We remember during the Bill Clinton Administration all about those Black Helicopters, Military Manuvers in the Streets of America, putting people into collective camps and prisons……yeah, we remember all that fairly vividly. Then after 911 the talk got pretty scary about those Black Helicopters reading your mail – in your mailbox and even taking people out who were political opponents.
As Right Wing Cable pushed these stories aside and relegated them to rumor and innuendo or certain PBS Independent Documentaries……these tales dimmed somehwat and became aimed more specifically at stealing credit card numbers and stealing your identity and a raft of listening to your private conversations in your own home, on your telephone or mobile device or computer. Nancy Grace seemed to target the great stupids in our society which had begun years before as the Natalie Holloway disappearance in Aruba. Joran Vandersloot, Foxy Knoxy – Amanda Knox, Casey Anthony and finally the grand poo-bah of stupids Jodie Arias.
In the meantime, a black kid in crazy Florida – Travon Martin was killed by a self appointed Neighborhood Watch guy, who liked walking around at night in the rain, with a 9mm handgun following black teenagers to the nearest Convenience store and back into his own special Stand Your Ground area. The kid was unarmed and whatever happened only George Zimmerman will ever know. Then came the Kelly Thomas killing in Fullerton, California. His dad was an ex-cop, Kelly did drugs and liked living outside. Two cops with a combined weight of over 500 lbs, jumped on him and stopped his breathing and he became brain dead and died several days later. Suddenly, lots of Officer involved shootings of people that were unarmed but may have reached for their “Waistband”.
We kept hearing time and time again about excessive use of force by police officers, some involved lots of shots others serious beatings by homeless grandmas and the like. Having been to the Citizens Police Academy several years ago, we know how tough and dangerous the job is that our many wonderful police officers do. There are times however, when the leadership of police departments is either “outdated” or using “Material Overkill” as an excuse for good decision making and strong direction in the public safety arena. It is certainly the old story, that the press never reports the many great jobs that are done on a daily basis by police officers all around our country. We still sit fixated watching the latest “Car Chase” until the brutal end….and are very excited when the dummy that wouldn’t stop is apprehended with great eland. We keep wondering however about the 15 to 20 police cars and three helicopters that were required to get some drunk, prescription drug overdoser, liquor store robber or simply someone that beat up their wife and grabbed their 3 year old as hostage – finally taking the kid to grandma’s house before being arrested. Is this really worth that many Public Safety resources?
Sadly, we do have poster boy cases that are awful. The recent incident in Ferguson/St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday is such as case. When black kids only graduate 15% of the male 18 years olds…..”Gentle Giant” Mike Brown was walking to his grandma’s house with his friend. Mike was unarmed and had recently graduated from high school. A police car cruised by and made a nasty comment……to get out of the road. Within 60 seconds……Mike Brown was pulled halfway through the driver side window of the police car and shot once……he pulled back raised his hands and was smartly cut down like tree with six more bullets….and fell dead. After five days, the Ferguson Police Department have down everything wrong……that could be done. First of all, the Eric Holder and the FBI rushed Agents to Ferguson to do a serious investigation. The Ferguson folks said that they were going to do a parallel investigation! Guess they don’t trust the FBI and instead of wanting to Collaborate and support the FBI Investigation – they wanted to do their own “special investigation”. The Police Chief has so far refused to release the name of the Officer, because after five days…….he says: “We have had death threats….”
Sunday, folks were shocked and when the Ferguson PD stonewalled and Ferguson City Council were in hiding, the result was on Monday night that some people rioted. There is still some conflict in the story about who set the fire to Convenience Store. One report was, that a Flash Bang Grenade set off the fire, not the protesters. Eventually, the truth will come out. Tuesday night the Police donned their Riot Gear and brought out lots of various Smoke, Gas, Flash Bang Grenades and arrested 40 people. Tonight, things really got out of hand and the Ferguson Police brought out all their Military Equipment, including uniforms with a armored carrier with a mounted Machine Gun. 30 caliber or 50 caliber? It doesn’t matter……we now have created the Gaza Strip right in the middle of the heartland of our country. Hundreds of rounds of Tear Gas, CN and CS…..both very painful and of course Smoke and Flash Bang triples. Camo clad Police with rifles roamed the streets in search of protesters, even in a MacDonalds. They arrested several news reporters for not clearing the area fast enough – even without an imminent threat to public safety. News trucks were not allowed in the area and the PD Chief wanted all protest activities to cease after sunset.
