Missouri governor points finger at Ferguson police chief for new violence

[malaise]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/17/missouri-governor-points-finger-ferguson-police-chief-renewed-violence
<snip>

The governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon, on Sunday blamed the local police chief in Ferguson for renewed violence in the city, as the US department of justice stepped in to order an independent autopsy on the body of the teenager shot dead by a police officer a week earlier.

Nixon condemned the release by the local Ferguson force on Friday of security camera footage and a police report that implicated Michael Brown, 18, in a petty theft at a convenience store a few minutes before he was shot dead. The DoJ, which is leading a civil-rights investigation into the killing, also made it clear at the weekend that it had opposed publication of the pictures.

“I think it had an incendiary effect,” Nixon said in an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation.

In Washington, a spokesman for Eric Holder, the attorney general, cited the “extraordinary circumstances” of the case for the decision to order the postmortem examination, which will be carried out by a federal medical examiner. The circumstances of Brown’s death remained murky and Brown’s family demanded a federal autopsy in an attempt to bring clarity.

[pintobean]

1. Ordering police to stand down

and allowing arsonists and looters free reign was the cause of increased violence. Those criminals don't give a shit about the video. He's also playing politics with this whole situation. He needs to just go back to Jefferson City and stay out of this.

Nixon is a fucking idiot and he's blaming others for his own mistakes.

[malaise]

5. He may be an idiot but he is right about Jackson and releasing

that video - it was incendiary.

[pintobean]

8. He's Governor and was AG

He knows the laws. He's playing politics and shifting blame without acknowledging that the release was mandated by law at the closing of that investigation.

He's a sleazy politician. He could have helped settle any anger over that release. Instead, he is fanning the flames and jeopardizing the people and property of Ferguson. Fuck him.

[cui bono]

9. Disagree. Once the police stood down and Johnson took over and acted like a community

leader the violence subsided. Sure there were some instances of attempted lootings which the community stopped, perhaps there was some actual looting that took place. But had the police been out there as they had been, in their militarized state, it would have escalated and added fuel to the fire.

The only outcome of releasing that video is that it angered the community who already lost one of their own to a senseless killing by a cop, and now there is now more divide regarding the situation with racists saying he was a criminal and others seeing that it was no more than a ploy to disparage the character of the victim.

Last night got a bit worse again because of the curfew.

Are there people who don't care about anything other than they hate the police and they are just opportunists? Sure. But that's not the bulk of the people out there.

[pintobean]

10. You are confused.

A stand down order was issued Friday night. Police were forced to just watched the looting and arson. I think it was done so they would have an excuse for the curfew.

[cui bono]

14. Perhaps.

Was Thursday night the first night where Johnson took over?

If it were done in order to get a curfew, who ordered it? I don't think Johnson would do something like that. Did they put the FPD back in charge?

[pintobean]

15. Yes, Johnson ordered the stand down Friday night.

He is still in charge and FPD was never in charge, St. Louis County was.

[cui bono]

16. I don't think he did it with an ulterior motive then. Based on what I've seen of him in action

I think he put his trust in the community at that point. Sadly there are always some idiots that have to go and spoil things. Now I would not put it past the FPD to have gotten some people to go out and cause trouble. We know that is done by LEO often to cause a disturbance and give them reason to go in and beat people and shut it down.

Also, I would say that the FPD not releasing the incident report of the shooting and hiding away the killer is probably more to blame for any unrest than anything else. That and the video and their changing stories. Basically their entire handling, I mean bungling, of the situation.

[pintobean]

19. He works directly for the governor.

Think whatever you want.

[FarPoint]

2. When the Ferguson PD chief played the video of Brown at the store....it was a good thing....

Why???? Because the world now knows their intentions are to mislead and manipulate the crime scene evidence. It's now gone way past the appearance of impropriety.... Smells of deep corruption.

[sadoldgirl]

3. What is still puzzling me is the initial

police report. I thought there is a law that it had to be released within 24-48 hours. Am I wrong in that assumption?

[malaise]

4. I am no expert on these matters

but there are many DUers who can help us out.

[cui bono]

6. The one about the shooting? has it even been released yet?

[sadoldgirl]

7. Not that I know of. Is that not against the law? n/t

[csziggy]

11. That is why the SCLU is suing to get it released

They asked for it under Missouri law, were refused and sued.

ACLU sues to obtain Mike Brown shooting report; sues over recording issue
August 14, 2014 2:45 pm • By Robert Patrick
CLAYTON • The American Civil Liberties Union sued St. Louis County and the county police Thursday morning to obtain copies of initial police reports surrounding the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Mike Brown by Ferguson police.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit in St. Louis County Circuit Court after their open records request for the initial incident report of the shooting was rejected by police Wednesday, the suit says.
More: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/aclu-sues-to-obtain-mike-brown-shooting-report/article_e121542f-f920-58ae-af45-74530c4aa499.html

[sadoldgirl]

12. Thanks for that info

I am so glad that I joined the ACLU in 2001. They need support.

[pintobean]

13. Missouri sunshine laws don't apply

when there's an active investigation.

[Solomon]

17. Always everready with excuses

in support of the perpetrators.

[pintobean]

18. It's the fucking law, dude.

I'm just as curious as anybody else. Attacking me for posting facts is lame. If you don't want to see facts, don't read my posts. There's a button that makes that real easy.

[sadoldgirl]

20. I can accept your explanation, however

why then does the ACLU sue the department? Surely they must know the law as well.

[pintobean]

21. Lawyers do that all the time

I don't know why. It drives employees of public entities nuts. I'm sure the FBI has copies of everything, but no one is demanding that they release anything.

[avebury]

23. They probably will not release until the finish

writing it and have rigged things as much as possible to paint Brown as a thug and the cop as a hero.

[oldandhappy]

22. Yes. Local police chief was responsible for both nights of violence.

First with over response in full military gear.
Second because of video.
I prefer not to say all the words I think of when I think of that chief.
Shameful is at least clean!

[malaise]

25. I'm not giving the governor a pass

but I agree that the local police chief created most of the mess

[Hoyt]

24. The video likely caused some issues; however, I don't think it was wrong to release it.

Last edited Sun Aug 17, 2014, 07:00 PM - Edit history (1)

Everything involved in this should be released. Eye-witness accounts, police reports, radio transmissions, autopsy(s), etc.

I do think the way it was released hurt, but that is another thing. If the video had been released right at the first, it might have explained how things got started. I think a lot of people, including me, were under the impression the policeman just shot Michael Brown randomly. Of course, what happened may well approach that when we get to the bottom of what happened.

I believe if what we have so far is even close to the truth, Wilson should be indicted, the police department needs some serious house cleaning, all police departments should begin demilitarizing, we nee d to hire more Ron Johnsons and less Rambos, police and citizens carrying guns should wearcameras, and a lot more.