Ferguson is “getting prepared for war” if a grand jury doesn’t indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.No matter where you stand on this issue, I want you to consider this.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson toldCBS News he has been meeting with students, gang members and ministers about what might happen following the grand jury decision that is expected to come down this month.
“There’s a lot of fear. A lot of people are afraid of what could happen,” Johnson explained. “In the end, this is gonna be the community we have to live in.”
Ronardo Ward, 33, is one of those hoping to maintain peace in Ferguson if Wilson isn’t indicted.
“We are getting prepared for war,” Ward told CBS News. “And that’s just crazy.”
Michael Johnson, 42, believes many young people will rail against the “system.”
“There’s gonna be a lot of angry young people that’s pretty much not gonna listen to the system anymore,” Michael Johnson said. “Why should they?”
Protests have been going on for months following Brown’s death in August.
The police have felt "under the gun" for years. The community has been too, but have complied because they felt that criminals were the target of heavy handed police tactics.
Now?
The community feels like the community. Now the community is feeling like they're being targeted and killed by police. Would you submit to arrest if you felt that you were going to be summarily executed by police? Sounds outrageous? Take a deep dive into the internet and read what is being said.
Yep. No matter where you stand, rest assured that Ferguson is about to be a two way firing range.
Sidenote: The only thing that Holder and the Justice Dept had to do to prevent this from turning into the clusterfuck to be is to step in and do an investigation. If the Justice Dept came back with a no-bill on Wilson then we would not be facing a weekend or more of watching a US city burn.
Sidenote 1: The same applies to the Democrat Governor of that state.
Sidenote 2: I would appreciate a vigorous debate but will not tolerate race baiters etc...There are sites that would more than welcome your participation but not here.
And when the DOJ comes back without an indictment?
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that too many people get away with inciting a riot, er I mean protesting before they know the facts. The media is also complicit in this crap. They had this officer convicted before a shred of evidence was even in.
The fact is that a thug tried to take a cop's gun and would have likely killed him with it. While the officer did not know that said thug just committed a strong-arm robbery, the thug did know which was his likely motive for going for the officer's gun.
That being said, there has been some behavior by the department in general that deserves some scrutiny, but that has no place in this issue. In a court of law, there is no "guilt by association" and this case needs to be judged on its own merits and not on general feelings that "something" needs to be done.
A DOJ decision would likely mitigate violence and rioting but only slightly. From the onset, this issue has been about stirring tensions rather than the actual 'problem'. There were some grave faults by the local PD such as treatment of the body directly after the incident and the non-transparency of information which could have been handled much better (without necessarily giving out sensitive info).
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the local community lost its mind and went from protest to bat-shit crazy, instead of organizing and fighting for its point (right, wrong, whatever), the local community wanted blood. Contrary to what many believe, the "militarization" of the LEO's that responded had little to do with the violence and destruction that followed, it was simply the fact that the community had made up its mind (and wanted ITS "solution") and nothing was going to change it, for that matter, nothing likely will. That's why this weekend is looking like it will be an epic shit-storm.
People will be upset when people that they know are shot, particularly by cops, its understandable, no one likes to think that someone they know could or would do something that could get them killed, again, particularly by law enforcement. However, most people completely ignore the other perspective of that officer (or sometimes, regular person) who was likely worried and very scared and simply attempting to defend himself or herself from a grave perceived threat. People forget that it is hard to accurately judge someone simply for defending their life if the judger has not been in a similar situation.
All that considered, what can be learned from this situation?
1) Accurate and effective transparency does a lot to help keep tensions low.
-(As you pointed out months ago, another LEO shot a guy with a knife a few days after the original shooting but that department got the video and information out quickly and these was no where near the levels of disturbance created in the wake of that incident.)
2) Body cameras, while they may be inconvenient (no one wants everything they do or say recorded), can be very key in situations like this (or for proving/disproving allegations of abuse, harassment, mistreatment, general complaints, etc.)
3) There are forms of crown control that are much more effective than the traditional "line and file" tactics used originally. After the switch was made between LEO's, riot-control officers used "wedge" type tactics to go into the crowd and remove violent protestors or agitators "surgically".