The Governor of Missouri made a five minute appearance and left. The Mayor of Ferguson, or any member of the City Council has yet to make a public statement or comment. As we watched the events unravel in Ferguson…..we thought back to the days of Kent State and how many kids had to be killed before those in power realize that escalation of force is probably not the correct course. What has to happen? Does President Obama have to deploy troops to take control of the situation? Is there no one in Ferguson/St. Louis, Missouri that will be responsible and take charge? The Police Chief of Ferguson should be fired and put on administrative leave. The Police Officer that killed Mike Brown….should be arrested and kept in solitary – for his own safety – until a trial is held. What is so amazing is that this is Deja Vu all over again. Yes folks….welcome to the 60’s – everyone smoked weed, protested, got beat up by the cops and were totally disappointed with our political leadership at even the lowest levels. As Dolly Parton said: “Here you come again!”
Ferguson, MO……Back to the 60’s!
Twitter justifies its existence:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/08/13/ryan_reilly_and_wesley_lowery_reporters_arrested_in_ferguson_mcdonald_s.html
Don’t call the cops on minorities:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2014/08/michael_brown_eric_garner_debra_harrell_just_three_examples_of_why_i_don.html
*Dr. D., when was the last time you saw a news cast about a Neighborhood Watch program in a minority community. Believe us when we say – they have them but these efforts are never reported. Law Enforcement around the country is not only embarrassed by the actions of the Ferguson Police but realize how much the Ferguson strategy to control Kum-by-ya, Human Wave, protesters – was way over the top and overkill. One thing is for sure – if the FBI comes in and creates another “Consent Decree” for 10 years….lots of those officers will be retiring. Effective immediately!
ok. since this is serious, I will try and be serious……
regardless of whether it is the result of profiling, harassment, or broken window community policing, when a cop tells you to get out of the car, sit on the curb, shut up or provide some sort of identification, that is what you do. that is what I was taught. you do not run away, even if your hands are in the air, you do not back talk, you do as told. if the officer goes beyond acceptable boundaries, you make a report, you call the reverend al, you retain mr diamond and you sue the bastards. at that moment, however, in that situation, you do not fight the power because you will lose
*A million times a day law enforcement saves lives. We just saw a speeder stopped on the freeway……she was choking and the police officer grabbed
her out of the car, did a Heimlick and the piece of chicken popped and he saved her life…..and didn;t even give her a ticket. However, the Ferguson situation is way out there and is only missing fire hoses, dogs and black and white camera work to let you know….it is still 1960 there! So TDM, we suppose you were OK
with the Clive Bundy folks pulling out their AK-47’s and backing down the County Sheriffs and Federal Agents? We were not! Kelly Thomas had over 500 lbs sitting on his chest……good police work? Only if everyone lives!
Since you want to dredge up Bundy again… I was anti guns BUT since the Bundy issue… I am now pro-gun. Look at Israel and Palestine. Do you want your only line of defense to be rocks? I completely understand why people feel the need to protect themselves…from our own government. If the people with Bundy had not returned with weapons the government would have come down on them…like they did when those people were unarmed. The law backed down because the people stood up to them and open carry is legal in Nevada.
If someone were to ask me if I am pro gun today, I will say yes, however gun owners need to be held accountable if their weapons fall in to the wrong hands, even accidently. Weapons need to stay locked up at all times. Weapons also need to be registered. There needs to be better background checks.
Will I ever own a gun? No. 1. I have a temper and have no business being around a weapon. 2. I will shoot myself in the foot because I am a klutz.
As for the police… do I trust them? Hell no! They are here to protect the rich from the rest of us. Ask Disney.
“Since you want to dredge up Bundy again… I was anti guns BUT since the Bundy issue… I am now pro-gun. … If the people with Bundy had not returned with weapons the government would have come down on them…like they did when those people were unarmed.”
I don’t think you really understand the Bundy case or the issues.
Cliven Bundy had been ILLEGALLY grazing his cattle on GOVERNMENT LAND for years and owed thousands of dollars in fees, fees that all the other ranchers pay.
