Violence flares again in Missouri town where police shot teen

[alp227]

Source: CNN

Ferguson, Missouri (CNN) -- Hours after federal civil rights investigators and the FBI opened an inquiry into the death of a teenager shot by a police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, violence flared again in the St. Louis suburb.

Police Chief Thomas Jackson told CNN shots were fired Monday night in Ferguson, and police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd that had gathered in an area where looting occurred Sunday.

"Officers were brought in to quell the hostilities," he said. "Tear gas was deployed."

The Saturday-night shooting, which left 18-year-old Michael Brown dead, has fueled rising tensions in the town of 21,000 and sparked national debate.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/11/us/missouri-teen-shooting/index.html

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More coverage by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

[Archae]

1. Oh yeah, rioting and looting will help with the police shooting problem...

I saw one rioter on the news who reminded me of that thug who clobbered a truck driver during the Los Angeles riots with a brick, then celebrated his act like a football player in the end zone would do.

[damnedifIknow]

18. The frustration boils over

Time and time again we watch as police beat and murder unarmed citizens of this country and then take a nice little paid break until the "investigation" finds the barbaric use of force was completely necessary. Prosecution for these mindless acts upon the people? Laughable.

[Comrade Grumpy]

31. Okay, what will help with the police shooting problem? Got any ideas?

Because this seems to be a serious issue across the land.

[Archae]

35. I don't have a 100% sure-fire solution.

Cops having cameras on them, and actual penalties for unjustified shootings, (not these current "internal affairs" cover-ups,) would help.

As is, in many places, cops who shoot innocents, (remember the NYC cops who shot several bystanders while missing a perp completely?) get a "reprimand."
At most.

And this gets repeated over and over.

We can't just say "Ban all guns!" or have all cops fired.
It would end up like in the 80's movie "Robocop."

[cosmicone]

2. If Mahatma Gandhi had not been cremated

he would be rolling in his grave.

[bravenak]

3. Arrest the officer.

The mob will calm down when they see that something will be done. Arrest him just like anybody else accused of murder.

[Cha]

12. ..

[bravenak]

14. I hope it calms down.

This is unreal.

[Cha]

15. Yes, May the City do something to help the People

Calm Down, bravenak~

[IronGate]

23. He hasn't been accused of murder yet by the DA,

I hope it comes to that, but I'm not holding my breath.

[L0oniX]

26. Anyone else would have at least been held for 24 hours.

[bravenak]

52. Let's hope they use the opportunity to establish more trust in the community.

The town is mostly black, the officers mostly white. This makes no sense. The cops should come from the communities they serve, not from somewhere else. If the police force was mostly black and lived outside the community, and they were shooting unarmed white teenagers, I would say the same thing.

If they do not arrest him, I expect a full on riot with citizens trying to execute police officers that had NOTHING to do with ANY racist bullshit. Just as black men get treated like criminals because SOME are, cops will be treated like murderers just because SOME are. I believe it may spread.

[IronGate]

57. Amen to that. nt.

[bluestateguy]

4. While we can never condone this

You have to expect that people are going to rise up and get angry when unarmed boys are gunned down by police.

We need too look t the police actions that are causing stuff like this to happen.

[littlemissmartypants]

6. Agreed. nt

[Cha]

13. Yes, we're all a bit "hostile" after the police shot Michael Brown 10 times

when he was unarmed and had his hands in the air.

[ripcord]

5. The sad part is that most are opportunists

They care nothing about Michael Brown or his family who are asking for this to stop. Looting minority business owners isn't going to solve anything and will probably take attention away from the real problem.

[Blue_Tires]

20. +1

I've tried pointing that out too, as well...

[Sherman A1]

48. Precisely

You have hit the nail on the head.

[pennylane100]

7. It is alway so sad when real wrongs are hijacked by criminals on the other side.

The murder of that young man by the police will be a side show to the violence of those in the community that want to just wreak havoc. The police will use this as a reason to obscure what really happened and just concentrate on the violence that is overtaking the real demonstrations.

[mountain grammy]

8. Hell, there's nothing left to do but riot! How else do you express rage

at the system that allows the murder of young black men. When Zimmerman was acquitted, I wanted to throw a brick through a window. At what point do we snap?

[Kurska]

9. How does trashing your own neighborhood help?

That seems to be what they are doing.

[Sherman A1]

16. the answer is of course

it doesn't.

Burning the Quik Trip and looting businesses which in some cases will not return, costing the area jobs does nothing to help.

