Ferguson discussion thread

[memph]

Originally Posted by Stockyman

It's a sad tragic day because certain people will use any excuse to loot, vandalize, and riot for a person they do not even know. It's tragic because Michael Brown did not have the best character. It has nothing to do with him being black, but a criminal that was leading to a bad path.

People need to stop focusing on his color. He was most likely going to be a career criminal regardless of his race.

How do you know? He had no record aside from that one incident. My impression was that he was acting more like a hot-headed idiot that day than a cold blooded career criminal.

He wanted some cigars but didn't want to pay for them and then shoved the store owner aside when he tried to stop him. He didn't try to empty the register or steal anything more from the looks of it. Yes, that's dumb, and illegal, but it's hardly like everyone who does something like that becomes a career criminal.

Hitting Wilson in the face was more evidence that he wasn't thinking straight, but it doesn't mean he was going to kill him. You look at what he did with the store owner, he only shoved him aside, basically the minimum he had to do to get what he wanted (free cigars). Then Darren Wilson rolls up to him, maybe Michael Brown just wanted to be left alone so he could go smoke his stolen cigars with his bud, and somehow thought punching Wilson would get him to leave him alone (wrong, but again, it was in the heat of the moment and he probably wasn't thinking straight).

Maybe this worked in the schoolyard and he didn't have much experience with dealing with cops, maybe he wanted to stick it to the man and act tough in front of his buddy, or maybe he just thought he was invincible like many young people do. Who knows...

At this point, I don't blame Darren Wilson for trying to defend himself and shooting Brown, fortunately that shot only seems to have hit his hand, giving Brown a chance to realize that he shouldn't be messing with him (Wilson).

Brown then starts to run away, so it seems like he's realized that he made a mistake and Wilson means business.

Wilson on the other hand probably has his adrenaline going and is rather intimidated by Brown. His testimony seems a little over the top honestly, but anyways, he gets out and starts pursuing Brown.

Wilson seems to be perceiving Brown as some crazy thug from the ghetto that's hellbent on killing him.

What happened next is unclear to me.

Some of the witness accounts seem like BS, either because of how far fetched they are or because they seem to inconsistent with the autopsy.

There are a couple of possible interpretations I think.

1) Brown starts charging towards Wilson, possibly with his arms raised forward with the intent of grabbing Wilson. Wilson starts shooting and shouting to stop and even though some shots hit Brown in the arm, he somehow manages to continue charging until he's shot in the head.

2) Brown raises his arms, possibly to surrender, or maybe like "hey look at my hand you shot me!" and takes a few steps towards Wilson, possibly with his hands up. Wilson's perception is blurred and because Brown was already relatively close and getting closer, he goes into panic mode and starts shooting and as Brown starts keeling over from the pain of being shot and tries to regain his balance by stepping forwards and in the heat of the moment Wilson mistakenly thinks Brown is getting ready to charge him and shoots more eventually killing him.

In any case, the grand jury's role is not supposed to be to decide whether to convict Wilson, but whether he should go to trial. I think there was enough evidence that he could have been indicted by the grand jury although probably not convicted had it gone to trial.

[KaraBenNemsi]

Applied reverse racial profiling would greatly help to extend the young male African Americans life span:

Beware the white cop who asks you to do something, because he will shoot you faster than a black cop. Especially when you are stoned and have robbed a store minutes ago. Don't punch the police officer in the face. Don't try to grab his gun.
Don't dress like a thug when pursuing criminal activities. Don't hang with thugs.

[Mire]

Originally Posted by lunetunelover

However, that doesn't make me some naive little poster on the internet who doesn't know how things work "in the real world."

That alone doesn't... the rest of what you say makes me a bit skeptical.

My husband was a sharp shooter in the military and participated in William Tell competitions regularly.

Nobody was firing back or charging at him in those competitions, either. I was in the military and participated in the life and death competitions of combat. It's a whole world of difference when you're under duress.

Anyone with decent gun skills could manage not to shoot to kill.

In an ideal situation, sure. That's rarely ever the case.