When the BLM came to round up the cattle, Bundy’s son attempted to assault one of the officers and kicked a police dog he was then TASERED, NOT SHOT.
That brought out all the gun-toting right-wing crazies who proceeded to POINT THEIR GUNS AT FEDERAL AGENTS AND THE COWBOYS hired to round up the cattle. Rounding up the cattle was the “coming down on them” part and that would have been a FAIR AND JUST resolution to the situation.
NOTHING about the Cliven Bundy situation JUSTIFIED GUNS being POINTED AT THE AUTHORITIES!
http://www.salon.com/2014/04/24/fox_news_worst_cliven_bundy_lies_22_right_wing_delusions_about_the_absurd_standoff/
“Why do Ferguson’s police officers look like soldiers?
Federal programs give free tanks, guns to small-town cops”
http://news.yahoo.com/why-do-ferguson-s-police-officers-look-like-soldiers-184517098.html
The militarization of the cops has been a concomitant of the War on Terror. Is this just a unintended consequence or this there something as lot more sinister.
Either way it’s got to be reversed. One of the principal causes of the American Revolution was the colonists having British troops quartered on them.
it appears that what you want are situational ethics, which do not work, especially in police situations. instead of a consistent policy, the police, the public and the politicians are obligated to rationalize and second guess what is usually a tense split second decision. we have laws, we have rules and they need to be followed by everybody: black kids in bad parts of St Louis, people entering this country illegally across the rio grande, white politicians in orange county who abuse the system for personal gain, all need to be treated the same.
utilizing that as my base line, here are my thoughts:
Clive Bundy should be arrested and charged with threatening police officers and government officials plus what ever other charges can be filed against him for creating a dangerous situation and acting like an asshole
Kelly Thomas, whose death is tragic, failed to follow the orders of a police officer, as did Mike Brown, and is therefore responsible for the consequences. Both had alternatives, they could have complied, been processed through the system and then sought damages or whatever recompense they thought was justified.
the bottom line is simply, you do not disobey the police
“we have rules and they need to be followed by everybody”
Alas, “everybody” fails to include the cops who pretty much do any damn thing they want and already have their get out of jail free cards courtesy of POBR.
There’s rules for us and there’s (no) rules for them.
Agreed and it is the south where saying the N-word is commonplace. Although, Anaheim PD has military weapons and equipment as well. The police departments are no longer held accountable and I mean all of them.
“the bottom line is simply, you do not disobey the police”
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/lawsuit-details-how-ok-trooper-turned-traffic-stop-abduction-and-brutal-rape
as a society, we have made the decision to grant the police a lot of power, and we have imbued them with great discretion. we do it to protect, in concept, life, liberty and property. as such, we have a social contract (that is for all you locke fans out there) by which they have agreed to protect and serve and we have agreed to obey their directions. anytime we give individuals power, some will abuse it and we have processes built into our system to deal with those abuses. sometimes they do not work and sometimes they take too long, but it is all part of what we have agreed to. as such, pursuant to our agreement with ourselves, we have an obligation to do what the police tell us. if they tell you to stop and you continue to run, you know you are going to get shot. that is the conscious decision you have made.
and before any of you criticize the police, go on a ride along with them one night in south central or garden grove, walk up to a car with four passengers at two in the morning not knowing who is in there or what they are all about and then let me see how quick you are to accuse.
I go back to my original point, the cops are the law and if they tell you to sit down, you sit down. if you sit down, you will not be shot
Social Contract = Rousseau.
Ride along, blah, blah, blah.
I don’t have to ride anywhere with the cops to know that our electeds (you call them “society”) have granted them super-sweet pensions and legal protections that are completely out of proportion to any difficulty in their work. Our electeds did this for their own political gain, not for the public’s good. Which is another way of saying we could get just as good public safety for a hell of a lot less and with a hell of a lot more accountability.
If an anonymous person dressed and armed up like a real soldier ordered me to sit down and shut up I most certainly would. Nobody wants to get shot in the back.
“and before any of you criticize the police, go on a ride along with them one night in south central or garden grove, walk up to a car with four passengers at two in the morning not knowing who is in there or what they are all about and then let me see how quick you are to accuse”
Not to pick on your TMM, but this argument really grinds my gears.
