General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIs it me, or has anyon else noticed ...
all the calls for waiting to see what the evidence shows ... after they have written 2 or 3 paragraphs, speculating as to why Michael Brown was complicit in, if not responsible for, his own death?
mmonk
(52,589 posts)Human nature I suppose.
BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)onecaliberal
(32,888 posts)I have 1 question for them. Would they feel that way if it were their child murdered by the cops in the road?
JI7
(89,262 posts)dead BLACK guy
Amazing. And terribly sad.
el_bryanto
(11,804 posts)There's no evidence that is going to bring Michael Brown back, and no evidence that will excuse the acts of the Ferguson Police activity since the incident. But by the same token we should all be concerned with what the actual facts are. Right now there is a lot of information flowing about - some of which is likely to be inaccurate.
I suppose the other problem is that the Ferguson Police Department, by their actions since the incident, have pretty much guaranteed that any investigation they are a part of will be tainted.
Bryant
arcane1
(38,613 posts)It's not just you noticing it.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)But I'm just pointing out how those calling for waiting ... do so, AFTER making their own speculative comments on what REALLY happened to make it reasonable to think that Michael caused his own death.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)iemitsu
(3,888 posts)for his/her own victimization.
That way we can avoid any self-examination or introspection about our behaviors, attitudes, institutions, etc. (all that exceptional shit that makes us unique as Americans).
Avalux
(35,015 posts)Excuse my language, but what the FUCK is wrong with them and why oh why is there no respect for the dead victim?
hamsterjill
(15,223 posts)Officer Wilson's account has not been told at this point. I'm sure he has an attorney representing him by now and that attorney has, I'm sure, properly told him to keep his mouth shut.
Since there is no story from that side of the camp yet, the news stations are reverting to less-than-professional news reporting. (Ha, like that never happens, right?) The friend of a friend of a friend type of thing. Which has no validity in real news reporting, of course, because it's all opinion with no facts.
CNN and other news agencies exist by ratings and they are constantly competing with one another for those ratings. Anything to keep viewers tuned in.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)of "officer wilson" and his need to be heard before condemning him of the MURDER of Michael Brown are the speculation here by CNN. That Michael Brown probably caused his own death is the speculation of third party individuals who 'know' officer wilson. That is not hearing from 'officer wilson' just from people who are trying to excuse his MURDER of Michael Brown. Yes, you are right about one thing. To put these people that are trying to excuse the MURDER of Michael Brown by officer wilson, on a MSM 'news' channel, is just a ploy to boost their ratings, thusly their profit. You're right, for once.
OnlinePoker
(5,725 posts)She's the queen of insinuation without fact.
Avalux
(35,015 posts)I haven't really watched MSM news for a long time...has done me a lot of good. But today, decided to watch since I'm at home and I'm really freaked out at how horrid it is. I didn't even venture to Fox, can't imagine what's going on there.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)But also look at MY interpretation of this statement on this here YouTube video, which must mean the ni- um, I mean Mike Brown, was at fault!
Lots of people going on my RACIST: Ignore List this week.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)But they won't go on my ignore list (racist or otherwise),even if I had one. I want to say every single comment.
tblue37
(65,483 posts)OneGrassRoot
(22,920 posts)What I've noticed is that there is a significant amount of racism -- some overt, some more insidious and subtle -- here on DU.
I've checked in very rarely over the last year, each time noticing unsettling agendas which, to me, didn't seem resonate with the community I used to feel part of.
I've been here quite a bit over the last week, and the noticeable agenda by some members to demonize and dehumanize Michael Brown and the citizens of Ferguson is apparent. It's sickening and heartbreaking.
Not surprising though. Just because people claim the label of liberal or progressive, let alone Democrat, surely doesn't mean they are free of bigotry and prejudice. Too many continue to deny the systemic racism and inequality manifesting all around.
I actually don't feel they are even comfortable with the liberal/progressive label. They're more likely the New Libertarian, and the only civil liberties of interest to them pertain to guns, drugs and privacy issues.
Quite a selfish lot they are.
/rant
Haven't been around much lately either but agree on your observations.
indivisibleman
(482 posts)And we need you and people like you on DU more.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)for your refreshing truth. I started noticing it with the subtle attacks on Obama during election season, zimmerman's trial made my suspicions a certainty and furnished me with all the proof I needed to have about some of the so-called 'liberal/progressive' people here and in other forums.
freebrew
(1,917 posts)in the number of assholes on this site. Anyone's opinion about progressive topics seems to get someone's attention and is blasted for one reason or another. Many of these posters just came on board, but many seem to have 1000's of posts.
Cops should not be above the law. Anyone else that shot an unarmed person would have been arrested and booked.
I understand needing protection from a mob. So, wouldn't the cop be safer in jail? That's what 'we' would have been told.
Realizing that the 'D' party isn't a guarantee of liberalism as many here don't fit that category, there are new viewpoints here that disturb me.
So many authoritarians and racists on Democratic Underground makes me wonder if someone is intentionally trying to disrupt the site.
chervilant
(8,267 posts)I agree with what you've said, and I would add that the sexism and misogyny of a significant number of participants in this forum (I'm loathe to call them 'members') has caused me to expand my IL and decrease the amount of time I spend here.
BEYOND sad, really, that anyone would try to vilify Mr. Brown in order to justify his murder.
