GA - Kendrick Johnson, 17, Suspicious Death, Jan. 10/11, 2013, #1

[Tawny]

Who do you trust?

Myself.

 

[gxm]

It is definitely there. He is walking close the wall and not looking at them until the kid walks up and says something to him and then he continues his wide berth and goes in without stopping to talk to them.

I disagree. I see nothing out of the ordinary. No hostility, aggressiveness, or even mildly suspicious behavior.

 

[Tawny]

It is definitely there. He is walking close the wall and not looking at them until the kid walks up and says something to him and then he continues his wide berth and goes in without stopping to talk to them.

I can see how you see that, for sure. Myself, I see him giving wide berth and, um, protecting a certain part of himself, that might get bumped if the little group got rowdy, as teen boys often do for no reason. Sudden jumping on each other, pushing each other around, etc. General rough-housing. I see him avoiding potential rambunctiousness. But again, I do see how one would see it as avoiding a bully or something.

 

[Karmady]

It is definitely there. He is walking close the wall and not looking at them until the kid walks up and says something to him and then he continues his wide berth and goes in without stopping to talk to them.

Scarlett, watch the whole video from yesterday's link that I just re-posted. It shows more of the hall scene. I know what you're referring to, but you'll see that neither of those two boys follows him into the gym, even though the edit on today's clip makes it look like they do.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

I disagree. I see nothing out of the ordinary. No hostility, aggressiveness, or even mildly suspicious behavior.

It is there. I am not saying for sure but It is what I recognize.

 

[raeann]

It is there. I am not saying for sure but It is what I recognize.

After working in schools with AA kids this age, I see it as indicative of the common good natured teasing that goes on between these young men all the time. It is definitely not aggressive or threatening. That level of behavior is quite different and unmistakeable by either a victim OR an observer.

jmo

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

After working in schools with AA kids this age, I see it as indicative of the common good natured teasing that goes on between these young men all the time. It is definitely not aggressive or threatening. That level of behavior is quite different and unmistakeable by either a victim OR an observer.

jmo

Yeah, I am seeing something different.. It is not just calling at him from across the hall this guy steps into his space. It is different. If you have not experienced it, you may not see it..

 

[gxm]

It is there. I am not saying for sure but It is what I recognize.

All I see are remarkably well-behaved kids who are not being unruly or obnoxious. The kid in the white jacket reaches out and seems to shake the hand of the kid in the red shirt, possibly handing something off but that's the only thing that stands out to me.

IMO, the raw video supports the conclusion of local LE and GBI. And I'm wondering why the clip was later altered to make it look like the kids are playing basketball when KJ walks in.

 

[danzn16]

I can't see how anything in the videos could be seen as aggressive.


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[raeann]

Yeah, I am seeing something different.. It is not just calling at him from across the hall this guy steps into his space. It is different. If you have not experienced it, you may not see it..

Have experienced it quite often, being right there in the hallway with the kids while it is going on, actually. There is a GREAT difference between their playful challenging stance, and REAL aggression......

Also, in this case, there is only ONE of the three from the hallway who even enters the gym at all....and he enters BEFORE KJ!!! Another student enters behind KJ, but he comes from a doorway across the hallway and was not anywhere present in the hall when KJ passed the other three boys. Two of the boys stop at the door, look in and then peacefully return to the desk sitting in the hallway. Implying that these minors are suspicious or implying that they are somehow involved seems completely unfounded with no evidence of any kind.

jmo

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

Have experienced it quite often, being right there in the hallway with the kids while it is going on, actually. There is a GREAT difference between their playful challenging stance, and REAL aggression......

Also, in this case, there is only ONE of the three from the hallway who even enters the gym at all....and he enters BEFORE KJ!!! Another student enters behind KJ, but he comes from a doorway across the hallway and was not anywhere present in the hall when KJ passed the other three boys. Two of the boys stop at the door, look in and then peacefully return to the desk sitting in the hallway. Implying that these minors are suspicious or implying that they are somehow involved seems completely unfounded with no evidence of any kind.

jmo

I have seen this exact posture when someone was saying something to jab someone but did not want to engage. It sticks out to me.

 

[raeann]

I have seen this exact posture when someone was saying something to jab someone but did not want to engage. It sticks out to me.

That's exactly what I mean by "playful challenging"....it's a common cultural thing with these kids and indicates no ill will or intent to harm. It's their form of teen boy interaction, perfectly common, normal and happens hundreds of times a day.

 

[gxm]

I have seen this exact posture when someone was saying something to jab someone but did not want to engage. It sticks out to me.