[mountain grammy]

21. It doesn't, it's irrational, just like the murders of unarmed citizens is irrational.

What doesn't make sense is the lack of consequences of those in authority who are terrorizing citizens. This is happening far too often and nothing seems to "help" but the press sure loves those riots.

[mountain grammy]

28. Please read the eyewitness account of this murder

and then tell me how to control anger and frustration over this incident, or the hundreds of incidents that happen every day. It's the authorities trashing the people and the people are reacting.


http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/eyewitness-michael-brown-fatal-shooting-missouri

[IronGate]

24. And yet the people in FL and the rest of the US kept their cool and didn't riot. nt.

[savalez]

36. I understand where you're coming from.

Take this excerpt for example:

"We have seen young people giving in to violence and frustration and rage. It may be inexcusable. It is not unexpected," Brooks told reporters. "But I say to my young brothers and sisters, note the young man whose rage is your heart, note that he was nonviolent. He never got into a fight. If you want to honor his memory, honor his memory by seeking justice nonviolently."

That's easy to say but it's not easy to do if you've been systematically oppressed for years.

That said, not everyone is rioting, most are exercising their right to protest, and lumping them all together to invalidate the entire protest is just more oppression.

I am completely fed up with the treatment that they receive. This has got to stop.

[jtuck004]

10. Police. Murdering. Citizens. I don't give a flying rat's ass about your store. n/t

[Sherman A1]

17. How about the folks

who work at those stores who need the jobs? Do you give a rat's a** about them? Please specify exactly how burning the Quik Trip helps resolve the shooting?

[jtuck004]

32. Alternatively, how about I don't waste my time with your

self-righteous game playing.

If it was your kid laying dead in the street you wouldn't fucking care if the store lost it's toilet paper.

[XemaSab]

37. Here's why it's a problem:

If stores don't rebuild, then there are fewer places to shop, and black people have to go further and further afield to buy needed items.

I hate to bandy the phrase "food deserts" around when we're talking about a gas station mini-mart, but it's a place for people to buy all kinds of stuff that's also within walking distance.

What's the difference between racist policy to exclude businesses from black areas versus a business owner deciding not to rebuild?

Does it even matter if the outcome is the same?

[jtuck004]

38. Irony. All the concern about toilet paper and tv's when there is a dead, innocent

kid laying in the street. Republicans would be proud.

No wonder their town is on fire, if the people running the town are like those posting here, who care more about stores than people's lives. "Murdering racist cop? - oh well, just another day".

Glad there is an ignore button here. Else I'd have to go take a shower.

[Sherman A1]

44. Actually the parents

of teenager have called for an end to the violence and looting, so I suspect they do care.

Sorry, but burning down the Quik Trip and looting the Wal Mart really don't solve much of anything. They certainly do not bring back the dead teen or do anything to further the investigation, rather they drain resources from this community which has over these last few years worked hard to revitalize it's business district and recover from two tornadoes.

But, as you seem to know everything about Ferguson which is about 10 minutes down the street from where I live, I will allow you to pontificate and educate us all with your bountiful wisdom.

[IronGate]

25. Did that store owner or it's employees have anything to do with this shooting? nt.

[jtuck004]

33. As a matter of fact, the store owner might be paying the bastard's salary. So yeah, the whole

city had something to do with it.

As bad as that situation stinks, the place might as well smell of smoke and burning stores as the rot that underlies their town.

bye.

[IronGate]

39. Wow,

you're a fine piece of work.
Carry on with your hatred.

[jtuck004]

41. I will carry on just fine, and waste no more time with you.

Speaking of hate - why do you care more about building and tv's than a dead innocent kid?

Enjoy the ride on the high horse - fooling yourself.

[IronGate]

42. Speaking of hate.......

[Sherman A1]

47. Agreed

Exceptionally well said!

[snooper2]

45. can you waste time with me!

Please!

we can do some tuckpointing together!


Get it, tuck-pointing

I crack me up!

[NaturalHigh]

53. Are you actually trying to justify the riots?

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

The people hurt most by the riots are the members of the community that is losing its stores and other businesses. Just what kind of business do you think will want to locate in a neighborhood where stores have been looted and burned?

[NaturalHigh]

55. The people who work(ed) there probably do.

People who shop there, fill up there gas tanks, maybe grab breakfast probably do. The community that loses jobs and a portion of its tax base when the store burns down probably does too.

[mackerel]

11. Wtf is going on there????? Twitter is exploding. I guess the popo sent all the journalist away.

It's a predominantly black town with 53 popo and only 3 are black. Shooting tear gas now. FFS!