OneGrassRoot
(22,920 posts)I've noticed all manner of bigotry and ugliness, including sexism and misogyny.
So good to see you as well, chervilant.
iscooterliberally
(2,863 posts)I had words with someone who thought that the video changed everything. It changes nothing. That poor kid was murdered. I hope he gets justice.
indivisibleman
(482 posts)It is irrelevant but for these folks who want to find some way to blame Brown it does! Truly amazing.
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)It's not subtle. It's as if there's a playbook somewhere schooling posters on how to send the message that the big black kid MUST have been at fault and that flowers bloom out of the posteriors of cops.
CBGLuthier
(12,723 posts)For we dare not suggest that some are racist to the bone. Oh no we mustn't. Might upset 4 out of 7 people with such loose talk.
badtoworse
(5,957 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)As we're not jurists, speculation and debate may occur even in the here and now.
As for waiting for the relevant facts, I don't think anyone is bothered with the sincere and honest desire for all facts to appear, I simply don't think too many people believe that those making the demands are either sincere or honest.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)But shouldn't that preclude those calling for waiting from presenting their own speculation on what REALLY happened?
I mean, their speculation is based on the same set of incomplete facts ... right?
badtoworse
(5,957 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)usually, immediately after having speculated on what had/had not happened.
hamsterjill
(15,223 posts)As for me, I want to wait until I hear the police officer's side before I form an opinion. That doesn't mean that I'm okay with what happened in Ferguson. But because I've stated that (i.e., that I want to hear the full and complete story), which to me is the very ideal of what being a Democrat and what Democracy is, has been unpopular.
I've not made up my mind yet. Darren Wilson may have murdered Michael Brown. Darren Wilson may not have murdered Michael Brown. No one knows for sure because what we're seeing on television is not a trial and not necessarily all factual.
I thought this forum was for discussion of all points of view and I've been quite surprised at the demonizing of anyone who dares disagree with the majority here. But oh, well. I'm going to continue to believe as I do. If that's unpopular, then so be it.
I've actually been asked if I was happy that Michael Brown was dead. Uh, no, I'm not. I'm sad when anyone is killed. But I feel a certain sadness for Officer Wilson's family, too, because they've been dragged into this through no fault of their own. I wouldn't think, normally on DU, that would be an issue.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)Going on in classic Fux style, insinuating and then covering your ass with a democratic sounding fig leaf......
blackspade
(10,056 posts)There needs to be a trial. That is how the facts and Wilson's story gets out.
But it looks like there is a concerted effort to shield the cop and whitewash the incident by putting the responsibility for Brown's death...on Brown.
Based on the current evidence, there is more than enough to charge Wilson. The fact that he is a cop is the only reason why he is still free.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)you saying what YOU believe. Democracy is saying what I believe, from my experience, as a 'negro', then 'AA', always a 'black man' in amerikkka. Your speculations are based on your experiences in what ever community you come from. I DO NOT HAVE TO BELIEVE, like you do, that poor officer wilson and his family are being demonized unfairly. He pulled the trigger six times for sure, probably more, on an unarmed man killing him with deliberate malice. Period. If that is not MURDER, then I don't know what is. Because of their respective races, if the MURDER of this unarmed black man by officer wilson does not suggest RACISM, I don't know what does. You're in a pretty deep hole already, you should stop digging.
hamsterjill
(15,223 posts)I really am. But your anger doesn't serve you well. Believe me.
My speculations are based on news reports just like everything that your speculations have been based upon. We have nothing else at this point other than what we've seen or heard through the media.
You aren't interested in solutions. You're just interested in staying angry. The fact of the matter is that there not going to be ANYTHING that will satisfy those, like you, who are out for Darren Wilson's head. If there's a grand jury proceeding, that won't be good enough because it's done behind closed doors. If the current prosecutor takes the case, that won't be good enough because he's already been tagged as a racist. If a trial is held and televised, and if Wilson is acquitted, that won't be good enough. If he's put in prison, you'll just be saying he's been sent to a "puff place" prison. If someone kills him in prison, you'll just me mad at the way he gets killed.
You will still find something to be angry about. So, tell me - what WOULD it take to stop you from being so fucking angry at the world? The world is not always a fair place for a lot of people.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)by people unable to look at themselves in the mirror. I am not angry. I am indignant that racist people are still allowed to kill unarmed black people willfully and with sanction, so far, and are excused by people "waiting on the facts". Solutions? You are offering solutions with your enabling pleas for a murderer? Please. You are extremely transparent in your intent and it is not serving you well. Keep digging, you'll reach China soon. I have not cursed at you, so your rudeness is noted and you and your undercover......will be ignored from this moment on. Just wanted some of the undercover.........to show themselves. The kid was a victim of sanctioned, so far, MURDER. I am not angry at all.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)heaven05
(18,124 posts)analysis of soccer(who knows-"let's wait for the facts", "you're so angry" mom.
hamsterjill
(15,223 posts)Nice to know you hate someone just because their opinion may differ from yours.
Have a nice day.
Squinch
(50,993 posts)Demit
(11,238 posts)Where the fuck do you get off telling someone you know how they're going to react to events? I hope you've just had some kind of psychotic break or something & when you come to your senses you'll delete this post because it is VILE.
Dragonfli
(10,622 posts)professional liars. Making up whatever it takes for a report to result in a "good collar" and an exoneration of themselves and other officers. It may simply be that every cop I have ever interacted with were exceptions, but that would be statistically very unlikely.
