13 Photos From The Protests In Ferguson, You Won't Believe Happened In The U.S.A

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-ferguson-protests-2014-8

Protests entered their fifth and most tense day in Ferguson, Missouri, in response to a police officer on Saturday fatally shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown, an unarmed black man, and it's hard to look at the photos and believe the scene is in the United States.

From heavily armed SWAT officers aiming rifles at unarmed civilians to the use of intimidating armored vehicles — it looks less small-town U.S.A. and more like Egypt's Tahrir Square during the Arab Spring. The behavior of police is similar — albeit less deadly — in the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and a deafening loudspeaker meant to break up the demonstration officers had declared "no longer peaceful."

Various live streams showed a defiant but mostly peaceful crowd chanting and singing songs. But some protesters have indeed been seen, as St. Louis Post-Dispatch's David Carson tweeted, throwing rocks, bottles, and Molotov cocktails.

On Wednesday evening, the situation escalated as officers over a loudspeaker told the protesters they needed to go home, although they were told their "right to assembly is not being denied." Two reporters were later arrested while working inside a McDonald's restaurant nearby for no apparent reason. (They were both later released, with no charges filed.)


A member of the St. Louis County Police Department points his weapon in the direction of a group of protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, on Wednesday.




A man watches the police during a clash with protesters Wednesday in Ferguson

[questionseverything]

1. i was watching the live feed

saw one something thrown,not multiplies

police responded with tear gas in less than 30 seconds

[LiberalElite]

3. Hmm Could the person

who threw "one something" have been a plant to escalate things? (I didn't see the feed.) Just occurred to me from reading your post that the cops were just waiting for an excuse which was conveniently provided. Pure speculation I know....

[loudsue]

4. It sure as hell wouldn't be the first time the fascists provided their own reason to fire on

innocent people. In fact, they're known for it.

[Nay]

14. Nope. Wouldn't be the first time. It happened quite regularly in the 60's and

70's protests.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

15. During Occupy as well.

Agents Provocateurs are a well-known tactic by the brownshirts.

We need an American Spring <cleaning>.

[LoisB]

88. I'll drink to that.

[byronius]

56. Kent State for starters. Cointelpro also had a standard tactic of embedding provocateurs.

Classic authoritarian tactics.

[questionseverything]

6. my first thought was

the same

[sabrina 1]

32. Definitely a possibility. That is what happened during Occupy which looked a whole like these photos

most of the time. Little fires were started by people in hoods who were not known to anyone. A whole day would go by peacefully, with tens of thousands of people there, because the whole purpose of the protests was to use Gandhi style non-resistance. We never did find out the names of these so-called 'protesters', never saw the arrests while every other arrest was documented.

So yes, it's not just possible, it is more than likely.

[nikto]

103. That is a VERY logical suspicion

I know from personal experience.



I met "Tommy The Traveler" when I was in college in 1970 or so.





http://jeffsharletandvietnamgi.blogspot.com/2011/04/tommy-traveler.html

[Spitfire of ATJ]

52. Looked to me like someone kicked back one of the cops own smoke bombs before it went off.

[questionseverything]

63. my impression was it was a bottle

no fire, no smoke

[Spitfire of ATJ]

65. Not a molotov cocktail than.

[questionseverything]

72. no, no fire from protestors

that definitely came from the police

[Spitfire of ATJ]

75. Remember when the cops attacked the Democratic National Convention in Chicago?

They claimed protesters were throwing bags of shit.

[truedelphi]

95. yeah the Mainstream Press released that lie, but anyone with

A brain would have to think about it. The amount of poop that was claimed to have been thrown was not possible from that number of people.

[Warpy]

101. No, I saw broken glass in the street in front of the advancing line of Robo Cops

There was no cloth and no wetness on the street.

The bottle was clearly thrown not at them but toward them.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

102. On FOX "News" the Chief claimed he was dealing with rioters throwing pipe bombs....

You know,...playing the Great White Dope.