We pay our LEOs well over six figures a year simply because the overwhelming majority of us don’t want to spend a night in south central on a ride along.
We’re the boss. We’ll criticize whomever we like whenever we like. <– THAT'S PART OF THE SOCIAL CONTRACT.
The mob may not be right in its criticism, particularly when it's under informed, but the lack of shared experience from a civilian does not, in anyway, take away from any legitimacy in the critique.
Cops shouldn't kill people. If they do, it should be the option of last resort. I've never been a cop, I don't want to be a cop, but like it or not– that demand is perfectly legitimate. It's legitimate because it's right.
of course the police should not shoot anybody, much less kill them, as anything other than a last resort. but there has to be perspective as to what these guys go through and what the uncertainty that they have to deal with. they make split second life and death decisions, and some of them are wrong. and the wrong decisions need to be investigated and, if justified, prosecuted.
my original point is that none of this would have happened if the two individuals who were walking down the middle of the street, when told by a police officer to simply get on the sidewalk, had done as they were asked.
Right.
And I guess this guy shoulda just done everything he was told, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Hdf5SnaDU
I get your point. I do, really. As a general rule your point has merit.
But the genesis of the problem is this sick reverence we have for a wannabe warrior caste. Cops are people. They make mistakes. There are too many people in this country who think they’re perfect and always deserving of our love and respect.
It’s just so easy to claim “Cops not Criminals” because we want to believe in black and white lines between good and evil. Unfortunately, that just doesn’t line up with reality.
I support our LEOs. I know their job is hard. That’s why I insist we pay them well.
It doesn’t mean I believe that I can’t call a LEO on the carpet for sucking at his or her job or that I shouldn’t have a right to do so because I’ve never walked a mile in his or her shoes.
I’ll be the first one to concede this is complicated– but a big part of the problem is the public has conceded too much of its responsibility to preserve law and order to the police– as you’ve pointed out. How else can one explain allowing the same individual who’s responsible for writing traffic tickets and talking to kids in our schools to strap on an M-16 while wearing camouflage.
We’ve given up too much and as a result we’re simply asking LEOs to do too much. If the reality of our circumstances dictate that we should demand that any law abiding citizen concede his or her freedom because someone with a badge demanded so, we ought to change our circumstances before tolerating that reality.
“wannabe warrior caste”
Do the folks who flashed assault weapons against Federal officers in the Cliven Bundy episode, or the people licensed to conceal/carry who have murdered citizens and cops fall into that category?
http://www.vpc.org/ccwkillers.htm
It seems to me that the whole country is awash in “wannabe warriors” and they ain’t all cops.
No.
I believe you’re looking for the caste properly labeled crazy, but that’s just my two cents.
Crazy? So someone who has a license to conceal/carry couldn’t possibly have a warrior complex, they’re just crazy.
Wow. Just wow.
“people licensed to conceal/carry who have murdered citizens”
That’s what you said.
Now, if you want to change the rules on my on a per-comment basis, I reserve the right to change my responses accordingly.
Funny, I don’t recall that “crazy” works as an effective defense for murder all that frequently.
You know better.
Are you trying to make a point, anon– or just trying to be difficult?
I do my fair share of both, so I get it. Just let me know so I know what rules we’re using.
You try to brush aside those people I mentioned as simply “crazy” and I’M the one trying to be difficult?
Got it.
If all those people I mentioned were ACTUALLY crazy, instead of fake crazy as you choose to brush them aside as, they’d all march into court and use…oh fuck it, nevermind…it’s not even worth getting into it with you.
I think that CCW holders who murder people have screws loose.
There are two types of “crazy”.
1) Those who are either incompetent to stand trial or who lack the mental means necessary to form criminal intent
and
2) Those whose moral boundaries deviate significantly from what society classifies as normal.
Crazy as a defense to murder applies to group 1. Not group 2.
For example, Charles Manson is crazy type #2. I would hazard to guess that most CCW holders who murder (which, by definition excludes them from crazy group #1) people are more properly labeled nuts than fitting into a group that society reveres.
Now do they revere themselves as some sort of machismo cowboy? That’s a different discussion. Does society revere them? Hell no.
Hope that helps.