Your mileage of course may vary, but I have never known one that told the truth or did not lie for and cover up for the illegal activities of other officers.
So you will have to understand if not excuse my not waiting breathlessly for the "creative" testimony of the officer in question.
hamsterjill
(15,223 posts)Of course we are all affected by our own life experience.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)bull and charged at me! I feared for my life! He looked high on drugs, too! And I'd heard that he had just committed armed robbery!"
Or are you expecting something else?
cwydro
(51,308 posts)with which anyone who wants to see the facts come out have been attacked.
I think EVERYONE is horrified at Mike Brown's death, and EVERYONE can see the cops overreacted in the beginning, which lighted the powder keg.
But yes, I too thought it was a discussion forum. Frequently (very often actually), I see pile-ons and sneering, snark and insults, personal attacks and insinuations. It's quite ugly.
Thank you for your post.
hamsterjill
(15,223 posts)Sincerely, thank you.
And yes, I, too have been horrified by Michael Brown's death AND a lot of the actions of the police. I'm sorry when any young person dies.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)You could be waiting a very long time.
Uncle Joe
(58,405 posts)Thanks for the thread, 1StrongBlackMan.
MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)Even when you point out the mountain of evidence already known, you get the same thing.
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)Funny how they don't write "lets wait to see what the evidence shows" before demonstrating their assumptions:
-- that there was a theft at all
-- that it happened that day
-- that the person was Michael
-- and, today, that he turned and rushed the armed cop, so, you know, had it coming.
-- etc., etc.
They're not helping. In fact....
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)This.
Octoberfurst
(42 posts)I have been following what the right-wing sites have been writing about the Michael Brown killing and they are doing exactly what you say they are. They say we must wait for the facts to come out before condemning the police officer who shot Brown. But at the same time they talk about how Brown had it coming. He did a "strong-arm robbery" at a store! He attacked the police officer! Brown was a thug with a criminal record! He was high at the time and that's why the officer had to shoot him so many times! Mind you, none of those statements are proven but the wingnuts are acting like that is all gospel truth. But yet, they say we should not be quick to judge the officer. Yep they are finding a thousand and one ways to smear the victim but yet urge caution before judging the cop. Their hypocrisy sickens me.
VanGoghRocks
(621 posts)of arresting a motherfucker when there's probable cause that a crime, in this case HOMICIDE, has been committed. I'm also in favor of reasonable bail and a right to an attorney.
From where I sit, it appears that Ferguson PD (its leadership cadre) and possibly St. Louis County PD have also committed conspiracy to obstruct justice in aiding and abetting Mr. Wilson's flight. So I'm also in favor of arresting motherfuckers when there's probable cause to suspect they've conspired to obstruct justice. I'll be more than happy to wait to see what the evidence shows . . . AT A FUCKING TRIAL.
In the meantime, I support fully the Ferguson Resistance.
indivisibleman
(482 posts)People that say wait for the facts pretty much ignore the facts we have already.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)countryjake
(8,554 posts)unfairly, before all of the evidence is in.
The irony, it hurts.
logosoco
(3,208 posts)Not just here on the board either! My husband and I have been discussing this a lot, and every time I make a good point, he basically says "let's wait and see what the evidence says".
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)smokey nj
(43,853 posts)malaise
(269,157 posts)but we're still waiting for one from the Ferguson PD.
They're trying to control the narrative - typical racist character assassination
Warpy
(111,332 posts)until the toxicology screen is in.
In cases like this one, that's a huge mistake.
indivisibleman
(482 posts)then he obviously was a fault. <<sarcasm
Warpy
(111,332 posts)If he shot Wilson at close range like he claimed, there would be a lot of blood spray from that head shot. Fine droplets would be all over the place.
There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle missing and that's a big one.
indivisibleman
(482 posts)While so many people are looking for dirt on MB the real evidence seems to be getting whisked away. I certainly hope that is not the case but if it is gone we will all find out.
Warpy
(111,332 posts)I do know it's part of human nature to try to sanitize the behavior of someone they have been taught to respect, especially authority figures.
It's like women who look at the behavior of rape victims so they can pretend it can never happen to them because they don't do whatever the rape victim did prior to the assault. People are looking at Brown to figure out how not to be murdered by the cops.
And that's why I don't pay much attention to those threads, either.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)are looking at Brown to figure out how not to be murdered by the cops?.
Warpy
(111,332 posts)Not the bean dip dumb ones but the poor ones with any sort of awareness (and a history of being pulled over for nonexistent broken tail lights) are going to be watching what happens to Wilson very carefully.
The PTB are speaking openly about culling the herd.
valerief
(53,235 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)six times. We need to wait for the investigation.
(i hope it wasn't needed)
Solomon
(12,319 posts)me with a gun gets a taste of my head butt, that'll teach his stupid ass".
TheKentuckian
(25,029 posts)for the cops, circling the wagons to excuse the institution and justify their practices and functional state of constant overreach, crying about the state of affairs but resolute in changing nothing and excusing everything brought to us by a toxic police culture and wrongheaded missions that by definition separate peace keepers from citizens and put them in opposing camps.
ballyhoo
(2,060 posts)Cop may walk away, and we will have a multi-city war on our hands. I still haven't forgotten Trayvon Martin and what they did to him. Ferguson will be the last straw.