[Billy Budd]

2. Cliven Bundy If you were not white these guys

in the pictures would have showed up at your ranch this time firing weapons ....

[Chasstev365]

5. Excellent Point!

This was never about Law and Order; it was always about race.

[terdheadur]

9. ???????

I disagree. In fairness the Bundy people were armed and organized. No organization here. Also mass looting here. I will say it if no one else will we are just as racist always talking about the "white man". The Ferguson protesters are pissed. The Bundy people were pissed. They both believe in their cause. In this country you have the right to do so until you cross the line meaning throwing things at police, looting, destroying property. I get sick of everyone comparing this to Bundy this does us no good. BE progressive.

[A Little Weird]

10. So throwing something at police is worse than drawing down on one with a rifle?

There were photos showing armed men with federal agents in their crosshairs at the Bundy ranch. To me that's a tad more threatening than somebody throwing a bottle.

[OnlinePoker]

43. Do you have links to a photo that shows the feds in the crosshairs?

I keep seeing this meme but haven't seen proof. Unless there was a camera mounted to the rifle scope, I doubt it's true. All I've seen is pictures of people on the ground pointing weapons, but from the side, not from the target's or shooter's perspective.

[frylock]

60. what do you suppose this patriot is doing?

[OnlinePoker]

62. That's the one I'm referring to.

We don't know what he's looking at. It could be an empty field for all we know.

[frylock]

64. get real..

?n414z8

[OnlinePoker]

66. So why didn't you post this one first?

I'd never seen it before.

[frylock]

67. because i didn't see this one first..

why are you offering opinions on something you so clearly know nothing about?

[OnlinePoker]

71. He's pointing a gun at a large group of people and vehicles

I asked for proof of the assertion of "feds in the crosshairs" and you've given the best image I've seen so far. However, people are saying the person who threw something in Ferguson is probably an agent provocateur to draw a police reaction, but I don't see you calling them out for proof. It seems like whenever there's a riot where police respond, it's automatically because there's someone working for the police that sparked the crackdown. Sometimes, rioters just riot (Vancouver hockey riots in 1994 and 2011 being examples from this neck of the woods).

[frylock]

74. you're cute

[Ikonoklast]

97. You misspelled "deliberately obtuse".

SOP for that one.

[frylock]

100. thanks for the correction.

was on my phone, and spellcheck missed it.

[DhhD]

92. Draw out the geometry before making conclusions. Look at the shadows and calendar for time and

date. A book on surveillance and intelligence would be of interest to some here perhaps.

[Jackpine Radical]

99. Try this.

Toronto is right now in the midst of a massive government / media propaganda fraud. As events unfold, it is becoming increasingly clear that the ‘Black Bloc’ are undercover police operatives engaged in purposeful provocations to eclipse and invalidate legitimate G20 citizen protest by starting a riot. Government agents have been caught doing this before in Canada.

Montebello 2007 Riot Prevented – Identical Boots Exposed Undercover Police Provocateurs

At the ‘Security and Prosperity Partnership’ meeting protests at Montebello Quebec on August 20, 2007, a Quebec union leader caught and outed three masked undercover Quebec Provincial Police operatives dressed as ‘black bloc’ protestors about to start a riot by throwing rocks at the security police. See the following videos documenting this event.

Stop SPP Protest – Union Leader stops provocateurs

Evidence — Police provoke Violence at SPP protest

&NR=1

The operation was exposed by the following picture of the undercover police wearing combat boots identical to those of the security police arresting them.

(Provocateurs in Montebello wear the same shoes as the Quebec policemen who arrest them!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emiliep/1206638928/

CBC Report at Montebello 2007

See the distinctive yellow dots on the thick corrugated soles of the boots which are the giveaway.