-This method is much better as it keeps tensions and contact low, it is, more or less, less confrontational than other CC methods.
4) Swapping officers in an out in shifts with greater frequency could keep tensions lower as well; after some point, cops get sick of getting yelled at, spit on, hit, and in some cases, shot at (it's only natural, even for cops) so this could give those conducting crowd control a break, keeping them "fresher", calmer, and safer.
5) Organizers WITHIN the community need to take the lead for demonstration. After religious and other leaders took over and started asking for calm, meaningful protest, things started to calm down. In any future case, out of state or even out of city demonstrators should be shunned and demonstrations should be adequately planned and peacefully carried out, for everyone's safety.
6) People need to calm down and let facts dictate actions, not perceptions and certainly not agitators who have no stake or care in the actual outcome of the situations.
Ok lets examine the facts:
Delete1.) A man was killed, perhaps it was murder, perahaps it was self-defense we do not know.
2.) Even though someone was killed, there has been no charges laid against the killer.
3.) Instead of prosecuting the killer and letting the judicial system determine what really happened, we see massive show of force by the police. Police who are already accused off police brutality. In a community where the largest source of police income is from civil asset forfeiture!
IV.) Because the inital show off force worked so well, the police have continued to esculate and provoke these people. Why are they doing this, why aren't they doing their job and prosecuting the killer? Is it perhaps because they know he would be found guilty? One can only wonder, if he is really innocent why do they fear the judicial system so much?
The facts?
Delete1. YOU don't know the true facts.
End of story.
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ReplyDeleteThey should time the release of the Grand Jury decision when it's forecast to be very cold and/or snowy...
ReplyDeleteThe Polar vortex is set to arrive full blast on the 14th and that was the projected date.
DeleteCold freezing weather didn't stop the Chinese at the Chosen and it won't stop the riot once started.
http://www.steynonline.com/6524/cigars-but-not-close
ReplyDeleteWondering for your thoughts on this article?
My Thoughts?
DeleteHell of a waste of money, time and lives for five dollars worth of cheap cigars.
Coulda, shoulda, woulda, BUT Didn't.
There should have been a special prosecution brought forward by the governor from the start, it may be very well be that this case was a case of self-defence, who knows? But these things need to have their day in the court so that we can determine if it really was self-defence or just another countless act of pointless police brutality.
ReplyDeleteReading the responses of people here I get the feeling that many do not support the rights of the community for freedom of assembly and association, this is a dangerous thought because the freedom to assembly, the freedom to association and of free speach and thought are the most important freedoms we have. Even if you do not agree with what they are saying, its still important that they can get together as a community and exercise their rights!! It doesn't matter what their skin colour is...
Unfortunately in america there just isn't:
1.) Accountability for government workers.
2.) A respect for peoples fundamentaly inherit rights, rights which are inherint and not the byproduct of government, nor can government take them away....
Feel free to assemble
DeleteJust don't feel free to block my route home from work.
I doubt you live in Ferguson and drive through the areas they block in their assemblies, besides the police aren't confronting these groups of people over 'blocking roads', they are doing it as a show off force, that is why they have all their shiny guns on display and play 'dress-up' and drive arround in their humvees.....
DeleteInfact confronting them like this is the worst thing to do if you want them to stop and go away, confronting them like this, especially the way they have done so has only incited them more.. And escalating the situation is a bad idea, police should be trained to escalate the situation not escalate and create violent confrontations everywhere they go....
America has a massive problem, there is a lot of corruption (many government protected cartels, such as car realtors), lots of police brulatilty and a growing a disregard for liberty and rights...
Don't like America?
DeleteGo home and stay home, where ever paradise you think you live in.
Jacobite
DeletePresumably you think the Poles provoked violence from the NSDAP and the USSR?
The police exist first and foremost to ensure that the streets are safe for the law abiding.
If the police can't go down certain streets without being violently attacked, what makes you think you or I could?
I smell cop block all over Jacob.