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)three-letter security agencies are presented as our protectors.
Those in the grip of this fear will go to great, cognitively-dissonant lengths to prove to themselves that our "protectors" have our best interests at heart, even in the face of obvious facts to the contrary. They can't consider the fragile, unstable nature of the house of cards to which our democracy has devolved - to do so would invite panic and depression. So they grasp at any straw, however flimsy, to support the illusion of a benevolent Big Brother.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)And what do we call that? Hypocrisy.
sheshe2
(83,875 posts)Blame the Black victim first.
redwitch
(14,946 posts)Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)I have seen a lot of gun nuts (not regular gun owners actual preppers) who claim to have a lot of knowlege on shooting etc.. coincidentally or not they also happen to think that police officers walk on water after a shooting like this (otherwise it's down with the police the strong arm of the feds) and not one word about the odd shooting pattern that looks like target practice if Brown had his hands up by his ears. It seriously looks like the officer was aiming for his head in that case.
etherealtruth
(22,165 posts)An unarmed teenager is dead ... shot 6 times by the police department sworn to "protect and serve" (I threw up a little on the keyboard typing that)
indivisibleman
(482 posts)Where are the calls for Darren Wilson's background?
I think there are two things going on. White privilege and a desire to protect the police.
Some people can't wrap their head around how a cop could kill someone in cold blood and some people are racists and will work to protect whites at any cost. They will do anything they can to character assassinate a black man in order to protect a white man. They will also completely ignore the white man's background.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)War Horse
(931 posts)Noticed it here, all the way from Norway.
Rex
(65,616 posts)YET they never mention the officer that shot and killed Brown...are so many people that brainwashed into believing cops are that infallible or is it just they have a family member that is a cop and so therefore ALL cops must be just like him/her?
I've been trying to figure it out, since Brown was just a kid walking down the street with a friend...like most kids. That seems about as normal as normal can be.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)It's the guy (or tiny group of guys) that I met on DU during the Trayvon case, possibly from some nutbar gunner forum, but most likely a sock(s) of some longtime DUer...
They're straight-up pure shit trolls...Save your sanity -- Don't bother alerting or trying to get them tombstoned, because they have hundreds of fresh alt accounts ready to switch to...
You can throw them an occasional reply, but do not let yourself get drawn into something too heavily...
2banon
(7,321 posts)One need not be a Psycho-Analyst to recognize certain behavior patterns.
That is to say, not all Racists/Bigots/Misogynists are necessarily "pro-authoritarian" (favor a militarized police state) but it's interesting to observe that many Pro-authoritarians exhibit racists, misogynistic behavior and attitude. I'm sure there's plenty of scholarly documentation to that effect.
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)Now he was possibly charging the officer although a block full of Black people say otherwise.
Stonepounder
(4,033 posts)If a woman gets raped it is because 'she was asking for it', or 'she had too much to drink'. If someone who has worked all his/her life and suddenly finds themselves out of a job and can't find a new one, they 'are just lazy and would rather get rich off unemployment'. If a cop shoots an unarmed black man then 'the kid grabbed for the officer's gun'.
Blacks are the current convenient 'minority group' that is easy to hate. Just like the Jews, the Irish, the Chinese, and the Indians before them. The white man looks down his nose and blames everyone but himself for all the ills of society. And the 1% are laughing their asses off because when you push someone too far and they break, then the oligarchs just spin it to say, 'see, they are just a bunch of violent bums, so, a priori, the original inciting incident was justified'.
And way too many folk, even on DU, don't realize how they are being played like a fiddle.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)After watching Rachel Maddow's piece on Ferguson I don't feel we can trust the "facts".
The facts will be facts according to the clearly racist Ferguson police department.
There is no denying that they have racist policies. Well, there is denial. But there is always denial. Some deny the holocaust too.
H2O Man
(73,594 posts)I've even read people's taking that "stance" here on DU. I think that is beyond weak. Way beyond weak.
All it takes is a dash of common sense. The context has a long, brutal, and ugly history, one that extends right up to this moment in our nation's life. There are quite a few DUers who have had personal and family experiences that are similar to this case. Too many of us, and too close.
More, the specifics of the case are clear. We are not the judge or jury in a court room, thus suspending judgement on the case. We have no legal, ethical, or intellectual obligation to pretend it was anything other than cowardly, cold-blooded murder. And we are applying rational thought when we say that, no matter if the killer is charged or not (or found guilty if tried), that the cop murdered this teen-aged boy.
Those who are avoiding the glaring issues at hand, in the manner that you accurately describe, are either lacking in insight, or they are purposely attempting to blur the truth. Neither option presents as an invitation for good people to converse with. It is such an insult to his family and friends, and to all of us that can relate to this case, based upon personal experience.
Thank you for this OP. Recommended.
Android3.14
(5,402 posts)Sure, there is the occasional racist. But they are few, they stick out in this community, and they soon go away or find themselves kicked out. That being said, waiting for the evidence (since there really is nothing concrete to do otherwise) is what a thoughtful person does.
As one poster remarked, the important message here is that a police officer shot an unarmed person. If you are going to play the I-know-the-Truth game, you will receive nothing. If someone asks, why did the officer shoot the guy, or what did the guy do to make the officer shoot him, rather than call the person racist, just remind them that a police officer shot an unarmed person.