The Quebec Provincial Police were then forced after three days of public outrage to admit that these three men were indeed their officers operating undercover.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/articlePictures/g20burrows1.bmp

[A Little Weird]

87. The photo at post 64 is the one I was thinking of

But they also admitted it (at first - they later denied pointing weapons at officers when the FBI started investigating). The Las Vegas metro police that were on the scene also reported seeing militiamen pointing at agents. Here's an example showing a screenshot of where they brag about being ready to take out federal agents:
http://atlasleft.org/cliven-bundys-domestic-terrorists-admit-we-had-a-bead-on-the-feds/

There is all kinds of stuff about it on the Google.

[sinkingfeeling]

11. Did you join DU just to post a defense of Clive Bundy?

[Fantastic Anarchist]

19. I have a feeling he/she did.

Which is disgusting.

[Plucketeer]

48. The truth lies

in their username.

[Chasstev365]

12. Basic Question

Why is it that no force was used against Bundy's followers for threatening federal officials, yet people protesting the killing of an unarmed African Americans teen are crushed in Ferguson? You don't think that is a double standard due to race?

[myrna minx]

13. So snipers aiming their guns at Federal Law enforcement is lesser than someone throwing a

rock at police and stealing tires? Uh, no.

The Bundy people were stealing from the US tax payers to the tune of over a million dollars and had snipers trained on Federal Law Enforcement.

The protesters in Missouri - the vast majority of them didn't loot - were protesting murder of someone in their community committed by one who is charged to serve and protect.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

18. Mass looting? Destruction of property?

What about the murder of an innocent boy?

The people have a right to be angry about that.

Bundy doesn't have a right to not pay his fair share and then flaunt his weaponry at the authorities. The two are in no way, shape, or form comparable. To equate this with the fascists masquerading as libertarians at the "Ranch" is just nothing but apologetics to defend the indefensible.

For shame, for shame.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

80. Well said. Good grief, I can't believe even on DU we have to read this BS!

[riqster]

27. Bundy looted the Treasury. He stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from you and I.

Not a looter? Bull-fucking-shit.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

81. And when will the Cops be lobbing tear gas and such into the NYSE? They stole billions.

[riqster]

89. Not a bad idea.

[noiretextatique]

104. white people find, black people loot

White people can carry rifles and defy the federal government. Black people get shot dead for breathing.

[riqster]

105. Sad but true.

[sabrina 1]

34. You surely just forgot 'you have the right to do so until you cross the line, meaning killing a

teenager. When authorities are responsible, these things do not happen. Minorities are not harrassed on a daily basis by the police who are supposed to protect them. In such a responsible community only those who commit crimes are approached by the police.

But when you run your PDs like a military unit that harasses people simply for being who they are, you should expect that eventually one more incident is likely to result in an explosion of righteous anger. AND you should expect that while most of the protesters are going to be peaceful, others will take advantage of the situation. Those are simple facts.

So, the killing of the teenager is the crime that started everything else. Everything that happened after that, is the responsibility of those who create an atmosphere where this sort of injustice happens all too often.

Now what can be done about it? That should be the question being asked, how to stop the racism that causes these unjust killings so often in this country?

Frankly I'm amazed that this hasn't happened until now.

[questionseverything]

70. there were white protesters in the crowd

they were gassed and sprayed with rubber bullets just like the minorities were

when civil rights are violated,minorities suffer more but this is a civil rights violation that affects all of us regardless of color

look at occupy,many of the protesters were white,it did not help them

about 3 weeks ago a white teenager was shot in his home for holding a game controller

i just bring this up hoping to unite the 99%,black,white,brown,red or yellow if you are not part of the 1%, you have been under attack and need to unite

[blackspade]

41. Mass looting?

Documentation please.

[negoldie]

42. Funny name

you have there. U should have just stopped at turd....or is it terd. Like another poster it seems you just signed up at DU to troll. Move along please.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

82. LoFkingL. So armed and organized is OK? Which makes them less of a threat--the arms or the

organization?

[Fantastic Anarchist]

16. The fascist government is not concerned about rightwing thugs with guns.

They'll soon need recruits for their cause, and so they won't kill them.

