Officer Wilson not indicted in killing of Michael Brown

by Simon 551 Replies latest social current

• 

  Las Malvinas son Argentinas

  It doesn't help when the leadership in the USA makes the following comments regarding the case, always with a caveat:

  Obama: First and foremost, we are a nation built on the rule of law. And so, we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make. There are Americans who agree with it, and there are Americans who are deeply disappointed, even angry. It’s an understandable reaction…

  Translation: Though the investigative process was followed and the grand jury made their decision based on the facts and witnesses, it's quite understandable that people are very angry about this. Notice how the focus is on the unnamed Americans who are 'deeply disappointed, even angry'. The others just simply 'agree with it'. More effort is made to explain the emotions of the people who didn't agree. This is pure manipulation. "We don't want any violence, respect the decision, but we understand why you are so angry".

  Obama: Finally, we need to recognize that the situation in Ferguson speaks to broader challenges that we still face as a nation. The fact is in too many parts of this country a deep distrust exists between law enforcement and communities of color. Some of this is the result of the legacy of racial discrimination in this country. And this is tragic because nobody needs good policing more than poor communities with higher crime rates.

  Translation: Though we need to accept the decision by the grand jury, Americans need to also accept that there's a 'legacy of racial discrimination in this country'. OK. Just who is going around saying that the USA does not have a legacy of racial discrimination? Why speak of this legacy now unless you see a clear connection to the incident in Ferguson? So yes, what this is saying is that Wilson shooting Brown was a clear-cut result of the country's legacy of racial discrimination. How so? So Wilson shot him in a pique of racial discrimination? If the man charging him and struggling for his gun were white, Wilson would chuckled it off and been extremely careful to the point of risking his own life in order not to shed any white blood?

  What police officer in his or her right mind is ever going to want this job? The real message from Ferguson is this: If you police the streets of a community where you do not belong and don't look like the people you are trying to police, you are automatically a suspect in any incident of racial discrimination. Your name will be plastered around the media and public consciousness as a racist murderer. Even if a grand jury or any jury decided that you are innocent of these charges, your government will go around saying that people still have a reason to be angry about you and what you did. It's like being told that if you ever get involved in an incident with someone of another race at your workplace, you will be immediately investigated for racial discrimination and the presumption is that you are racist until proven otherwise.
• 

  Simon

  Jws. You don't get a big bruise immediately - that happens days after (and more dramatically on TV shows).

  The facts are that MB attacked the cop. The eyewitnesses supported his story which doesn't contradict the forensic evidence. The counter 'eyewitness' accounts were lying or were just repeating what they had heard.

  Trying to claim that MB didn't punch officer Wilson is pointless - we know he did. He was totally justified shooting MB.

  What if MB had been respectful and law abiding? Wouldn't the outcome have been different?

  Why isn't that an option to promote?
• 

  Simon

  I agree Las Malvinas - I think Obama did a very poor job trying to defuse the situation which as president, if he is going to get involved in a case like this, he should be doing more to promote the idea that justice has been served, not that there are injustices. He promoted the idea that the verdict was 'wrong' with subtle language and this was stupid.

  Right now he seems like "president black man" instead of "the president of america". Maybe this is part of the black psyche that non-black people don't understand - they are black first above everything else. I certainly can't understand it but it would explain a lot of the mindset and behavior and the words we keep hearing and the belief that everything that happens to them is because of their skin color.

  You are right too - if black communities don't step up to help police themselves then I think we will see more black neighbourhoods become no-go areas for the police because no one wants to risk their life and future or that of their family if they have any sense.

  We'll then end up with even more crime and violence in these neighbourhoods and claims or more unfair treatment, lack of investment, disparity and resentment. This has played out before and it will play out again.

  The leadership will find the next ambulance to chase and show up making all the same claims with someone else and use MB as "proof" in their list of names that they use to incite the crowd with tales of woe.
• 

  AlphaMan

  As expected the black community of Ferguson did not accept the forensic evidence, eyewitness testimony, and decision of the grand jury not to indict. And as expected the black community of Ferguson looted & burned the businesses of innocent Ferguson business owners. On a positive note.....the looters showed no racism as they equally looted & burned businesses no matter the race of the owners.
• 

  jws

  I don't know whether Brown punched Wilson or not. I don't know whether there's evidence other than Wilson saying he did. All I'm saying is the photo doesn't look like it. And maybe you're right. Maybe it took a few days to show up. Was there a photo a few days later showing swelling or a black eye? IDK.

  What there is evidence for is Brown's blood inside of the police vehicle meaning his arm was in the car at some point. Which suggests, as Wilson claims, that Brown at least reached into the car for his gun. Or maybe it was to punch Wilson.