Ahh, so now the term is “machismo cowboy” and before it was “wannabe warrior.” Don’t worry, I won’t accuse you of “changing the rules.”
I think you just don’t want to use the term you used to describe a cop to describe a citizen. That’s kinda weak.
I stand behind my main point…the country is awash in “wannabe warriors” and they aren’t all cops.
Here’s what I said: “wannabe warrior caste”
Which is not the same as what you just said: “I stand behind my main point…the country is awash in “wannabe warriors” and they aren’t all cops.”
There’s a big fat difference between the two. One has to do with a collective deference, the other with an individual attitude.
Also, I don’t disagree with your point, either.
*Sorry, but we do have to step in on CCW violence. Less than 1% of CCW holders across the nation….are involved in controversial situations including the death of another. More times than not, it is the home owner in their own domecile, protecting and defending their own property that are more likely to take the life of another. Up to now….CCW holders are vetted psychologically……as best that can be determined. As our soldiers come home and ask for CCW’s…….the issues of PTSD and battlefield fatigue can come into question. Don’t forget; one screw up by a CCW holder and they lose that privilege forever! This is absolutely called the epitomy of: ZERO Tolerance!
TDM vs. Zenger, Ryan vs. anon — this is like watching a whole fight card of people who actually know how to argue!
I’m guessing that everyone here who comments are white. How many of us know what it’s like to be African American? We haven’t got the slightest clue. How would you like it if every time you went shopping, store personnel kept an eye on you? Or people crossed the street when you and your friends walked on the same sidewalk. How about being stopped by the police on a regular basis? It doesn’t matter if that person is a kid or a judge. They just happen to be driving while black. Would you as a “white” person put up with that? I seriously doubt it. You think it’s bad here, try living in the south.
I don’t think that everyone who comments here is white, but regardless. Let’s skip down to “would you as a ‘white’ person put up with that?’
What’s your argument here: that white people have some special way of stopping the cops from stopping them? Yes, white people — Cl*v*n B*ndy types excepted — will “put up with it” because they don’t want to be treated like minorities often get treated. The “higher” one is, the further one can fall.
I get and agree with your criticism of how lower-status minorities (but also homeless, etc.) are treated, but I don’t see how that leads to any conclusion that will hold water. You want minorities to all buy guns and take on the cops? Well, then we’ll really see what this country is made of, I guess. That’s something I’d rather avoid.
Greg, when was the last time you were detained by the police? And yes, I am willing to bet we don’t have African American males commenting here… we do have Latinos… and Latinos have their own troubles with the police departments. If there are African American males commenting here, I would be interested to hear their stories.
Yes, the homeless are harassed by the police too. The police departments are no longer accountable for their actions. Everyday we hear more and more stories about police over stepping their boundaries, whether they are throwing flash grenades on sleeping children, breaking down doors and later finding out they are at the wrong house.
I have a friend who is a cop. He is the only cop I trust. He admits when they suit up to go to a disturbance, they argue over who gets to drive the military Humvee. Do they believe they are going to war? Is this an ego trip for them?
Last time I was detained was a couple of months ago. But I told them that I wrote for the Orange Juice Blog and they let me go.
This blog caters to an Orange County audience. Not a lot of African-Americans here, period. If you want to hear their stories, they’re not hard to find.
You have a list of reasonable grievances — which apparently lead you either to the implication that the cops are often bad so citizens should arm themselves and prepare to take them down, or to nowhere. Going nowhere is fine, but it takes you nowhere.
I am saying I agree that citizens have a right to own guns. Period. I already know plenty of stories… personal stories told to me directly from African American young men about their encounters with law enforcement. And these men were college classmates in central California, where there are not a lot of Blacks living there.
You and I had a conversation about people living “behind the orange curtain” and why they moved here. The bottom line is this… you and I will never know or understand what it’s like living as a person of color.