Progressive, social justice, and leftwing causes will be eliminated immediately and thoroughly, though.

[Johonny]

26. +1

[Dustlawyer]

7. Did anyone see Molotov cocktails being thrown?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

53. Only the Police Chief who wasn't there because he was talking to FOX "News".

[Warpy]

54. No. Apparently that is a lie.

This was a loud but peaceful crowd, unlike the looters of the previous night(s).

Police were reacting like they were in the Ukraine.

It's time to demilitarize the police. They need to have all that war crap taken away from them.

[Dustlawyer]

69. Right on!

[RKP5637]

76. The police chief should be fired and the cop's toys taken away! If an escalation like this is

required, it should not be in the hands of local/county cops. All these jerks did was escalate an already bad situation. It looked more like they were egging them on so they could shoot up some black people. Hell, I thought we got out of this bullshit in the 60's, but here we are today, SOS.

[Warpy]

77. At least the governor seems to realize that's who the problem is, not the people of Ferguson,

and he's ordered the SLC cops out of the area.

The bullshit didn't go away in the 60s, it just provided the rationale to keep giving military toys to local cops. That trend has got to be reversed.

When the Boston cops rioted, they took all of them and busted them back to beat cops, some of them in my neighborhood where they had rioted.

[RandiFan1290]

8. I remember racists getting away with stuff like this

A direct threat to the President.

[Enthusiast]

25. Racists? Those were patriots!

They were standing in opposition to an extreme liberal black president. Real Americans!

[SCVDem]

17. This is NOT a law enforcement response!

This is a full blown military operation. The appearance of (yes) Jack Booted Thugs is inflaming the situation, not helping anything.

I don't need a crystal ball to see where this will end. It used to be if you wanted this type of response you call out the National Guard, (cough, Kent State).

We need Reed and Malloy along with Sheriff Andy and Barney, not Rambo.

C'mon Obama, put an executive order out to stop this militarization of the local police.

This is against the intent of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

Now let's hear from the right on government over-reach.

[EEO]

22. You don't need the National Guard when the police start to rival them in armaments...

[Neoma]

23. Declaration of Independence means jack in courts.

[justabob]

85. sadly, same is true of the Constitution any more nt

[christx30]

31. I don't think Obama would

do anything to stop this. He did sign indefinite detention into law. Then he fought to get it reinstated after a federal judge (rightly) ruled it was unconstitutional. He might get up and give some lip service to it. But he won't do anything of any substance.

[historylovr]

20. I can believe it.

And it turns my stomach.

[MindPilot]

21. treading very close to conspiracy theory, but this looks bigger than Ferguson PD

It looks like clear provocation by the police. It has escalated into a full-scale quasi-military operation. Even CNN reporters were using the term "police state" last night. Now they are targeting reporters. This is the work of a police department with 53 cops?

[BlancheSplanchnik]

33. ^ n/t

[deafskeptic]

44. When even CNN starts using the phrase "Police State" that's not good.

I;'ve been saying for years that we live in a cop state. I'm a white woman but when I rented an apt with rent discounts for the deaf - I got a taste of what African-American go thru every day.

The West End in Richmond, VA is very white.

My apt just happened to have 50% of African Americans. The place was crawling with cops and when one of my blake lights went out, I dreaded leaving my apt because I kept picking up cops. This was when I was out of a job. It made job hunting very difficult as I could not afford to get one of the brake lights fixed. In the end, I got fed up and had the electrical system fixed as that was what was causing the problem.

I also ended up living on rice pilaf for the rest of the month as a result of that little repair bill. I swear it's against the law to be poor.

I could say more but I will stop here.

[VanGoghRocks]

47. Technical Note of Clarification: The Ferguson, MO police department has 53 cops, but the

St. Louis County (as opposed to municipal) police department has over 1100 LEOs. Perhaps one of our St. Louis locals could comment on whether St. Louis County also has a County Sheriff in parallel with St. Louis County PD?

