Feds: Ferguson PD Targets African Americans

[dales5050]

The amount of indifference that is being seeded right now is staggering.

 

[GoIrish41]

The amount of indifference that is being seeded right now is staggering.

I have felt that way during this whole saga

 

[Bluto]

Had the talk about hoodies and how you dress the other day with my kid who is thirteen. Total bummer considering he's kind of a nerd (goes to a Waldorf school, loves to read, plays Magic the Gathering, gets all A's in school) but the fact that he has dark skin and is 6'2" and rising necessitated it. Talk about the end of innocence.

 

[Irish YJ]

Had the talk about hoodies and how you dress the other day with my kind who is thirteen. Total bummer considering he's kind of a nerd (goes to a Waldorf school, loves to read, plays Magic the Gathering, gets all A's in school) but the fact that he has dark skin and is 6'2" and rising necessitated it. Talk about the end of innocence.

Sad that you have to have that conversation,,,, but it's nice seeing a parent being a parent.

 

[Bluto]

Sad that you have to have that conversation,,,, but it's nice seeing a parent being a parent.

That goes without saying but still it was a bummer seeing the look on his face. Also, he's a kid and one bad decision in that department (something kids are inevitably bound to make) could result in me attending his funeral. That's a pretty shitty reality to have to live with as a parent who is raising an exceptional human being.

 

[Redbar]

That goes without saying but still it was a bummer seeing the look on his face. Also, he's a kid and one bad decision in that department (something kids are inevitably bound to make) could result in me attending his funeral. That's a pretty shitty reality to have to live with as a parent who is raising an exceptional human being.

I just thought this post, in it's entirety, was worth repeating and rereading.

 

[GoIrish41]

I just thought this post, in it's entirety, was worth repeating and rereading.

I agree. That post made me pause and think how crazy it is that that talk has to happen. How are we not past this shit yet?

 

[Domina Nostra]

I agree. That post made me pause and think how crazy it is that that talk has to happen. How are we not past this shit yet?

I think its because the hoody is the official streetwear of thugs, black and white. I understand racism is still here, and black teenagers get falsely accused a lot. But the hoodie issue is just not the place to make a stand. The rainbow is identified with the LGBT movement right now, it just is. Hoodies are associated with crime. It just is.

A black lady was car jacked in the parking lot of our Church a couple weeks ago at gun point. Our Church is in the hood, and it was a Friday night for stations of the cross. She came in crying in the middle of the service. Very sad.

When the female black police officer arrived and asked for a description, guess what they were wearing….

Once again, its sad and wrong when black people get judged BY THEIR SKIN COLOR. But I am not sure why its sad that they are judged by their clothes. Everyone is.

 

[BGIF]

Ferguson Police: Public info led to arrest of man in shootings of two officers - CNN.com

By Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN
Updated 4:13 PM ET, Sun March 15, 2015

(CNN)A 20-year-old man from the St. Louis area has been arrested in connection with the shooting of two police officers during last week's protests in Ferguson, Missouri, a prosecutor said Sunday.

Jeffrey Williams was arrested late Saturday, and he has been charged with two counts of first-degree assault, a count of firing a weapon from a vehicle and three counts of armed criminal activity, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said at a news conference in Clayton.

...

 

[GoIrish41]

I imagine he is receiving the warmest hospitality that law enforcement can provide. He probably deserves whatever he gets but if they are smart they will handle him with kid gloves so as not to further exacerbate the ongoing problems. Lord grant them wisdom ...

 

[BGIF]

Suspect charged in shooting of police officers in Ferguson, Missouri | Reuters

BY RICHARD VALDMANIS
FERGUSON, Mo. Mon Mar 16, 2015 12:08am EDT

 

[BGIF]

Ferguson: Police deny beating shooting suspect Jeffrey Williams - CNN.com

By Dana Ford and Ana Cabrera, CNN
Updated 10:36 PM ET, Mon March 16, 2015

...

Police have said he admitted to firing the shots that struck the officers. But Williams' lawyer says he has little confidence in such statements.