DeleteHey Jacob what has incited the rioters are the bus loads being brought in from out of the area. I can only guess that those funding the "protesters" have an anti police anti government agenda. I will admit some things should have been handled better by the chief and politicians, but they are all politicians. Now as far as the judicial system is concerned the grand jury is 12 citizens that are tasked with deciding if the prosecution even has enough evidence against the officer to proceed. That's how it is supposed to work. Or It can be like what they did in Florida an railroad someone into spending more on a legal defense than they should have. The officer has rights as well remember that. If he is charged by a grand jury he would be immediately fired if their state works like mine. He would loose everything just do you and the rest could have their pound of flesh that ultimately could have been handled by the grand jury.
ReplyDeleteNow the grand jury system is not perfect. I've been through one and there was a lady that kept calling the actor who by the way pulled a gun on me knowing I was a police officer a victim, because he fought and I won when trying to arrest him. Now I know my race played a part in the lady's mind, and it helped the guy not be prosicutd to the fullest extent, but he was still prosicted and will probably die in jail.
Now my hope is the community will get through what the outsiders will do to it. There are reports there is a rush to buy weapons for fear the looters will go on a rampage. People in the area are in fear. I hope whoever runs this thing will not hold the officers back south as to put them at a higher risk than is needed.
How does everyone feel about the culpability of the media in this situation and by extension the T. Martin situation here in Florida? Disclaimer: i have personal friends that are officers, but as a whole i do not consider myself a friend of the agency for many reason:
ReplyDelete1. military tactics, if you have to resort to these tactics in a civil society on a regular basis then you have failed in your overall mission and you should be replaced.
2. willingness as an organization to cherry pick laws as they suit their situations
3. city politics
4. aggressive nature (i understand their frustration but if they cant control themselves then they are in the wrong line of work)
I believe that media purposely stokes these fires to justify their own personal needs and I want them held accountable. Look at the T. Martin cases, the media was purposely attempting to portray the now deceased young man as a little innocent boy by showing 4 year old pictures of him while it found the most ominous overbearing photos of that dumb ass Zimmerman (who was considerable smaller in stature) to make him look like a creeper. Moreover they misrepresented his ethnic background intentional because white on black sells more papers. Look at all of the incidents with reports, like the douche from nbc, purposely antagonist officers just to provoke an aggressive response. The old saying of we get the government we deserve seems equally applicable to the media. Democracy and apparently main stream media, is the rule of the lowest common denominator.
HINDSIGHT: Officer Wilson should have called for back up prior to initiating an arrest of Mr. Brown.
ReplyDeleteHandling the situation himself under stress and injury body, mind and spirit and with emotions running wild was not the best course of action.
If nothing else he would have had Police witnesses to what ever transpired.
Officer Wilson simply should have waited in his patrol car, locked behind closed doors.
------------------
Mr. Brown should have endeavored to remain clean, straight and sober, sought to pay for his Swishers and walked on the sidewalk provided for his safety.
Being polite, kind, and courteous to both the shop keeper and Officer Wilson.
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Hindsight is always 20/20 and life is a mean bitch.
Now, everyone is going to suffer for these hot headed and thoughtless actions by two people.
This has all the makings of going down as the largest best organized suicide by Police ever seen in the history of man.
ReplyDeleteThe area I live in is mixed racial and rural, we all still wave and smile at each other, the tension is there but I feel no matter what we all see what is happening in Ferguson as just that...happening in Ferguson.
DeleteComing from a military family, Grandfather's, Father's Uncles and cousin's, brother and son, nephews and friends most are Army long term career my branch were Marines. The Brother is career reserve and fought in Desert Storm, the son and nephews fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, as aviation and Infantry and as contractors. One cousin died in Iraq.
These are the salt of the earth military, not the politician's in uniform of the high command. The true Military holds it's cards closely and follows orders watching and waiting, the politician's in uniform follow orders also but tie their stars to the asses of politician's, they cannot be trusted.
Many people see what becomes of those who buck the system and sit quietly appearing submissive and tame.
Those who don't get retired, or fired as many have in the last few years.
The same goes for politician's whose ideas of right are not compromised.
I still have faith but I haven't trusted government since I was a young Marine and saw what happened during and after Vietnam.
The media is the worst enemy of the US.
Ideology and incompetence is the reason for all this mess.
The people ultimately in charge are just dumb as a bag of nails and think they are geniuses.
Fucking amateurs as my Gunny would say.