What I've noticed is the uptick in the number of newcomers jumping in with little one-line responses or ingratiating compliments.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Docross
(39 posts)Out of ALL the talk today by everyone.. the one line that stood out loud and clear to me was when President Obama said,
......."I'LL BE WATCHING......". Yes!
barbtries
(28,810 posts)i'm calling for the arrest of the murderer, myself.
the media is of course being its usual shitty self. i heard the shooting referred to twice on NPR and both times they said a policeman shot a teenager - not mentioning the extremely important fact that that teenager was UNARMED.
that's pissing me off.
riqster
(13,986 posts)Same motherfuckers who tell us that shit when anyone not in the dominant class/race/group is raped/killed/abused. The presumption is that the white guy is right and the POC/ female/religious minority is guilty because they deserve it somehow because, well, they aren't white male Christians.
I recommend today's Rude Pundit column on a similar topic. http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2014/08/in-brief-thought-experiment-on-ferguson.html?m=1
His conclusion: "Freedom ain't free, but it sure is white". Truth.
DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)tried Tray Martin, and who frankly are the racist wing of the party. They are still mad about 2008, which is why they are making damned sure their lady gets in.
ljm2002
(10,751 posts)Quayblue
(1,045 posts)Well the longer we wait, the longer people are going to be pissed the fuck off, speculating and resisting. That concept seems to fly at high altitudes right over their patient heads.
DhhD
(4,695 posts)the KNOWN facts as soon as possible at a news conference. Remember all the updates that were given during the investigation of the Sandy Hook School shooting? We deserve updates very very soon, in my opinion.
TorchTheWitch
(11,065 posts)and demanding his arrest before any investigation was done. This place has been rampant with that, and it's disgusting. We don't have mob rule as a justice system in the country, thank the gods, and no one here actually wants it that way despite all the calls for "justice" that throw actual justice out the window.
As I've said time and again I don't CARE which "side" was justified, and if it turns out that the officer did anything criminal, so be it. The bigger question is why is anyone choosing ANY side before the facts are discovered? There's only one reason to do that on EITHER side, and that's bias. Until the facts are discovered and made public no one knows whether the shooting was justifiable or not. Whatever is discovered, SO BE IT.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)if it were Michael Brown that shot and killed a white police officer, there is any doubt where he would be housed BEFORE ANY INVESTIGATION WAS DONE?
Number23
(24,544 posts)DAYUUUUM!!
if it were Michael Brown that shot and killed a white police officer, there is any doubt where he would be housed BEFORE ANY INVESTIGATION WAS DONE?
Take a bow, baby!
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)only because of my restraint. My original post said:
fishwax
(29,149 posts)No doubt at all.
Greybnk48
(10,172 posts)going on here. It is my hope, having come of age in the 60's, that this will be some sort of turning point for Civil Rights yet again.
But to your point, IMO, Mike Brown was murdered in cold blood because the cop thought he would get away with it no sweat. The kid was Black after all. If this is not handled justly and fairly this country may explode--and rightly so.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)Especially given the track record in this country, of law enforcement killing unarmed (most often black) men?
TorchTheWitch
(11,065 posts)However, at this point I'm leaning more toward the officer's version of events at least in part. I do think it was likely that Brown attacked the officer in his car where the first shot was fired. What happened after that? Nobody knows yet.
Despite the perpetual screaming about police officers here every case where an officer has been acquitted for a shooting it was because it was justifiable according to the law. Over and over people here are always screaming that police are "getting away with it" when they're cleared of wrong doing by grand jury investigation, and those grand juries are made up of average citizens of all stripes yet are also condemned for being willing to indict a ham sandwich. Well, which is it? Can't have it both ways.
There is also the very real problem here of people expecting police officers to be robotic supermen when they are just as average as any other average person. Yet these average people because of their job are required to make split second decisions in terrifying life threatening circumstances where their own lives and sometimes that of other people are a split second away from who knows what. In those situations the average civilian would be more likely to freeze, crap their pants or both.
Because of the nature of the job they have to put up with more shit on the job than any other job I can conceive of. I've said a million times that there's no amount of money I could be paid for doing it. And add to that the epic vilification of police officers for no other reason than that they are one. Not because they've done one single thing to deserve that vilification personally yet they have to put up with a gazillion times more of it than any other job. Officers with no complaints that have been on the job for several years are more likely going to be those that can deal with the every day shit and let it roll off them like water off the back of a duck. The ones that can't hack it are usually ferreted out pretty quickly having a rather poor track record and/or not being on the job for very long.
Now, with this particular case it's ludicrous to believe that this officer for no reason whatsoever shot a guy to death in broad daylight on a busy public street full of people right there to see it. Doesn't happen unless the officer has suddenly lost their mind and has a death wish. Further, there's just no way that this officer would have pulled Brown into his car and threatened him with his gun when there are two guys - Brown and Johnson - to his one, Brown was 6'4" and nearly 300 lbs. besides and having no idea whatsoever if either of them were armed when this is a neighborhood that is crime riddled where many young men are. Moreover, he's worked this beat for four or more years without a single complaint of ANYTHING whatsoever against him. Given what's been happening in this community I can't imagine that even at this point no one would have complained about anything about his attitude previously if there was anything to complain about. You can bet your sweet bippy that once his name and face were released anyone who had any kind of bad experience with him in the past would be running to the nearest microphone about it. Hasn't happened.