*Officer Darren Wilson has been named by the Ferguson Police Chief as the shooter in the Mike Brown death. We hope that comment is sanitized enough for everyone’s sensibilities. We applaud President Obama and the Governor or Missouri for moving on this situation quickly. As everyone can see….three more days of Militarization in Ferguson would have resulted in bad stuff all around the country. Thank goodness the Missouri Highway Patrol has defused this potential nightmare. OK, who did what and where? Will this senario end like Travon Martin, OJ or Amanda Knox? Who knows? One this is sure – Ferguson, Missouri has just been identified as the Poster Boy for racism, deprivation of human rights and America’s lost freedoms. The genie is out of the bottle and every would be politician is going to point to this event and say: How far can America fall from its roots of personal freedoms and equal protection under the law. The smoke and mirror arguments are already raising their ugly heads with the release of some 711 robbery with a big 30 year old guy robbing it with the same St Louis Cardinal hat. Probably cause? Any Excuse? Or just a Psychic Lighting Bolt? Is this why Officer Darren Wilson, got so angry that he had to assassinate the guy on a public street and then not even have the common courtesy of checking his vital signs before he called the Paramedics…which took 30-40 minutes to get there. Let’s just say – bad police work….all the way around. Who was his Field Supervisor and what does his report have to say about it? Better get Internal Affairs, the State Arttorney General and Feds on this investigation for just one reason – Using Military Force to subdue 250 protesters without the approval of the Governor who can dispatch the National Guard if they thought the loss of life was emminent.
I think a big part of the problem of officer shootings is about anger. They get pissed off and finally they snap.
just wondering if the photos released this morning change anybody’s mind about mike brown. and before you all get your panties in a bunch, no, ripping off a dollar pack of cigarillos does not justify getting shot but it might give some additional perspective to the nature of the confrontation between the young man and the police.
this also opens the door to the argument that is under the surface: the thug culture of the ghetto where everybody has to demand respect even when it is not earned or deserved, hoodies, and an eldridge cleaver attitude.
and, finally, to go back to greg’s comment…as a long haired hippie driving through alabama and mississippi in the seventies, I do know what it is like to be profiled, targeted and harassed simply for the way I looked
The movie “Easy Rider” is all about profiling.
No, it gives no “additional perspective to nature of the confrontation between the young man and the police” unless the officer had reason to suspect that he had committed a crime. What could your point POSSIBLY be here? That his having earlier stolen a pack of cigarettes, IF it happened that morning at all, somehow suggests that he was responsible for what happened later at all? You posit that he was insolent, maybe, and then say “well, then that explains why has shot”? No it doesn’t — and part of the proof is that you weren’t killed in the ’70s.
I can’t believe that you used the equivalent of the Joe Lieberman “I marched with Dr. King so everything I do now that completely goes against that doesn’t count” gambit. I have fasted for a full day for Yom Kippur, so does that means that I know what it’s like to starve to death in a famine?
no, fasting for a day does is not the moral equivalency to starving to death in a famine any more than being rousted for having long hair is the moral equivalent of living a life that allows one to be suspected of everything simply because they are black or brown. what it does do, I think, is give some insight, however fleeting, into being in that sort of a situation.
second, the cigarette incident did not happen in the morning, hours before the shooting, it occurred within an hour or so and was precipitated by a radio report providing a description that mr brown conformed with.
and, finally, if you look at the pictures, mr brown apparently, and I say apparently, has no problem being physical with somebody who has a lot less physical girth.
and, again, I am not saying that, assuming mr brown was an asshole to the cop, that gives the cop the right to shoot the young man, I am just saying that I think it sheds a little more light on the situation
The latest is that Darren Wilson did not know that Michael Brown was a robbery suspect. Whatever little relevance your “sheds new light” stance had on Brown’s death, it’s been stripped away completely.
maybe, probably, with regard to mike brown i am wrong and darren wilson is a white racist tea party asshole who should not wear a badge and carry a gun and who, given the tide of the evidence, should be indicted and convicted. i am open to that possibility and that reality. my point was that we should not prejudge, as many here are doing. that there are nuances and we need to look at all of them before making a decision. my underlying point, however, still stands: if mike brown had listened to the officer, gotten out of the middle of the street and returned to the sidewalk, he would still be alive today.
Americans are getting used to having their civil rights chipped away. Frisked at the airport. Prevented from PEACEFUL assembly, we are told when and where we can assemble these days. Our government agencies are corrupt. Congress has more and more committees to discuss how to handle it and nothing ever is resolved. We are used to being spied on… it’s the price we are willing to pay to have our gadgets, etc. And the beat goes on….