"He's scared. You know, this has been pretty traumatic for him," attorney Jerryl Christmas said about his client on Monday.

"One thing that is clear is that he has a large amount of bruising on his body that I noticed that I'm very concerned about. It appears that whatever statements he made, he was without the advice of counsel, and when I look at the bruising, it's hard for me assess if these were voluntary statements that he made."

Christmas told CNN that Williams has bruising across his back, and a knot on his head.

"He said he was bruised by the police when he was taken into custody. And he was in a lot of pain when he was being questioned," Christmas said. "They used a lot of force on him."

Opinion: Why would you want to be a cop?

Police deny the accusation.

"With regard to the allegations that Jeffrey Williams was 'beaten' by police, the St. Louis County Police Department calls these allegations completely false," Sgt. Brian Schellman said in a statement. "Immediately following the arrest, arresting officers transported Williams to St. Louis County Police Headquarters where he was interviewed by Crimes Against Persons Detectives. This entire interview was video and audio recorded."

Schellman also said that Williams was seen by a nurse, who released Williams as "fit for confinement."

...

 

[IrishLax]

‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ was built on a lie - The Washington Post

 

[GoIrish41]

‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ was built on a lie - The Washington Post

Good article, Lax. Thanks for posting it. It is important that this sort of honesty is published. Both sides are far too entrenched in the righteousness of their position. I think it is clear that the abuses of the police created an environment in which the citizens of Ferguson were willing to believe the narrative that surrounded the Brown shooting. That narrative was false, as was spelled out in the report by DOJ. That said, it does not excuse the police or the city from the the abuses that were spelled out in the other DOJ report. Both sides must find it in themselves to be honest about not only this situation, but the larger issues that perpetuate horrific situations like those that happened . The wider message is that racism is baked into institutions in localities across this country, but it is also that every case in which a young black man is shot by police is not an execution. This is a far more complex issue than one that has such easy answers. The thing that needs to happen is to have the conversation ... which also seems like the most difficult because of the level of mistrust that exists in communities like Ferguson. I believe strongly that we, as a nation, are better than this but my faith in that notion diminishes as these situations continue to happen.

 

[Bluto]

I think its because the hoody is the official streetwear of thugs, black and white. I understand racism is still here, and black teenagers get falsely accused a lot. But the hoodie issue is just not the place to make a stand. The rainbow is identified with the LGBT movement right now, it just is. Hoodies are associated with crime. It just is.

A black lady was car jacked in the parking lot of our Church a couple weeks ago at gun point. Our Church is in the hood, and it was a Friday night for stations of the cross. She came in crying in the middle of the service. Very sad.

When the female black police officer arrived and asked for a description, guess what they were wearing….

Once again, its sad and wrong when black people get judged BY THEIR SKIN COLOR. But I am not sure why its sad that they are judged by their clothes. Everyone is.

I goes way beyond that. It has to do with his interactions with the general public and his actions on a minute by minute level, whenever he is in public, everyday. That's a hell of a position to be in as a 13 year old who in terms of basic cognitive development is unable to be completely self aware.

 

[IrishLax]

Good article, Lax. Thanks for posting it. It is important that this sort of honesty is published. Both sides are far too entrenched in the righteousness of their position. I think it is clear that the abuses of the police created an environment in which the citizens of Ferguson were willing to believe the narrative that surrounded the Brown shooting. That narrative was false, as was spelled out in the report by DOJ. That said, it does not excuse the police or the city from the the abuses that were spelled out in the other DOJ report. Both sides must find it in themselves to be honest about not only this situation, but the larger issues that perpetuate horrific situations like those that happened . The wider message is that racism is baked into institutions in localities across this country, but it is also that every case in which a young black man is shot by police is not an execution. This is a far more complex issue than one that has such easy answers. The thing that needs to happen is to have the conversation ... which also seems like the most difficult because of the level of mistrust that exists in communities like Ferguson. I believe strongly that we, as a nation, are better than this but my faith in that notion diminishes as these situations continue to happen.

