On the topic of the Ferguson grand jury's decision · 5:59pm Nov 25th, 2014
As most of the country knows by now, last night a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, decided not to indict Officer Darren Wilson on criminal charges for the shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. And as most of the country knows by now, what happened next is what I can only describe as pure anarchy.
I knew the jury wasn't going to indict him. There was plenty of evidence, both forensic and testimonial (most of which can be viewed now that the jury has released documents related to the case) that supports Wilson's version of events; that Michael Brown attacked him viciously, continued to attack him despite being warned and subsequently shot, and (in my opinion) most importantly, that Brown DID NOT have his hands up when Wilson fired that shot that killed him.
Does that mean I think Brown deserved to die? Absolutely not. Does that mean Wilson still used excessive force? Possibly. But regardless of how you feel about the case, whether Wilson should have been indicted or not, I think we can all agree on one thing: the actions of the protestors in Ferguson last night were absolutely disgusting.
Nobody wanted violence. Not Brown's parents, not the President, not the actual people of Ferguson. I've no problem with peaceful protests. The right to lawfully and peacefully assemble is a fundamental American right. But what happened last night was barbaric.
Buildings were set on fire. Police vehicles were destroyed. Dozens of shops were looted. People fired guns with live ammunition at police and each other. If Ferguson had been a place of mere unrest before, it became a full-out war zone last night. I watched it all night. I watched them torch those buildings to the ground, ruining the lives of the business owners. I watched them loot shops, attack police officers. I watched as the streets of Ferguson burned, and even then I cannot imagine what it must have been like to actually have been there.
The worst part? Hardly any of those "protestors" were Ferguson residents. I strongly suspect that, while the people of Ferguson absolutely want answers and closure for what happened, they are just as horrified and disgusted at the sight of their town turning into a battleground.
That was not "protesting". That was borderline terrorism. Yes, terrorism. The act of violence and intimidation in pursuit of political aims. Though I was not alive at the time, I couldn't help but draw parallels to the 1992 L.A. riots, where 55 people were murdered by "protestors". I've seen footage of those riots, and watching Ferguson descend into chaos last night, it was disturbingly similar.
I think President Obama put it nicely when he said this:
“[Progress] won’t be done by throwing bottles, [it] won’t be done by smashing car windows, [it] won’t be done by using this as an excuse to vandalize property and [it] certainly won’t be done by hurting anybody. To those in Ferguson, there are ways of channeling your concern constructively and there are ways to channeling your concerns destructively.”
He's right. What good do these people do when they turn the town upside-down and cause mayhem and destruction? Do they honestly think that's going to solve the problems of racial bias and police brutality?
I may not have been there. I may have a controversial opinion about the grand jury's decision. But goddamn it, I know that there are better ways to go about this than rioting, looting, and fighting. It's just a shame that they can't seem to understand this.
Michael Brown is still dead, Darren Wilson is still not indicted, and Ferguson is burning. No justice, no peace.
That's about as eloquent as I've heard this put.
June 28, 2005
Justice department of the United States: It is not a cop's constitutional duty to protect civilians from harm.
And this.
Oh, and the vast amount of racism.
2616126 Yes, America's law enforcement is in dire need of reform, and racism is still alive and well. But the Michael Brown incident is the wrong case to use when making such a point. If anyone deserves justice for being unlawfully murdered by a police officer, it's Eric Garner.
Michael Brown robbed a store and attacked a police officer. I'm sick of people defending him and calling Wilson a racist. If he was a racist, I very much doubt he'd be able to spend several years in the Ferguson police department, in a town that is mostly black, and not have a single incident or complaint lodged against him prior to the shooting of Brown. It doesn't make sense.
2616129 2616129 The racism was from the media, politicians and the public. Never heard Daren Wilson speak about race.
The fact that Michael Brown's body was left for four hours on the street until a new station call and reported the incident. Wilson did not call it in, nor was there police dash cam or a body cam, and the fact that it took six shots to Brown -including two in the head- was not deemed excessive. My beef is with his method.
rosselderdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/americadoingitwrong.jpg?w=480
The segregation on communities and constant harassment from officers, The Stanford prison experiment showed us that with a little power, abuse of it is eminent. And you dehumanize people, even the most smart and well adjusted person can become a criminal.
Who is to say the Mike Brown was not a victim to dehumanization. Painting him as an aggressor in past tense since he cannot defend himself. Giving him the perception of Brown being s danger.
The tension of the people of color and the police has always been there in the streets, in the minds of the public, in politics. Since the voice of the victims are usually zipped up in a body bag and left to speculation that can be obscured. In the last decade, 5000 people have been shot by the police; now outnumbering Americans killed in the Iraq war. The war on drugs in poverty stricken communities. Blacks are subjected to 2.5 times the time sentenced for crimes some one with white skin would be given. So, if not to use the Michael Brown incident as a motive, then when?