  And even if he did punch a police officer and ran, that's not justification to gun him down. If he's standing there continually punching him, shooting him to get him to stop is a different story. Brown had fled the scene. Wilson did not need to pursue and shoot him to save his own life. The car incident does not alone justify shooting him.

  I'm a total proponent of "if a cop tells you to stop, you stop". Hell, if anybody with a gun tells you that, it's probably a good idea.

  But the question remains of whether Wilson's life was in danger when he shot. It seems no evidence points to Brown being shot in the back. So he turned and was facing Wilson. At that point, in a 10 second period of time, there were 6 shots fired, a 3 second pause and 4 more. Six hitting Brown. Two of the shots were into his head with his head bowed down.

  Some witnesses claim he had his arms raised though evidence seems to negate that. Wrong position of the shots in the arms. Some witnesses say he was shot and was injured stumbling/falling towards Wilson. Others say he tucked his head and charged him like a bull. Was he shot downward in the head (the fatal shot) because he was charging like a bull or because he was injured and falling forward. Maybe even looking down at wounds? Can a witness even tell the difference between somebody stumbling/falling and somebody charging? It may look similar depending on speed.

  I don't know. The witnesses all give different stories. Some obviously contradictory to evidence. But that doesn't mean everybody who has a different story from Wilson is wrong.

  Not saying this happened, but what if when Brown turned around, Wilson was scared and shot? Even though Brown only turned around? Then Brown stumbled towards him and he unleashed more including the fatal head shots?

  Simon, you're absolutely right though. Brown complies. He gets on the sidewalk. Never reaches in the car. And otherwise complies with Wilson? Probably he's alive today. With probably some jail time for stealing the cigars and maybe a ticket for jaywalking. But he's alive and Ferguson isn't all damaged.
• 

  Simon

  As expected the black community of Ferguson did not accept the forensic evidence, eyewitness testimony, and decision of the grand jury not to indict.

  The question I think a lot of people have but aren't allowed to ask: if they wilfully disregard facts and evidence and refuse to acknowledge the reality of what happened with MB and OW then how are we to interpret all the other tales of injustice?

  Every time things are put under the microscope it seems there is a lot of spin and invention revealed and deep seated resentment based on color seeking revenge. I think the community needs much better direction - the leaders they have are living in the past and are still on the news talking about "needing justice for MB". Unbelievable.
• 

  Simon

  I don't know. The witnesses all give different stories. Some obviously contradictory to evidence. But that doesn't mean everybody who has a different story from Wilson is wrong.

  No, they didn't. It means everyone who has a different story than the forensic evidence is lying or just wrong for whatever reason.

  Some stories all matched each other and also the evidence - MB punched OW, there was a struggle in the vehicle and shots were fired there, MB didn't fee the scene but ran toward OW when he was shot, MB was only feet away from OW when the final shots were fired.

  MB didn't "stumble" ... he charged. Spin it all you want, he was the aggressor and was lawfully killed by someone who had the right to defend himselves not just as an officer of the law but as a citizen. The sad truth is that the only way MB's killing would be "OK" to some is if another black guy had shot him.

  jws: I made it quite clear that we were not going to allow debunked and invented "facts" to be repeated in an attempt to turn them into truth or to introduce doubts where none exist. Please stop inventing and repeating things that we now know to be untrue.
• 

  AlphaMan

  Not saying this happened, but what if when Brown turned around, Wilson was scared and shot? Even though Brown only turned around? Then Brown stumbled towards him and he unleashed more including the fatal head shots?

  .

  If it was a stumble, it was a 21 feet stumble. The blood evidence and eyewitness testimony agrees that MB did a 21 foot charge at the officer. The video of MB pushing the store owner and menacing towards him show MB to be an aggressive person who would possibly do something like this. This helped convince the grand jury that Wilson was justified in killing MB by deadly force.
• 

  Finkelstein

  Simon do you personally think Wilson had the right to kill Brown even though Wilson knew he was unarmed,

  irregardless of the possible assertion that Brown made another aggressive advance toward Wilson on the street ?
• 

  Wasanelder Once

  Hey guys I was only saying what the Mayor had to say about the looters in recent weeks.

  “Once the vigil dispersed, the people who showed up saw their numbers and got really brave, then people started driving in from other areas to steal stuff,” Mayor James Knowles told WND.

  “A lot of the people aren’t even from our town; but they came in and stole from our businesses and left our town in ruins, and made it look like there are racial tensions here that simply aren’t what they made them out to be. Such a shame that we have people with an axe to grind, coming here to grind it,” he said.

  I don't think he thought it was a myth. I wasn't saying it to excuse what was happening or make it seem there is no problem in the community. Just mentioning a stated observation by a local official. I think we were encouraged to support our assertions so this is my effort. Beleive the guy or don't no big deal. This "you shot my son so now I'll burn down my own house" mentality seems chonic in this society from Watts up to today.