I agree. I thought the article did a great job of explaining how the reaction to Brown's death was a symptom of the systemic problems in Ferguson. The whole adage about a powder keg just needing a spark. So while the initial "hands up, don't shoot" narrative was flawed -- and it's important that people recognize that it was -- it needs to be in context of why people in that St. Louis suburb were inherently anti-police in the first place.

The only way to realize progress is by getting parties involved to move on from entrenched positions and pragmatically deal with the issues. I thought this article was a good step in that direction.

 

[BGIF]

'People blatantly lied about Darren Wilson' - CNN Video

Interesting but way too brief.

Nine other Missouri towns with PDs targeting minorities worse than Ferguson but not DOJ investigated because they have black mayors/councils?

Would have liked details.

 

[kmoose]

'People blatantly lied about Darren Wilson' - CNN Video

Interesting but way too brief.

Nine other Missouri towns with PDs targeting minorities worse than Ferguson but not DOJ investigated because they have black mayors/councils?

Would have liked details.

I am calling on those activists who have been shouting from the rooftops about the injustices in Ferguson, to demand answers to this allegation. Call, write, assemble, and protest outside of CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX News, until they investigate these other jurisdictions as thoroughly as they have investigated the Ferguson PD. After all.......... it is all about justice, not anti-whitey, right?

 

[GoIrish41]

I am calling on those activists who have been shouting from the rooftops about the injustices in Ferguson, to demand answers to this allegation. Call, write, assemble, and protest outside of CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX News, until they investigate these other jurisdictions as thoroughly as they have investigated the Ferguson PD. After all.......... it is all about justice, not anti-whitey, right?

You will get no argument from me. They should investigate and prosecute anyone who is practicing this discriminatory behavior. It is not about pissing all over "whitey" it is about a segment of the population being treated worse that everyone else. That segment happens to be blacks. Some observe what is happening and call it what it is. Others seek another explanation ... Any other reason no matter how arcane ... That shift the blame to the victims. I personally just do not get that thought process. Of course investigate. The media and the justice department should do their jobs.

Hope your complaint isn't about black mayors. That's just a Fox News parlor trick that pulls attention from the real issue.

 

[BGIF]

You will get no argument from me. They should investigate and prosecute anyone who is practicing this discriminatory behavior. It is not about pissing all over "whitey" it is about a segment of the population being treated worse that everyone else. That segment happens to be blacks. Some observe what is happening and call it what it is. Others seek another explanation ... Any other reason no matter how arcane ... That shift the blame to the victims. I personally just do not get that thought process. Of course investigate. The media and the justice department should do their jobs.

Hope your complaint isn't about black mayors. That's just a Fox News parlor trick that pulls attention from the real issue.

Actually the black mayors/councils doing the same thing was raised by a black man on a CNN Panel Discussion NOT by Fox News. Moose was responding to the CNN LINK I posted. I didn't find a similar comment on Fox, did you?


The real issue was PEOPLE using the "parlor trick" of blantantly lying about the circumstances of the shooting that precipitated the looting and arson and the police response.

The Movement became "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" not "Don't Ticket Black Jaywalkers".

IF a local Rosa Parks had got to municipal court and organized a sit-in over racial citations then the movement would have been about the citations and not about a young thug who roughed up a minority clerk while stealing, and then attacked a cop and tried to take his gun away, and got killed for his actions that he initiated and other lied about. Then others came in tried to shift the cause to citations.

Without Brown's theft and felonious assault on a cop AND this lying sidekick's false statements there would not have been looting and arson.

 

[Irish YJ]

^ yep, what he said.

 

[pkt77242]

Actually the black mayors/councils doing the same thing was raised by a black man on a CNN Panel Discussion NOT by Fox News. Moose was responding to the CNN LINK I posted. I didn't find a similar comment on Fox, did you?


The real issue was PEOPLE using the "parlor trick" of blantantly lying about the circumstances of the shooting that precipitated the looting and arson and the police response.