[uponit7771]

55. AMEN AND AMEN!!!

[Enthusiast]

24. The use of Agents Provocateurs is a virtual guarantee.

It's standard operating procedure, SOP.

[L0oniX]

35. ^^^this^^^

[raouldukelives]

28. "Go home! Your Constitutional rights are not being denied! Go home or we will kill you!" nt

[KansDem]

38. "Back away from your rights! Slowly! Back...away...from...your...rights!" (nt)

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

84. Or, at least stand close to them only in the daylight hours. If I recall correctly,

that was what made Kristallnacht A-OK.

[hifiguy]

39. Like the old Soviet Union:

Your rights are guaranteed until you try to exercise them, then off to jail.

Some of those pictures look like the Occupied Territories in the ME before the latest war.

[DFW]

30. A few words come to mind from long ago

Nearly 250 years ago, a 33 year old man from Virginia holed up in a room and wrote a document containing some strong language for the time:



"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security........"

Unless Thomas Jefferson got it wrong in the Declaration of Independence, it's looking very much like the citizens of Ferguson, MO could use some "new guards for their future security" right about now.

[L0oniX]

36. +1

[cascadiance]

37. Yeah, kinda reminds you of these pictures too...

It seems like we've learned a lot over the years, huh?

[blackspade]

40. The cops are out of control.

[Baclava]

45. The War in Missouri

helter skelter

[IMG][/IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG][IMG]

[geretogo]

46. Looks like Germany and Italy during the thirties . Like Benjamin Franklin said , " all democracies

end in dictatorship " .

[Bluenorthwest]

49. Franklin did not say that. The quote you are thinking of is attibuted to Alexander Tytler,

monarchist contemporary of Franklin's, but Tytler did not say it either. People started claiming he said it in the 50's, but there the words are not n Tytler's works. It was something made up by some Right wingers in the Oklahoman newspaper and that's all it is.
Look it up. Here's a wiki on Tytler.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Fraser_Tytler

[geretogo]

96. I stand corrected . I heard some one on talk radio say he said it . If you look back to the Greeks

it seems fairly correct .

[Baclava]

50. nothing's changed in 49 years?

Watt's '65
?6

[truedelphi]

94. And it shows us the irony of their statement -

"We have to fight those damn Iraqis over there, so we won't have to fight anyone over here."

What they really meant to say, if the Powers That Be could tell the truth is, "We need you lower class citizens to fight our wars over there, and then we you have done that, we will wage war on you over here."

[mwrguy]

51. This is what happens when Iraq vets come home and join the police force

They are addicted to this sort of thing.

[Brigid]

57. Pic #5 reminds me of Tiananmen Square.

[img][/img]

[zentrum]

58. Don't forget Kent State.

This happened during anti-VietNam War protests and it happened during Occupy. Same pictures.

My grandfather used to tell me about the police violence against strikers back in the day when unions were strong.

[VA_Jill]

59. Welcome to Fergustan!

Please remind me what country we're in again?

[LynneSin]

61. Are you sure that's in America. It looks more like it's in Gaza or Baghdad.

It's crazy this is happening here in the USA.

[kentuck]

68. The fourth one is quite eerie...

If this is not scary, then what is??
================

[Baclava]

73. Nice jackboots

[blkmusclmachine]

78. POLICE STATE

[Nye Bevan]

79. Those of us who are old enough will have no problem believing (nt)

[Dawson Leery]

83. Forget about the kooks in the middle east, there is a greater threat

at home. Militarized police are a greater threat than anything OBL could dish out.

[Uncle Joe]

86. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, xchrom.

[thucythucy]

90. Those armored vehicles remind me

of the troop carriers that used to roll through the protests in SOWETO.

Sad times, then and now.

[indepat]

91. Oh, the fruits of a militarized police force,especially when mixed with a measure of racism or

hint of weeds in a house.

[littlemissmartypants]

93. ...

[tooeyeten]

98. This is what happens

When you assemble and happen to be black.