Rarely is the intended target so far away that the only thing you can hit is the torso. A good shot to a knee or leg will just as easily get a criminal target down so they can be arrested.

A couple steps in less time than it would take to get a good bead on the leg could easily close a 10 ft. gap between two people. Situations like that are reflexive situations, plain and simple.

If you can't understand that, then I'm glad you aren't cops.

And I'm glad you're not. I won't have to read about you being killed in the line of duty.

Originally Posted by Uncle Bully

I know, right? I used to watch that old cop drama "Hunter" and in almost every episode Hunter would shoot the bad guy in the shoulder, knocking him off his feet but still leaving him alive. Our police should be doing more of that!

Read what I just posted.

Originally Posted by robbobobbo

Other countries have managed to figure it out. The two guys who murdered Lee Rigby in England waited for police to arrive and then charged at them, one assailant with a gun and the other with a cleaver. The British police shot and disabled them.

More likely dumb luck or bad aim than anything.

[BeatAngMoh]

Originally Posted by luzianne

Michael Brown's mother is on this video shouting profanities and his stepfather telling the crowd "Burn this b*tch down!" after grand jury's decision was announced. I'm not surprised MB grew up to be a thug. The apple down didn't fall far from the tree.


Heartbroken Michael Brown's Mother Reacts To Verdict

If someone shout your son in the head do you think you would be upset?

[BeatAngMoh]

Originally Posted by Caleb Longstreet

No one will talk about the 800lb gorilla in the room. Blacks, statistically, commit 8x the crime relative to their population totals in the US. You know, I know it, we all know it and whenever someone has the temerity to SPEAK THE TRUTH, they are attacked as racial profilers and racist.

Why? Because the blacks perpetuate their misery by listening to agitators like Sharpton, Holder, and Jackson instead of well informed and smart black AND white civil and business leaders. Quit making excuses. Start standing up and be real citizens and condemn those that tear the blacks down collectively. there are those that make money off the misery. Jackson and Sharpton don't live in the hood. Never have and never will. But, they sure can make aligning out of telling those not doing as well who to blame for it and who owes you money. Deserved or otherwise. Instead of embracing these fools you should castigate them out of society.

Do that and I'll show you a fast healing process where color doesn't really matter but, civility and knowledge are honored and awarded.

It's that simple

Which black leader should they follow and listen to then? Someone like Bill Cosby? lol.

[Purplecow]

This is the first time I've ever written my opinion on this tragedy, anywhere. I think you have to believe one of two things to see the Ferguson killing as different from killings every day in this country where a white cop kills a black person. (I'm white.) I think you either have to see both Darren Wilson and Michael Brown as good but in the wrong place at the wrong time, or see them both as bad and in the wrong place at the wrong time. I've read ton of articles and watched load of t.v. (who hasn't?) on the story. One thing I know for sure, and that is that if my child were killed for any reason whatsoever, I'd have to be locked up on a psych ward. I'd lose my mind.

[LauraC]

We used to have a "Throw The Bums Out" billboard (a national message) that you could see from our interstate. It took 2 years but I thought about it this election year when it finally worked...now there will be different bums.

[HTY483]

IMO Officer Wilson should have hit that thuggish POS with a taser instead of shooting him. If he did not have a taser available to him then that is the fault of the Ferguson police department.

Similar situation to what happened in Oakland a few years ago although the officer in that situation was actually reaching for his taser but accidentally grabbed his gun instead.

[lagreen]

It is sad that innocent people are getting stuff destroyed by the out of control protestors... It's not like most of the population isn't in poverty and now people are burning stuff down, breaking into stores and stealing stuff. I thought that this was supposed to be about justice. Stealing and vandalizing stuff isn't justice. People work hard to run a business. Is that what the protest about, destroying peoples stuff? I am starting to think so.

The evidence is there and they need to face the facts. People need to stop using racism as a way to make this stuff acceptable.
I pray for all these people, on both sides.

[trishguard]

Originally Posted by thatguydownsouth

So the black way is to not get educated, not get married, and not be a contributor to society

Your words not mine......

Actually they are your words, not hers.