And now we know that moments before these two men and the officer met up Brown had just robbed a store, and that goes directly to his character and more importantly his mindset when the officer stopped them. He would have been crapping his pants that he'd been caught, and it is reasonable to believe that in the face of a robbery arrest that would have destroyed his future he would have been willing to do just about anything to get away from this officer.
I am inclined to believe because of all of this information that it was Brown who lunged into the officer's car where there was a struggle that left the officer with injuries, but what happened after that first shot inside the car I have no idea. Neither does anyone else at this point. If Brown gave up and tried to run away and the officer shot him multiple times when he was no longer a danger to him, then yep, he should be charged for that. One thing that would shed light on that would be where did Brown's body end up in relation to the officer's car. I've read a couple of times in more obscure sources that have said that his body lay just outside the officer's car door. Until such time this comes out in the main news sources I'm pretty much discounting it at this point. It's an important piece of the puzzle though.
I don't do bias especially when it comes to criminal cases or possible criminal cases. What has always interested me in criminal cases is what happened, why it happened and who if anyone is guilty of what. It's like putting a puzzle together, so I don't WANT any bias or non-facts because then the puzzle pieces don't fit and the picture comes out wrong. And what's the point of working out a puzzle if you don't care what pieces go together to form a correct revealing whole?
I don't do real life according to agenda. That's the ugly of politics and the ugly of people. And it's damn ugly that anyone here just automatically right out of the gate believed absolutely on nothing more than agenda that this officer is a murderer and worse don't think an investigation to ascertain the facts need be bothered with. I don't want anything to do with a world where "justice" means throwing someone in jail based on agenda and not facts and the law. That's mob rule, and nobody here despite all the insistence that this officer is guilty of something with no facts whatsoever wants mob rule justice.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)I will just speak to this, as an exemplar of what I have a problem with what you have written:
WHAT "all this information"? You are choosing to ignore the account of the eye witnesses to the incident. None of the four people that saw the incident's beginning point, particularly, Brown's companion who was feet from Brown and the Officer, have not indicated Brown "lunging" into the officer's car.
Further, there is no information regarding the officer's injuries, other than the unverified report of the police chief and an un-named source that spoke to the girl-friend of the officer.
Do you see a problem with any of this?
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)Demit
(11,238 posts)To give you more complete information: http://gawker.com/woman-claims-darren-wilson-told-her-to-shut-the-fuck-u-1622383830
Also, the way use-of-force complaints were handled in Ferguson is curious, to say the least. They were never placed in officers' personnel files.
http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/08/15/use-of-force-investigations-in-ferguson-a-joke/14135791/ So no one really knows what complaints Officer Wilson had in his time with the Ferguson force. Or in his 2 years with his previous town's police department.
I would appreciate a link in return: WHERE did you read that Michael Brown's body lay just outside the officer's SUV? There sure are no photos. That's because Wilson WAS ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE SCENE IN HIS POLICE SUV, taking EVIDENCE the car could have contained from the scene of a shooting. Tell me, in your apparently intimate knowledge of police behavior, is that standard procedure?
There's plenty of evidence of this entire Ferguson police force swaggering around, threatening people, being foul-mouthed & contemptuousand that's just what we've seen with our own eyes this past week. I think we can safely say that goes directly to their character, the kind of culture that was allowed to flourish for years in the Ferguson, MO police department.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)Your mind seems more made up than you claim it to be. Just saying...
heaven05
(18,124 posts)A thinking, logical person KNOWS it was outright MURDER. Your indignation is noted and summarily dismissed. SO BE IT. The summary execution of this black, unarmed, teenager by a white 'peace' officer on an obviously racist police force is the fact. He murdered a kid. FACT. Trayvon Martin was murdered with the same malice by a racist pig. SO BE IT????? Piece of work you are.
JustAnotherGen
(31,869 posts)The Traveler
(5,632 posts)Character assassination operation in full swing, and the rationalization squad is out in force.
Trav
nikto
(3,284 posts)Or maybe, he was a secret advisor to Vladimir Putin?
Maybe Michael Brown was
Hitler's dad?
(Nah. He'd be a hero, then ).
Well,
must have been somp'n.
They'll have it on Fox, for sure.
(Sorry, but I go all terminal snark at times like this. Can't help it. )
tavalon
(27,985 posts)Rinse, repeat.
That is all I'm looking at. The rest of it is bullshit chatter that has nothing to do with the murder of this unarmed teen.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)All the bullshit rationalizations are just that.
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)I have much more confidence in them than I do in the Missouri locals.
They will be very thorough, and thoroughness does take time, particularly with any forensic evidence that they can gather despite possible mishandling by the local investigation team. Justice and the FBI may be able to point out where the locals screwed up and why. And that's really important.
No matter how this ends up in a court of law, the officer, IMHO, is morally responsible for the death of Michael Brown, and if there is a life after this, will have to answer to a higher power.
Response to 1StrongBlackMan (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)You won't hear them insist on us waiting for the facts when black people are accused of crimes, they only tend to come out and insist we "wait for the facts" and insist we not judge the killer when a black person is murdered.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)so why is it so difficult for DUers to recognize it?
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)Just look at the responses to this thread, the vast majority agree with your OP. We can see right through the "wait for the facts" crowd that only seems to want to wait for the facts when a black person is murdered and they don't want us saying anything negative about his murderer.