[tblue37]

56. Yeah--and they ere shooting the tear gas right into the back yards of people.

When the people complained that it was their own property, the cops shot another tear gas canister into the years--just to show them who is boss.

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2014/08/police_in_ferguson_fire_tear_gas_on_protesters_with_hands_up_in_their_own_backyard.php

"Police in Ferguson Fire Tear Gas on Protesters Standing in Their Own Backyard


"This my property! This my property!" he shouted, prompting police to fire a tear gas canister directly at his face. He moved at the last second.

<snip>

Flora Busby, West's mother, a soft-spoken woman in her 60s, came into the backyard to see if her sons were alright.

"We in our backyard!" she said. "Why you gotta shoot us?"

Again West shouted at the police. And again they fired another gas canister into the yard -- this one nearly hitting his house.

<snip>

[George II]

19. Al Sharpton has been disgustingly irresponsible during this incident...

...a thought reinforced last night on his show.

Presumably he has a lot of "power" in situations like this. Last night he interviewed Brown's parents for close to a half hour with nary a peep about how unproductive and negative these types of riots are. Then as they went to commercial at about 6:30, almost in passing, the subject of the violence and how it should not be going on was discussed.

He should have been OUT FRONT on Sunday imploring people to stay calm and peaceful, but he wasn't.

Funny, when a similar incident happened on Staten Island, but there was no violence, he was out there making appearances. Why not now? Is he afraid of the violence or does he revel in it?

More than disappointing if you ask me.

[Blue_Tires]

22. This isn't on Sharpton...

Local community leaders have been urging for calm almost from the start...Common sense pleas mean nothing to opportunists who live to smash+grab a few bucks, or create chaos for the sake of creating chaos (yes, those types of people do exist)...All it takes is a few of these types, and like clockwork a bunch of morons who don't know any better decide to join in...

[George II]

27. You're right, it's "not on Sharpton", but he could be doing a LOT more to help quell the unrest.

[stopthemandess8]

29. oh !

What would you like Rev. Al to say ? or do ?

[George II]

30. Perhaps use some of his influence to urge the rioters to respect Brown and stop?????

[stopthemandess8]

34. Now words from a great man

"A riot is the language of the unheard." - Martin Luther King Jr.

[bravenak]

54. The police force has been disgustingly irresponsible during this incident....

A thought reinforced by the fact that they have not arrested the perpetrator and are paying him to sit at home.
Not to mention the fact that they just took the killers words as golden and refuse to name the shooter.

Presumably they have the 'power' to stop this thing in it's tracks by arresting the killer, but refuse to do so based on their own biases and lack of compassion for black males.

Everybody wants to sit around and judge the rioters, while never even questioning WHY they feel like they have no other recourse.

The cops should have been out front, working with the community and questioning the falsified narrative that has been repeated over and over, but instead they pretend that the shooting of unarmed black males is justified.

Knowing the history of race relations, they should have been proactive in their training to PREVENT their officers from thinking they were above the law and that black men are disposable. This will be a lesson to all of us that the militarization of Americas law enforcement is the PROBLEM. Not black kids walking in the street. The cops are the problem. Crime is down, why all the killings of unarmed minorities? Because they think that there will be no repercussions, ever. They forget about riots. Even the slaves had riots, and we are not slaves. We own ourselves and nobody has the right to kill us and blame us for being in their way.

[Unvanguard]

40. Most of the reports of "violence" from last night seemed to be of police violence. n/t

[mackerel]

50. That's what I was getting from my twitter feed.

[mountain grammy]

46. This thread has stirred up a lot of emotion..

including hiding a post that had some excellent things to say in defense of Al Sharpton who is outraged at the murder, and yes, I believe it's murder, of yet another young black man.

At the risk of being alerted, I want to quote the hidden post:

"You know what would quell the unrest? Police not murdering innocent kids. White people becoming human beings and stopping the racism. Those would go a lot further than ANYTHING Sharpton has to say." I gotta agree!

There was more in there, but hidden? There was a negative comment about DU, but since when is that anything new?

[mackerel]

51. This violence just keeps happening with no end in sight.

I can totally understand why this thread has struck a cord with so many.

[Strelnikov_]

49. If there was not a riot, one would have been created

No better way to divert attention from how this started and sway public opinion.

Divide and conquer . . . nothing has changed since the first Oligarch wanted more cooked meat than everyone else in the tribe.