms everything about the same behavior he displayed that got him killed. No respect for anyone or any authority. And way too much time on his hands to show it. Pretty obvious he picked up his views and behavior from home.

[Tiger Wench]

Amazing, absolutely courageous article by a WaPo writer who admits he was wrong.

I think the DOJ report is spot on. It sounds like there is a lot of institutionalized racism in the Ferguson PD. Maybe this was the straw that broke the camel's back.  I can understand the black community saying ENOUGH.

But Brown deserved what he got. The most racially sensitive DOJ  in American history supports that version of events. Officer Wilson was absolutely justified in shooting Michael Brown.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/03/16/lesson-learned-from-the-shooting-of-michael-brown/?postshare=8521426533755306

The late evening of Aug. 9, 2014, I couldn’t sleep. I was due to substitute-anchor MSNBC’s “UP with Steve Kornacki” and should have been asleep. But after looking at my Twitter feed and reading the rage under #Ferguson, I felt compelled to type a reaction to the killing of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson. Tying the shooting to the inane whine of certain politicians about a “war on whites,”  I decried the next morning the death of yet another unarmed black man at the hands of a white police officer.

In those early hours and early days, there was more unknown than known. But this month, the Justice Department released two must-read investigations connected to the killing of Brown that filled in blanks, corrected the record and brought sunlight to dark places by revealing ugly practices that institutionalized racism and hardship. They have also forced me to deal with two uncomfortable truths: Brown never surrendered with his hands up, and Wilson was justified in shooting Brown.

The report on the Ferguson police department detailed abuse and blatant trampling of the constitutional rights of people, mostly African Americans, in Ferguson. Years of mistreatment by the police, the courts and the municipal government, including evidence that all three balanced their books on the backs of the people of Ferguson, were laid bare in 102 damning pages. The overwhelming data from DOJ provided background and much-needed context for why a small St. Louis suburb most had never heard of exploded the moment Brown was killed. His death gave voice to many who suffered in silence
The unarmed 18-year-old also became a potent symbol of the lack of trust between African Americans and law enforcement. Not just in Ferguson, but in the rest of the country. Lord knows there have been plenty of recent examples. And the militarized response to protesters by local police put an exclamation point on demonstrators’ concerns. But the other DOJ report, the one on the actual shooting of Michael Brown, shows him to be an inappropriate symbol.

Through exhaustive interviews with witnesses, cross-checking their statements with previous statements to authorities and the media, ballistics, DNA evidence and results from three autopsies, the Justice Department was able to present a credible and troubling picture of what happened on Canfield Drive. More credible than the grand jury decision to not indict Wilson. The transcript of his grand jury testimony read like so much hand-holding by the prosecution.

What DOJ found made me ill. Wilson knew about the theft of the cigarillos from the convenience store and had a description of the suspects. Brown fought with the officer and tried to take his gun. And the popular hands-up storyline, which isn’t corroborated by ballistic and DNA evidence and multiple witness statements, was perpetuated by Witness 101. In fact, just about everything said to the media by Witness 101, whom we all know as Dorian Johnson, the friend with Brown that day, was not supported by the evidence and other witness statements.

Fight in the SUV

Page 6: Wilson and other witnesses stated that Brown then reached into the SUV through the open driver’s window and punched and grabbed Wilson. This is corroborated by bruising on Wilson’s jaw and scratches on his neck, the presence of Brown’s DNA on Wilson’s collar, shirt, and pants, and Wilson’s DNA on Brown’s palm. While there are other individuals who stated that Wilson reached out of the SUV and grabbed Brown by the neck, prosecutors could not credit their accounts because they were inconsistent with physical and forensic evidence, as detailed throughout this report.

Struggle over the gun

Page 6: Brown then grabbed the weapon and struggled with Wilson to gain control of it. Wilson fired, striking Brown in the hand. Autopsy results and bullet trajectory, skin from Brown’s palm on the outside of the SUV door as well as Brown’s DNA on the inside of the driver’s door corroborate Wilson’s account that during the struggle, Brown used his right hand to grab and attempt to control Wilson’s gun. According to three autopsies, Brown sustained a close range gunshot wound to the fleshy portion of his right hand at the base of his right thumb. Soot from the muzzle of the gun found embedded in the tissue of this wound coupled with indicia of thermal change from the heat of the muzzle indicate that Brown’s hand was within inches of the muzzle of Wilson’s gun when it was fired. The location of the recovered bullet in the side panel of the driver’s door, just above Wilson’s lap, also corroborates Wilson’s account of the struggle over the gun and when the gun was fired, as do witness accounts that Wilson fired at least one shot from inside the SUV.