Even the Dalai Lama, who opposes violence understands there are times when we must protect ourselves:
The Dalai Lama said, “If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/dalailama.asp#vWSEhLhtpss9pZkl.99
When it comes to protesting, I am for peaceful protesting, no looting, burning property or yelling at police…however, if someone is attacking my person all bets are off.
*So, what happened to the cigars? A box of tiparillo’s worth $49 bucks. They better shit that evidence before they try and put the blame on Mike. They also need the sworn testimony of the Liquour Store Clerk……..who….if he wants to live will never give anyone…at any time! So TDM…….you are left with little or no evidence of wrong doing, In addition, the Detective assigned to the case hadn’t had time to even review the tape. How many minutes occurred in between the so called Strong Arm Robbery (right!) and the shooting? Sounds like Officer Tippet has just been resurrected……..just in time for this case. The Chief has to go….he is very dirty….all the way down the line. How bad? So bad that when Obama called him….he immediately slammed him in the shorts and brought in the Missouri Highway Patrol. The difference is overwhelming…..what great guys on the MHP. They retired the week-end warriors and will have to wait for all those under 12 year old aliens trying to invade the outskirts of St. Louis….to go back to work.
*So, what happened to the cigars? A box of tiparillo’s worth $49 bucks. They better shit that evidence before they try and put the blame on Mike. They also need the sworn testimony of the Liquour Store Clerk……..who….if he wants to live will never give anyone…at any time! So TDM…….you are left with little or no evidence of wrong doing, In addition, the Detective assigned to the case hadn’t had time to even review the tape. How many minutes occurred in between the so called Strong Arm Robbery (right!) and the shooting? Sounds like Officer Tippet has just been resurrected……..just in time for this case. The Chief has to go….he is very dirty….all the way down the line. How bad? So bad that when Obama called the Governor….he immediately slammed the Chief in the shorts and brought in the Missouri Highway Patrol. The difference is overwhelming…..what great guys on the MHP. They retired the week-end warriors and will have to wait for all those under 12 year old aliens trying to invade the outskirts of St. Louis….to go back to work.
R&A you commented twice… Isn’t it a little early to be hitting the sauce???
As for your comment… even if Mike did steal cigars, rubbers or a soda… that is not a crime worthy of a death sentence. If cops have to shoot can’t they aim for the butt? Thigh or something else?
*We apologize for the subtle duplication. The 2nd version is the edited correct one. We used to be able to edit our comments…..now….who knows? OK, Inge …we agree that excessive force was used, that seriously impaired judgment by the police officer and the Chief of Police ….on down….are responsible for Mikey’s death. However, Police do not know how to control their trigger fingers. If they light up their firearm….which in these days contains 17 rounds…..they may not stop until the firearm is empty…..before their brain reacts. Shooting Mikey down with his arms raised however…..is totally unacceptable to anyone.
*One more thing: It will be very important to note the distance that Mikey
was standing when he turned toward Wilson. How many feet were between Mikey and Wilson when Wilson let go those final six rounds?
*The Mike Brown Rap Sheet is out on the web…….Real….or Memorex?
Who knows what is real……at this point? Too bad Wilson didn’t have a “throw down gun” to place by the body…..to completely clear himself. Hey, if white Officers think it is too dangerous to patrol the streets of Ferguson….they should quit and go to another department….ya think?
Stealing $50 of cigars will get you shot and killed (if your a black male) but steal $1,600 worth of clothes from Saks Fifth Avenue (and your a privileged white female) you get to serve 5 days community service in a soup kitchen. Priceless!!!
http://gothamist.com/2014/08/12/justice_blinded.php
*Yeah…and if you steal $50 Billion dollars in Liar Loans………they comp your Country Club fee for a couple of years.
*The Autopsy……by the Mr. Michael Baden……Michael Brown was hit six times minimum.
Two shots to the top of the head. This is a typical example of an Officer out of control. The first rounds were being jerked with the trigger finger…which caused the four shots to hit Brown in the right arm….facing the Officer or the four shots to the arm were caused by shooting from behind. Perhaps a combination of two rounds hitting him in arm as he ran and then two rounds or more hitting him with his arms raised. The Officer, obvisously shot Michael Brown in the top of the head came as Brown was falling. Bad police work unless Brown was within arms reach of the Officer…..then why shot in the top of the head?