I think a lot of people know these people are racist but they are afraid to say so for fear of a hidden post. Pointing out racism is often considered a worse offense than being a racist that tries to justify the murder of black people.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)I can think of there being at least 3 OPs with that exact title posted to the AA Group ... in less than 2 years.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)with absolutely no sense of irony.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)Their counter-argument was: "That's not racism you are experiencing, it's ..."
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)I am a white guy, but I know what racism is and I know that it is a far bigger problem than most people are willing to acknowledge. A lot of people try to pretend racism hardly exists, they want to believe that as long as you don't wear a white robe and burn crosses in a black family's yard you are not a racist. What they fail to even acknowledge is that people can have racist views and act on those views without saying anything overtly racist. They use dog whistles and act all outraged when you point those dog whistles out.
Number23
(24,544 posts)Ha! I was thinking that same thing!
Including the OP where Skinner made his first post ever in the AA Group on DU3 to chastise bravenak for calling an OP racist (when it was) because "You can't really separate the person from the comments" meaning that when she called that person's POST racist, she was really calling THEM racist. (As if that would be wrong, anyway)
Wow.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)stranger81
(2,345 posts)Where was Michael Brown's "due process"?
fishwax
(29,149 posts)(and, for the record: .)
No, you're not the only one who has noticed.
cvoogt
(949 posts)who is a white saint and should be worshipped for his deed. And no, I don't do sarcasm tags ... it defeats the point of sarcasm.
cvoogt
(949 posts)"we don't have all the evidence but let's blame the dead black victim by default". All the time those people show their own sickened minds and don't realize they are diseased, or don't care.
AuntPatsy
(9,904 posts)JoeyT
(6,785 posts)Stubenville, and a few other things that fell under the category of defending the indefensible, too.
Spend five hundred words building up how awful the victim was and how deserving of their fate they were, then claim "Innocent until proven guilty*" as if DU were a court of law, or "I'm waiting for the facts" as if the people doing the factfinding didn't have a vested interest in suppressing damaging evidence, and they didn't just waste a bunch of electrons slinging whatever character assassination they could lay hands on.
*A phrase which apparently either doesn't apply to African Americans, or which has an absurdly low bar for proof. See! We found a facebook photo where he looks like absolutely every other teenager on facebook! Told you he was a thug!
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)IrishAyes
(6,151 posts)Passive-aggressive to the core.
On FB today I got into a real fight with some jerk who was saying nobody has any reason to fear the police if they're not doing anything wrong! Claims everyone should let them search bodies and vehicles w/o any warrant and in absence of probable cause. I think I bit a few good chunks out of the fool.
ismnotwasm
(41,999 posts)SSDD
JPnoodleman
(454 posts)Even after you spell out the facts they often accuse me of...
"So you're saying he was innocent?"
OR
"Hey, lets not lynch a cop until we have the facts!"
-_- the fact that someone described the cop's situation as akin to a lynching. My organs struggled to not fail.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)particularly egregious example.
Cha
(297,574 posts)imthevicar
(811 posts)That's the truth of the matter.
IronLionZion
(45,516 posts)they'll deny it to other folks here on the board, but many of them deny it to themselves as well. It's a disconcerting thought to think one might not be as open-minded and nonjudgmental as one claims to be on a liberal board. Its scary to admit one might be holding prejudice, so it's easier to just think its not possible. Bad people rarely think of themselves as bad.
RandiFan1290
(6,239 posts)The act of a caucasian person explaining to audiences of color the true nature of racism; a caucasian person explaining sociopolitical events and/or history to audiences of color as though they are ignorant children; a caucasian person explaining to audiences of color that what they think will benefit themselves and their families and communities will in fact harm them, and vice versa.
U.S. Senator Rand Paul whitesplained to students at Howard University that a black Republican founded the NAACP.
"'We know our history,' Hay said of Paul's question. 'This is now; that was in the past.'"
blackspade
(10,056 posts)Or a 1%er arrested and put under the jail.
Bettie
(16,121 posts)After all, if you are shot or otherwise killed while daring to be a young black man, clearly, you are at fault for your own death.
Also, if you go to a party while being a young woman, you are at fault for your own rape.
I'm seeing this more and more, everywhere.
The irony is in the fact that it is almost always from people who scream about "Personal responsibility", but they mean that victims must take responsibility, not perpetrators of violence against them.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)in the last few days responded to just that type of zimmerman deja vu BS. Same thing on here when zimpig committed his murder. Same exact thing. I knew the 'usual suspects' would show up sooner or later. Poor cop, he had to shoot or let's wait and see if the 'evidence' points to murder. Same BS because they know a jury of his 'peers' will not convict this jerk in this area of the country. Hell the jury will probably be 90% KKK with one or two 'minorities on it and that's even with a change of venue.
MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)And when CNN puts Mark O'Malley on to "comment" about the Michael Brown case, it just adds fuel to the perception fire.