Hands up

Page 8: Although there are several individuals who have stated that Brown held his hands up in an unambiguous sign of surrender prior to Wilson shooting him dead, their accounts do not support a prosecution of Wilson. As detailed throughout this report, some of those accounts are inaccurate because they are inconsistent with the physical and forensic evidence; some of those accounts are materially inconsistent with that witness’s own prior statements with no explanation, credible [or] otherwise, as to why those accounts changed over time. Certain other witnesses who originally stated Brown had his hands up in surrender recanted their original accounts, admitting that they did not witness the shooting or parts of it, despite what they initially reported either to federal or local law enforcement or to the media. Prosecutors did not rely on those accounts when making a prosecutive decision.

While credible witnesses gave varying accounts of exactly what Brown was doing with his hands as he moved toward Wilson – i.e., balling them, holding them out, or pulling up his pants up – and varying accounts of how he was moving – i.e., “charging,” moving in “slow motion,” or “running” – they all establish that Brown was moving toward Wilson when Wilson shot him. Although some witnesses state that Brown held his hands up at shoulder level with his palms facing outward for a brief moment, these same witnesses describe Brown then dropping his hands and “charging” at Wilson.

The DOJ report notes on page 44 that Johnson “made multiple statements to the media immediately following the incident that spawned the popular narrative that Wilson shot Brown execution-style as he held up his hands in surrender.” In one of those interviews, Johnson told MSNBC that Brown was shot in the back by Wilson. It was then that Johnson said Brown stopped, turned around with his hands up and said, “I don’t have a gun, stop shooting!” And, like that, “hands up, don’t shoot” became the mantra of a movement. But it was wrong, built on a lie.

Yet this does not diminish the importance of the real issues unearthed in Ferguson by Brown’s death. Nor does it discredit what has become the larger “Black Lives Matter.” In fact, the false Ferguson narrative stuck because of concern over a distressing pattern of other police killings of unarmed African American men and boys around the time of Brown’s death. Eric Garner was killed on a Staten Island street on July 17. John Crawford III was killed in a Wal-Mart in Beavercreek, Ohio, on Aug. 5, four days before Brown. Levar Jones survived being shot by a South Carolina state trooper on Sept. 4. Tamir Rice, 12 years old, was killed in a Cleveland park on Nov. 23, the day before the Ferguson grand jury opted not to indict Wilson. Sadly, the list has grown longer.

Now that black lives matter to everyone, it is imperative that we continue marching for and giving voice to those killed in racially charged incidents at the hands of police and others. But we must never allow ourselves to march under the banner of a false narrative on behalf of someone who would otherwise offend our sense of right and wrong. And when we discover that we have, we must acknowledge it, admit our error and keep on marching. That’s what I’ve done here.

[dallaswareagle]

Amazing, absolutely courageous article by a WaPo writer who admits he was wrong.

I think the DOJ report is spot on. It sounds like there is a lot of institutionalized racism in the Ferguson PD. Maybe this was the straw that broke the camel's back.  I can understand the black community saying ENOUGH.

But Brown deserved what he got. The most racially sensitive DOJ  in American history supports that version of events. Officer Wilson was absolutely justified in shooting Michael Brown.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/03/16/lesson-learned-from-the-shooting-of-michael-brown/?postshare=8521426533755306

Doesn't matter, black suspect, white cop. Al and Jesse can not let the race card fade away, cause then they do too. And the real bad part of this is that people like Al and Jesse are doing more harm to race relations then helping but most of the black community just follow and believe every word.

[Buzz Killington]

Now that black lives matter to everyone, it is imperative that we continue marching for and giving voice to those killed in racially charged incidents at the hands of police and others. But we must never allow ourselves to march under the banner of a false narrative on behalf of someone who would otherwise offend our sense of right and wrong. And when we discover that we have, we must acknowledge it, admit our error and keep on marching. That’s what I’ve done here.

Thafuq?
Even though we are wrong, we will continue to march.  Mmmmmmkay.

[WiregrassTiger]

Thafuq?
Even though we are wrong, we will continue to march.  Mmmmmmkay.

So, you're saying that black lives don't matter, huh? I hope Al Sharpton punches you right in the face. Live on MSNBC. On the Rachel Madow show. I'd take her to pound town, btw.

[War Eagle!!!]

Thafuq?
Even though we are wrong, we will continue to march.  Mmmmmmkay.

Agree. I read it and thought the article was ok. Definitely not courageous. He still listed numerous counts that "justified" the marching and overall ignorance. And I use the term "ignorance" because he doesn't know what happened in the other cases like he didn't know what happened in the Brown case.