The Movement became "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" not "Don't Ticket Black Jaywalkers".

IF a local Rosa Parks had got to municipal court and organized a sit-in over racial citations then the movement would have been about the citations and not about a young thug who roughed up a minority clerk while stealing, and then attacked a cop and tried to take his gun away, and got killed for his actions that he initiated and other lied about. Then others came in tried to shift the cause to citations.

Without Brown's theft and felonious assault on a cop AND this lying sidekick's false statements there would not have been looting and arson.

Go back and read Lax's last post. It is just as easy to say that if the police had treated the black population of Ferguson better there wouldn't have been any looting or arson. See it goes both ways but nice try.

Edit: I should add that both are at fault, the lying witnesses and the PD/Government/Courts. It took both to cause the situation.

You are right that there wouldn't have been looting and arson but there still would have been a local government and police force that was abusing their citizens. You are ignoring the fact that the "explosion" of looting and arson is partly due to the fact that the Ferguson PD and court system had mistreated the black population and had primed it for explosion.

 

[pkt77242]

I am calling on those activists who have been shouting from the rooftops about the injustices in Ferguson, to demand answers to this allegation. Call, write, assemble, and protest outside of CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX News, until they investigate these other jurisdictions as thoroughly as they have investigated the Ferguson PD. After all.......... it is all about justice, not anti-whitey, right?

Look I am all for investigating injustice (and the jurisdictions should be investigated if there is truth to the allegations) but the truth is that most areas only get investigated after something causes it to make national news. Ferguson PD is a great example of that, but just look at AZ where Sheriff Arpaio is in trouble for targeting Hispanics (and rightfully so) but the truth is that if you looked at all of the police departments/sheriffs departments, I am sure you could find other ones that are also targeting Hispanics but Sheriff Joe gets attention because he makes national headlines. I find it hard to believe that the jurisdictions in Missouri are only not be looked at because of having black Mayors, most likely it is because it hasn't hit national news (well until possibly now).

 

[BGIF]

Go back and read Lax's last post. It is just as easy to say that if the police had treated the black population of Ferguson better there wouldn't have been any looting or arson. See it goes both ways but nice try.

You are right that there wouldn't have been looting and arson but there still would have been a local government and police force that was abusing their citizens. You are ignoring the fact that the "explosion" of looting and arson is partly due to the fact that the Ferguson PD and court system had mistreated the black population and had primed it for explosion.

Did you watch the video? The Movement was HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT" not DON'T CITE.

You're ignoring the fact that balancing the municipal budget IS a common and legal practice in Missouri and has been for a long time. The CNN video I linked pointed out that there are at least nine other municipalities in the area with black mayors/councils and black populations that did the same thing but there were no riots, no demonstrations, no state police presence AND there were no DOJ investigations althought the practice had been reported for years.


As I clearly stated had a local Rosa Parks (or even Sharpton) staged a sit-in in municipal court to bring attention to citations it would have been about citations. The citations were an afterthough, Plan B, when the Hands were found NOT to have been up.

 

[pkt77242]

Did you watch the video? The Movement was HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT" not DON'T CITE.

You're ignoring the fact that balancing the municipal budget IS a common and legal practice in Missouri and has been for a long time. The CNN video I linked pointed out that there are at least nine other municipalities in the area with black mayors/councils and black populations that did the same thing but there were no riots, no demonstrations, no state police presence AND there were no DOJ investigations althought the practice had been reported for years.


As I clearly stated had a local Rosa Parks (or even Sharpton) staged a sit-in in municipal court to bring attention to citations it would have been about citations. The citations were an afterthough, Plan B, when the Hands were found NOT to have been up.

Come on BGIF, think about it. Things get investigated once they become national news, Ferguson became national news thus it got investigated. The other nine jurisdictions weren't national news thus they weren't investigated. No conspiracy theory required. Ferguson would not have been investigated if it hadn't become national news.

So targeting blacks to balance the budget is legal? I don't think so. Enforcing laws to balance the budget is (though you could argue that sometime it is not moral) but targeting a particular race as the DOJ report shows is not legal.

