Ferguson Riots

Ferguson is victim to two evils at once: police brutality and organizational corruption on one side and public anger that gives rise to opportunism on the other.

There was a report on NPR that suggested that provocateurs were coming from as far away as New York City and California to get in on the riots and do some looting.

There's no excuse for that kind of cynical opportunism, but at the same time the police have made no attempt to placate the protestors because any kind of compromise would be seen as 'coddling' lawbreakers.

We don't even know if the police brutality claim is true.

At this point it's rather moot given how serious the police crackdown has been.

But I have no real reason to doubt that Michael Brown was shot for next to nothing.

Robbing a store and bumrushing the cop whom he punched and tried to steal his gun isn't "next to nothing"

Also I find the credibility of a cop decorated for non-violence superior to that of the friends of a thug robber.

Originally posted by NemeBro
Pancakes give me terrible shits. No thanks.

Unlike Oneness, metaphors seem lost on you.

You can substitute any reasonable consumable item with pancakes to make the point true for you.

Gosh, you would probably suck in Sunday School, too: never being able to internalize the scriptures to make them apply just to you. You need Jesus.

More seriously, I think every person should have the right to cheap consumable goods such as food and drugs. If every human's basic needs were met, enmity would cease its hold over our lives, evil's destructive machinations would lose its power, and righteousness would be the rule of law. These things could be accomplished through XYZ's idea of AI-driven robots that build, farm, and repair. That's 20-40 years off, though.

LOL, look at what Oneness has done to me...made me go off and start talking like him.

Originally posted by Mindset
Btw, have you guys seen this?

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/neighbor-live-tweeted-brown-shooting-damning-evidence-officer/

It is not really damming evidence, at all. It largely coroborates the officer's telling of events. Additionally, there are errors and clear estimations with his account.

He said 7 shots, it was actually 6 (but he cannot be faulted: he probably was not counting). Brown is face down towards the direction of the cop-car, which largely matches Wilson's account and the other eye-witness' account: that Brown turned around after a couple of shots were fired.

He also confirms that a couple of shots were fired that seem like warning shots (before a barrage of shots were fired): also matching the eye-wtiness' and Wilson's account.

The only thing suspect from "Bruh's" account is the claim that he was shot while running. This contradicts his image where it shows Brown fell face-first towards the Wilson. If he was running away, as the article is trying to imply, then why is he lying face-down in the direction of the cop instead of the other way?

Bruh did not say that the cops moved the body and he had a clear view of the situation as it was unfolding: so that is ruled out.

This does not contradict my opinion that the cop seems largely unprepared or untrained to handle this situation because he fired warning shots and then unloaded on the dude when he turned around.

There is also something else about the autopsy report that slightly changes things: it was stated by eye-witnesses that Brown turned around and put his hands up after the 2 warning shots. And then Wilson unloaded on Brown.

But Brown was shot in the arm a couple of times, in the hand (from the struggle in the police car), once somewhere else that I cannot find a reference to*, and twice in the head. From one account, the shots in the hand and arm were the first shots. I do not know how they can figure out the order of shots, like that...but we do know that last 2 shots in the head were just that: the last 2 shots.

Also, at this point, anything that Johnson (the friend that was with Brown) states that happened should be immediately considered a lie because he has been caught lying so many times now about the events that he has lost all credibility.

Edit -

*Found it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/18/us/michael-brown-autopsy-shows-he-was-shot-at-least-6-times.html

Originally posted by Omega Vision
At this point it's rather moot given how serious the police crackdown has been.

I sort of agree. I think their brutality was not handled properly but brutality was required to handle the situation.

With a mob of people burning and looting, the only proper response to quickly restore order is a very violent crack-down (people should have been shot, left and right, with bean bags, rubber bullets, tear gas, etc. I consider that "very violent" because they can be lethal). They just made the mistake of directing their anger at the wrong people at times. Perhaps the result of their ignorance and ineptitude? Probably.

Originally posted by Lestov16
Robbing a store and bumrushing the cop whom he punched and tried to steal his gun isn't "next to nothing"

There have been a number of reports of cops overstepping boundaries. Arresting journalists without cause, trying to confiscate cameras.

Those kind of actions don't help to stop the accusations that the police are corrupt.

To me it seems Brown's thug buddies got the nation riled up over a supposed injustice that was in reality a cop using self defense. The FPD's response is not the most professional, but it is an ultimately pointless protest to begin with

Originally posted by Lestov16
To me it seems Brown's thug buddies got the nation riled up over a supposed injustice that was in reality a cop using self defense. The FPD's response is not the most professional, but it is an ultimately pointless protest to begin with

the way the citizens are handling it makes you angry?

Neither side is handling the situation well, but honestly it's a non-situation bolstered by rumors and incredulous hearsay.

Originally posted by Lestov16
Neither side is handling the situation well, but honestly it's a non-situation bolstered by rumors and incredulous hearsay.

I keep hearing about the difference between white cops and black citizens of Ferguson. Doesn't that just mean black people there had no interest in being cops, rather than some kind of race conspiracy?

One thing that's really annoying is that one of the autopsies done on Brown revealed that he had "marijuana in his system." That they'd even mention this as a factor suggests that many people still don't understand the effects of marijuana.

Edit: It's a combination of both. The black people of Ferguson have no interest in being cops because the local PD is evidently not very welcoming to black people and joining the police force might create a kind of barrier between black officers and their local communities. It's a vicious circle.

Clearly it had some effect on him since he robbed a store so he could get high again. Maybe his weed was laced?

Are there reports of blacks denied admittance into the FPD?

YouTube video

Originally posted by Omega Vision
One thing that's really annoying is that one of the autopsies done on Brown revealed that he had "marijuana in his system." That they'd even mention this as a factor suggests that many people still don't understand the effects of marijuana.

Edit: It's a combination of both. The black people of Ferguson have no interest in being cops because the local PD is evidently not very welcoming to black people and joining the police force might create a kind of barrier between black officers and their local communities. It's a vicious circle.

Yes. It is hard to break that circle of comfort. A black man becoming a cop in an almost completely white PD brings him great social stigma from both sides but especially the black community. You don't just join a mostly white police force and get support from your black friends and family.

Has the owner of the store given a statement?

EDIT: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/18/1322560/-Ferguson-Store-Owner-Says-NO-ONE-From-His-Store-Called-Cops-To-Report-Cigar-Theft

Oh boy.

So Brown didn't rob that store and it really was a desperate smear campaign. Phucking white devils....

So surprising too