I am all for busting corrupt officers and government systems, but to lay blame on whitey keeping the black man down here is "ignorant".

[dallaswareagle]

Agree. I read it and thought the article was ok. Definitely not courageous. He still listed numerous counts that "justified" the marching and overall ignorance. And I use the term "ignorance" because he doesn't know what happened in the other cases like he didn't know what happened in the Brown case.

I am all for busting corrupt officers and government systems, but to lay blame on whitey keeping the black man down here is "ignorant".

If you tell the lie enough it becomes the truth.

[WiregrassTiger]

After watching the video, I'm pretty sure that Jonathan would suck one till the swelling goes down. Not that there is anything wrong with that. For you guys, I mean. I'm not saying I would...Nevermind.

[Tiger Wench]

Thafuq?
Even though we are wrong, we will continue to march.  Mmmmmmkay.

You cannot deny that there are definitely racial issues that come in to play in some of these situations.  The DOJ report was SCATHING in its indictment of the Ferguson PD for blatant racial bias in how they policed their town.  Many conservatives and non-activist types agreed once they read the DOJ report.  It does read like a how to book for pushing racial bias in law enforcement.  The locals had just had enough - and from reading that report, it sounds to me like it had just reached the boiling point.  It wasn't 'just" the shooting.  The shooting was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

Unfortunately for the folks in Ferguson, their chosen poster boy turned out to be a shithead who got what he deserved, instead of the choir boy getting picked on by Da Man.  Plus all the witnesses lying about it in order to make a case against the cop didn't help things at all once the forensics came into play and proved they lied big time.

His point, in my take on it, is that is important to consider that there may be a racial aspect to a crime, and each incident should be examined for potential racial motive, but he is also saying he has learned that jumping to an automatic "RACIST!!" reaction before all the facts are known is equally bad.  If nothing else, showing support for someone who, as it later turned out, was a total asshole and deserved to get shot, does not exactly help your cause.  Not that Jesse or Al or Holder are going to admit they were wrong.  But this guy did, and I am sure he caught a ration of shit for it from Da Community.

At least now that mofo's family is not going to be able to sue Officer Wilson in a civil case.

[CCTAU]

Where was Al and Jessie back in the day when Folmar's boys were knocking heads in Montgomery?

Call it racist. Call it what you want, but at some point in time, you have to stop the crime and lunacy.

Any police department that has high crime in minority neighborhoods can be cited for multiple "racial" violations.

There also has to be community involvement to keep neighborhoods safe. When that fails, they look to the police...until the police actually start doing something. Then it is racist.

I'm not saying the report is wrong. I am saying that the department did not wake up one morning and decide to be this way.

[Saniflush]

Where was Al and Jessie back in the day when Folmar's boys were knocking heads in Montgomery?

They knew better than to show up less they get their head knocked.

[CCTAU]

They knew better than to show up less they get their head knocked.

True dat, Emory's boys DID NOT PLAY.

Now Montgomery is SHITE!

Sometime you gotta stereotype and maybe even work under what some would call racist guidelines to stay ahead of the game.

[AUTailgatingRules]

Please name me 1 majority black community in this country that is thriving.

 

[War Eagle!!!]

Please name me 1 majority black community in this country that is thriving.

Montgomery?

[WiregrassTiger]

Montgomery?

Yep. And Prichard and Selma would round out my top 3 in Alabama. These 3 cities can hold their own per capita against any place in the country with a thriving drug and prostitution trade. Apparently he isn't familiar with these communities.

[Kaos]

Please name me 1 majority black community in this country that is thriving.

Prichard.
Tuscsloosa.

[smooth_operator]

I think the statistics are incredibly misleading for the general public. Traffic stops, citations and arrests aren't supposed to be a random population sample. You must have a traffic violation or probable cause to pull someone over. You must have a warrant or probable cause to make an arrest. An officer on patrol isn't consulting his race tally sheet "need to find a whitey to break even". He or she should be simply acting on the violations he or she sees. Surprise surprise certain areas yield a great deal of traffic violations and arrests. Some areas do not.

Furthermore high crime areas should and do recieve extra attention, using traffic violations to make contact with potentially more serious offenses. I guess I don't have to point out that high crime areas tend to be minority communities. Police departments are (rightfully) heavily criticized for ignoring those areas.

I'm not saying they weren't doing wrong. It certainly sounds like, after reading the report, they have some absolute idiots working there. I am saying that using traffic stop statistics could make any department that is doing the right thing look bad and any department using a chicken shit ignore crime in high crime areas policy look competent.