GoneFishin
(5,217 posts)authoritarians who can't escape the fact that an unarmed person was shot 6 times from a distance. They know they have got no fucking leg to stand on, but they are incapable of admitting they are wrong. So this is their way to avoid giving up their lame-ass defense of a power drunk, likely roid raging cop.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)gollygee
(22,336 posts)The message is that white people deserve due process in every situation, but people of color do not. If that were not an overwhelming belief in the US (which I believe it is and always has been) then I don't think Michael Brown would have been killed in the first place. When people kill African American young men, what I hear in response is that he was a "thug" and "probably did something even if he didn't do that." In other words, they don't deserve due process.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)In fact, I don't think the calls have anything to do with the white police officer ... rather, I think the calls for "all the evidence to come out" is merely a call to delay any discussion of the killing ... except, that which speculates as to why the Black thug was complicit in, and/or responsible for, his own death.
Read the posts here, and elsewhere, where the call is made ... In each and everyone, the caller has speculated as to what may have happened ... immediately before or after making the call.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)I guess I don't totally get what's going on in people's minds, but I do think that if the police officer is ever arrested and/or convicted of anything, no matter how much evidence there is, a lot of white people will be very angry that anyone ever dared to even trouble him with having to face any questions or penalties at all.
cleduc
(653 posts)but your description doesn't describe where I'm coming from.
We get pieces of information on this case. For example:
- Witness testimony clipped from videos
- Some police info/reports related to the robbery
- Part of an autopsy report.
- press conferences/video interviews with officials
- media reports
- radio/tv interview(s) with various parties
etc
It gets pinned up here in a thread and discussed.
We have an unarmed, dead teenager shot by a cop.
Most would agree we do not have the full details of story at this point. We know there is more to come. We can speculate and discuss why this happened - maybe to sort out some fact from fiction with the evidence provided. We can suspect who is culpable and who is lying. But we don't have all the facts and details to tell us with assurance beyond reasonable doubt what really happened here. Why did this kid die?
I get this: "An unarmed black kid is dead at the hands of a white cop!! What more do you need to know?"
This isn't a case of a white cop just driving up, picking out a black kid at random and shooting him. Some might argue it's close to that. But there's more to it than that.
There was a robbery that may or may not factor in. There appears to have been an altercation at the cruiser - why did that happen? Etc. Scrutinizing those things gets us closer to the truth of what went on.
"Due process" will deliver a more accurate picture of what happened and why. I think Mike Brown's family deserves that. I think Ferguson, America and DU.com deserve that. I think the determination of what should happen to this officer deserves that (even though that officer didn't give Mike the same consideration or opportunity) because that's the justice system we abide by.
My desire for "due process" has nothing to do with racist feelings or defending a white racist cop. Like so many, I want to understand why this kid lost his life. I want real answers.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)That is not the requisite arrest standard. Do you have any doubt that need Michael Brown shot (at, let alone killed) the Police Officer, he would be residing in a jail, until indicted and beyond?
Yes. There is. But from the eye witness, the best source out there ... this was a cop shooting a kid for mouthing off.
I think you misunderstand how "due process" intersects with an arrest. Here how: it doesn't ... "due process" attaches, minimally, immediately before an arrest (probable cause), then a higher standard AFTER an arrest, then a third level at trial. But people are arrested on the basis of eye-witness accounts (probable cause), every single day of the year.
cleduc
(653 posts)"Due process" means
...
2) right to grieve (that being the right to complain or to disagree with the governmental actor/entity that has decision making authority) and
3) the right to appeal if not satisfied with the outcome of the grievance procedure.
Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual person from it. When a government harms a person without following the exact course of the law, this constitutes a due-process violation, which offends against the rule of law.
...
The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution each contain a Due Process Clause. Due process deals with the administration of justice and thus the Due Process Clause acts as a safeguard from arbitrary denial of life, liberty, or property by the Government outside the sanction of law.
Michael Brown and disparity of due process
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-michael-brown-and-disparity-of-due-process/article_40bb2d0e-8619-534a-b629-093ebc79f0a6.html
I'm also after due process in a larger sense of the term:
Michael Brown had due process taken from him in a few seconds when Darren Wilson pulled the trigger. But I would contend that in the court of public opinion, even in death, he still should get due process. I argue that he has a right to be tried fairly in the media and court of public opinion. His family is entitled to the kind of due process that will give them answers and from those answers, some closure. And some comfort with that knowledge and those answers that we'll learn something and as a result, be better off for it such that their son or brother didn't die for nothing.
That's the sort of due process I want.
cascadiance
(19,537 posts)the new credo the right wing wants to define for our justice system for those they don't like in society.
Such lovers of democracy and our constitution?....
NOT!!!!!!
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)everyone other than police officers (in non-racial cases) and the wealthy face?
Is the a single doubt in your mind that had Brown shot (at, let alone killed) the police officer, where he would be right now?
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)My ignore list has many new additions thanks to the posts you're referring to.
JustAnotherGen
(31,869 posts)I've got one on another thread who continues to refer to Mr. Brown as a suspect!
I'm like - stop -you are tickling me with your nonsense.
And now today we've learned - that the report on the alleged theft wasn't even FILED at the time Mr. Brown was killed!
Mr. Brown was NOT a suspect in a dang thang.
They need to let go of the rope on that - lest they find themselves being dragged. Just shaking my head.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)as is every young Black male, in America.
JustAnotherGen
(31,869 posts)But I don't expect to read it at DU - in a way that he was doing anything other than walking while black, breathing while black, etc. etc.
This cat is referring to him as the 'suspect' of an actual crime. Not simply being.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)sarge43
(28,942 posts)Blame the victim. "S/he was asking for it."