From who? The kid in the white jacket? That kid is holding onto the straps of his backpack as KJ passes him. There's nothing remotely aggressive in his stance. He even seems to stop to give KJ time to pass. No one is in KJ's face or hindering his movement in any way.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

From who? The kid in the white jacket? That kid is holding onto the straps of his backpack as KJ passes him. There's nothing remotely aggressive in his stance. He even seems to stop to give KJ time to pass. No one is in KJ's face or hindering his movement in any way.

You may not see it but I see something there I recognize. It is aggressive to me.

It is okay that you don't agree..

 

[Tawny]

I think this is the kind of thing where we will see different things based on our own experiences, feelings, and opinions, and there is no way of knowing who is "right" unless we had those kids right in front of us telling us what was being said/done.

I have experienced the kind of situation where someone is invading my space with intimidation, and I still don't see that in this video. JMO!

But like I said earlier, again, it is clear that one could see either, and not everyone will see the same thing.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

I think this is the kind of thing where we will see different things based on our own experiences, feelings, and opinions, and there is no way of knowing who is "right" unless we had those kids right in front of us telling us what was being said/done.

I have experienced the kind of situation where someone is invading my space with intimidation, and I still don't see that in this video. JMO!

But like I said earlier, again, it is clear that one could see either, and not everyone will see the same thing.

I think the problem is that we also don't know the relationship between the kids and Kendrick.
It makes me so sad to think that this was the last time he was seen or close to it.

I still can not get myself to accept that he just went head first into the mat. I think it makes much more sense for him to get help from someone to get it and don't believe he was alone when he was wedged in that mat so far.
And what is with the sneakers on top of him when he is found?

 

[Linda7NJ]

I think the problem is that we also don't know the relationship between the kids and Kendrick.
It makes me so sad to think that this was the last time he was seen or close to it.

I still can not get myself to accept that he just went head first into the mat. I think it makes much more sense for him to get help from someone to get it and don't believe he was alone when he was wedged in that mat so far.
And what is with the sneakers on top of him when he is found?

I fail to see the aggression you claim to see but I agree with you as to not comprehending how or why he ended up like that all by himself.


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[vlpate]

Michael Moore: We've asked the public to come forward with any information they may have. We've received hundreds of phone calls in our office to determine if any relevant information exists.

(This tells me they've found no relevant information from outside the investigation. JMO) After acknowledging he had received all of the information from the Sheriff's department, the GBI, and the private detective for the Johnson family attorney, and after expressing his appreciation for the concerns of all who have called his office, he stated:

What we need are people with facts and knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Johnson's death to present those to us. Facts, not feelings or opinions, no matter how sincere they may be, are the basis of a legal investigation.
At this time, however, I am of the opinion that a sufficient basis exists for a formal review of the facts and investigation surrounding the tragic death of Kendrick Johnson.
<snip>Should sufficient information be developed to warrant a criminal civil rights investigation I will ask the FBI to open a Civil Rights or any other appropriate criminal investigation.

The way I understand his carefully parsed words, Mr. Moore did not technically "open" an investigation, he has promised a "formal review" of the initial investigation which resulted in a finding of accidental death.

We do not typically comment on pending investigations...because this is now an "ongoing" investigation....

The last bit is a titch confusing, but I believe he means the continuation of the (non-criminal) investigation that was conducted by the Sheriff's department and the GBI. Parsing words is an art form. Bold emphasis mine.

.

 

[vlpate]

I think the problem is that we also don't know the relationship between the kids and Kendrick.
It makes me so sad to think that this was the last time he was seen or close to it.

I still can not get myself to accept that he just went head first into the mat. I think it makes much more sense for him to get help from someone to get it and don't believe he was alone when he was wedged in that mat so far.
And what is with the sneakers on top of him when he is found?

He didn't go "head first" into the mat. His arm was extended in front of him and bent, the side of his face resting against it. He would have put his ONE arm in first to retrieve the shoe..scooching further down to get closer to it...and then he got stuck.

Going in head first or "falling" into the mat would seem suspect to me as well...that's why I'm so glad I've read the reports and looked at the photos. Lots of information that makes the accident make sense, IMO.

 

[gxm]

I don't know why people think it's impossible for KJ to become wedged in the mat. A quick web search turns up plenty of instances with people trying to retrieve something and getting stuck in the process.

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Teen-s-...tory-12021104-detail/story.html#axzz2jKysf8sx

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...dleton-got-head-stuck-bin-tried-fish-hat.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rgan-trapped-clothes-horse-cut-free-crew.html