Also I will add that you are ignoring the fact that the community was a big powder keg due to their past treatment. You seem to fail at understanding how past actions by the PD/Government/Courts led to the riots. Both false statements by the witness and the previous actions of the PD/Government/Courts led to it. Both are responsible. If it wasn't Michael Brown then it would have been something else, it was only a matter of time before it boiled over (not that I think that the rioting is ok, I believe in peaceful protest).

Again to repeat. National News. If you end up on it, your chances of getting investigated skyrocket. Not a shock.

 

[GoIrish41]

Actually the black mayors/councils doing the same thing was raised by a black man on a CNN Panel Discussion NOT by Fox News. Moose was responding to the CNN LINK I posted. I didn't find a similar comment on Fox, did you?


The real issue was PEOPLE using the "parlor trick" of blantantly lying about the circumstances of the shooting that precipitated the looting and arson and the police response.

The Movement became "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" not "Don't Ticket Black Jaywalkers".

IF a local Rosa Parks had got to municipal court and organized a sit-in over racial citations then the movement would have been about the citations and not about a young thug who roughed up a minority clerk while stealing, and then attacked a cop and tried to take his gun away, and got killed for his actions that he initiated and other lied about. Then others came in tried to shift the cause to citations.

Without Brown's theft and felonious assault on a cop AND this lying sidekick's false statements there would not have been looting and arson.

But there would still be institutional racism. It is not as if that was a fabrication. I do not like the path either but now that we are at the destination should we just ignore it? People believed the false narrative because it was believable. What should happen now that we know what really happened? Focusing so narrowly on the hands up narrative seems like treading water in a shark tank instead of swimming to a place that is less dangerous. Getting to a better place seems right for everyone ... Except maybe those who were content with the status quo in which blacks were second class citizens.

Should I have said a CNN parlor trick or a Fox News-like parlor trick? What difference does the media outlet make? They all do the same shit and it is all smoke and mirrors to boost ratings. And it offers up a rationale for people who are so inclined to talk about things that are beside the point instead of focusing on the real issue.

 

[kmoose]

Look I am all for investigating injustice (and the jurisdictions should be investigated if there is truth to the allegations) but the truth is that most areas only get investigated after something causes it to make national news. Ferguson PD is a great example of that, but just look at AZ where Sheriff Arpaio is in trouble for targeting Hispanics (and rightfully so) but the truth is that if you looked at all of the police departments/sheriffs departments, I am sure you could find other ones that are also targeting Hispanics but Sheriff Joe gets attention because he makes national headlines. I find it hard to believe that the jurisdictions in Missouri are only not be looked at because of having black Mayors, most likely it is because it hasn't hit national news (well until possibly now).

The incidents caused national news because the race-baiters were out in force, screaming at the top of their lungs about the injustices that black people face at the hands of white people. But when a report surfaces about municipalities with black leadership indulging in the same behaviors? *crickets* In my mind, this completely shoots their credibility in the foot. So when the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons and Chris Cuomos start complaining about how black lives matter, it rings hollow. It really makes it look like they are out for nothing more than to stick it to the establishment. So I have a hard time believing their "facts".

 

[GoIrish41]

The incidents caused national news because the race-baiters were out in force, screaming at the top of their lungs about the injustices that black people face at the hands of white people. But when a report surfaces about municipalities with black leadership indulging in the same behaviors? *crickets* In my mind, this completely shoots their credibility in the foot. So when the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons and Chris Cuomos start complaining about how black lives matter, it rings hollow. It really makes it look like they are out for nothing more than to stick it to the establishment. So I have a hard time believing their "facts".

Well the "race baiters" as you like to call them were right about the injustices blacks face at the hands of whites. Why insult them? Seems like your beef is with the media which by the way is how you found out about problems in other MO cities. Or the justice department who has not launched new investigations but the one they did launch you do not seem to want to discuss. You are shooting the messengers and ignoring the real problems ... Problems that nobody seems to be disputing but many do not seem to want to correct. Just because they do not raise a stink about every single incident does not make them the bad guys in all this? Why not focus on the institutions that caused this problem in the first place? Why is your ire aimed at people who only played a bit part in this play of the absurd? Whatever they did to draw attention to these issues was a step in the right direction if you ask me. But you want to focus on them instead of the racist behavior that made the false narrative believable in the first place. They would not have had Jackson and Sharpton breathing down their necks if they wouldn't have treated black people with such contempt to begin with.

 

[Redbar]

Well the "race baiters" as you like to call them were right about the injustices blacks face at the hands of whites. Why insult them? Seems like your beef is with the media which by the way is how you found out about problems in other MO cities. Or the justice department who has not launched new investigations but the one they did launch you do not seem to want to discuss. You are shooting the messengers and ignoring the real problems ... Problems that nobody seems to be disputing but many do not seem to want to correct. Just because they do not raise a stink about every single incident does not make them the bad guys in all this? Why not focus on the institutions that caused this problem in the first place? Why is your ire aimed at people who only played a bit part in this play of the absurd? Whatever they did to draw attention to these issues was a step in the right direction if you ask me. But you want to focus on them instead of the racist behavior that made the false narrative believable in the first place. They would not have had Jackson and Sharpton breathing down their necks if they wouldn't have treated black people with such contempt to begin with.

IMO an enlightened perspective, tactfully stated. Unfortunately, for the reactionaries, Ferguson will always be about either racism or reverse racism (if that is really a thing) depending on which cable news company colors your perspective.

 

[kmoose]

Well the "race baiters" as you like to call them were right about the injustices blacks face at the hands of whites.

No, they were wrong. How quickly we forget that, when this first happened, it wasn't about police unfairly ticketing the black community, it was about another racist white cop "executing" a young black man who did nothing wrong......... simply because he was black.

Why insult them? Seems like your beef is with the media which by the way is how you found out about problems in other MO cities. Or the justice department who has not launched new investigations but the one they did launch you do not seem to want to discuss.

Have I insulted anyone? I don't think so. Not intentionally, anyway. My beef is with the minorities who perpetuate the myth that every injustice that happens to their minority is the direct result of racism. I don't try to disadvantage any minorities, and I am not going to let Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, NJNP, or you make me feel guilty, as if I have done something wrong just because I am white.

You are shooting the messengers and ignoring the real problems ... Problems that nobody seems to be disputing but many do not seem to want to correct.

I'm not shooting the messenger, I'm questioning the message. And maybe I am questioning the methods for presenting that message. I fail to see how looting black-owned businesses in Ferguson is going to improve life for anyone other than those who have since probably sold the merchandise they stole on craigslist. The riots weren't about justice. The riots were about stealing, and stealing from the very people they were professing to be trying to help.

Just because they do not raise a stink about every single incident does not make them the bad guys in all this?

It doesn't make them bad..... it makes them hypocrites. And when they are trying to move my emotions to rally behind their cause, the fact that they are hypocrites is a big deal. If I can't trust their intentions, then I can't back them

Why not focus on the institutions that caused this problem in the first place? Why is your ire aimed at people who only played a bit part in this play of the absurd?

How many people in the Ferguson government have to be fired or step down, before you are satisfied? I don't have any ire for those people. I am simply saying that they are not going to make me feel guilty for being white. And they bear some responsibility themselves. How would you suggest that we fix race relations in this country, if only the white majority has to take any responsibility?

Whatever they did to draw attention to these issues was a step in the right direction if you ask me. But you want to focus on them instead of the racist behavior that made the false narrative believable in the first place.

Your support for looting and burning black owned businesses, and the attempted murder of two police officers, is duly noted. What "false narrative" are you talking about?

They would not have had Jackson and Sharpton breathing down their necks if they wouldn't have treated black people with such contempt to begin with.

I will look forward to seeing Jackson and Sharpton go after the other jurisdictions in Missouri that have similar paper trails of racial abuse.