MO - Grief and protests follow shooting of teen Michael Brown

[Gardenlady]

Wow.

I am one of those folks that would turn on their interior light if I was pulled over by a police officer after dark.

Why? Because I know it would be darn scary to pull cars over after dark in most places, and I wouldn't want to be a jerk and make his/her life/job harder.

BTW I have encountered somewhat rude police officers, but I have never ever felt or said they "disrespected me". Some officers are jaded and ornery (for good reason) and I remain polite. They deal with criminals and extreme nastiness all day long, I don't need to make their job/lives worse.

As a white female (I'm guessing from past posts - apologies in advance if my assumption makes an a$$ out of me!) your interactions with LE will obviously be very different from interactions between LE and a young black or Hispanic male. Even if that young man is polite and goes out of his way to appear as non-threatening as possible. :twocents:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LiveLaughLuv]

Wow.

I am one of those folks that would turn on their interior light if I was pulled over by a police officer after dark.

Why? Because I know it would be darn scary to pull cars over after dark in most places, and I wouldn't want to be a jerk and make his/her life/job harder.

BTW I have encountered somewhat rude police officers, but I have never ever felt or said they "disrespected me". Some officers are jaded and ornery (for good reason) and I remain polite. They deal with criminals and extreme nastiness all day long, I don't need to make their job/lives worse.

Maybe they need to separate themselves..not everyone they stop are thugs or criminals. I know they have a very difficult job but not everyone is a criminal..

I have never been arrested and take offense if an officer approaches me with nastiness and profanity. I think they need to be mindful of being polite....until there's a reason not to...

 

[popsicle]

FOX 5 Atlanta ‏@FOX5Atlanta 2m
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attorney General Holder says he's concerned about police use of military equipment in Ferguson. #fox5atl

 

[LiveLaughLuv]

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder on Latest Developments in Ferguson, Missouri



Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Thursday following his meeting earlier today with President Obama to discuss the latest developments in Ferguson, Missouri:

“This morning, I met with President Obama to discuss the events in Ferguson, Missouri. Like the President, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of Michael Brown. While his death has understandably caused heartache within the community, it is clear that the scenes playing out in the streets of Ferguson over the last several nights cannot continue.



“For one thing, while the vast majority of protests have been peaceful, acts of violence by members of the public cannot be condoned. Looting and willful efforts to antagonize law enforcement officers who are genuinely trying to protect the public do nothing to remember the young man who has died. Such conduct is unacceptable and must be unequivocally condemned.



“By the same token, the law enforcement response to these demonstrations must seek to reduce tensions, not heighten them. Those who peacefully gather to express sympathy for the family of Michael Brown must have their rights respected at all times. And journalists must not be harassed or prevented from covering a story that needs to be told.



“At a time when we must seek to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the local community, I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message. At my direction, Department officials have conveyed these concerns to local authorities. Also at my direction, the Department is offering – through our COPS office and Office of Justice Programs – technical assistance to local authorities in order to help conduct crowd control and maintain public safety without relying on unnecessarily extreme displays of force. The local authorities in Missouri have accepted this offer of assistance as of this afternoon.



“Department officials from the Community Relations Service are also on the ground in Missouri to help convene law enforcement officials and civic and faith leaders to plot out steps to reduce tensions in the community. The latest such meeting was convened in Ferguson as recently as this morning. Over time, these conversations should consider the role that increased diversity in law enforcement can play in helping to build trust within communities.



“All the while, the federal civil rights investigation into the shooting incident itself continues, in parallel with the local investigation into state law violations. Our investigators from the Civil Rights Division and U.S. attorney’s office in Missouri have already conducted interviews with eyewitnesses on the scene at the time of the shooting incident on Saturday. Our review will take time to conduct, but it will be thorough and fair.”





http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2014/August/14-ag-854.html

 

[momrids6]

What in their mind constitutes "unlawful assembly"? That's disconcerting.

Please don't shoot the messenger:

searchable city ordinances: https://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=10768

county noise ordinances: https://www.noisefree.org/cityord/StLouisCounty.pdf

 

[sorrell skye]

A witness (initials TM) who saw the officer shoot Mike Brown, gives her account beginning @ 1:20 in the video at the link.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/14/us/missouri-ferguson-police-tactics/index.html?sr=sharebar_twitter

She seems credible to me. TM's account (paraphrased): it appears there was some sort of scuffle between Mike Brown & the officer through the window of the vehicle, a shot was fired while the officer was still in the vehicle, and Brown then started running away. The officer got out of his vehicle and shot Brown in the back as he was running away. Brown then turned around to face the officer with his hands up, the officer continued to shoot Brown until he fell to the ground.

In the same video, it's reported that the officer suffered injuries to his face during the altercation. According to the FPD, the officer claims that Brown assaulted him in his car and tried to take his weapon.

Questions: Was the officer's firearm holstered as he was sitting in his vehicle? If so, how could Brown have reached into the car to try to take it?

If the officer's firearm wasn't holstered as he was sitting in his vehicle - what was the justification for drawing it to begin with?

 

[reedus23]

Thank you Reedus for your very thoughtful and informative post upthread.

As someone on the outside looking in, I appreciate the experiences and insight from someone familiar with the community.

Don't think I added anything. Really just allowed me to get some things off my chest so thank you guys.

 

[reedus23]

FOX 5 Atlanta ‏@FOX5Atlanta 11m
DeKalb Police Chief heads to #Ferguson http://bit.ly/1oMJjAR #Developing

He was interviewed this morning here locally. Ferguson had consulted him. He advised them to use transparency. Build relationships, followed by trust. Basically, the opposite of what Ferguson has done so far. Hopefully he helps.

 

[reedus23]

FERGUSON, Mo. – NewsChannel 5 has learned the FBI will now take over a large part of the investigation into the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.



The FBI will oversee all operations, protests and other activities in Ferguson.

www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/08/14/fbi-ferguson-protests/14058825/


ETA "We've also learned the department of justice will send special prosecutors to Ferguson to help with the investigation"

Wow. Just wow. I can see this going either way. If they come in with bigger and badder toys, things will be worse. If they go the other direction, which I think they will with teh Dekalb sheriff coming in too, things may lighten up.

 

[reedus23]

I have read ads for minorities for law enforcement jobs but you can't make people want a job they don't want. The police department can't change that. The community can...imo

Then the department needs to build relationships with the community that encourages that. Not relationships that build animosity.

 

[gramcracker]

from many of the clips I've seen it seems to me that too many of the protestors won't be satisfied until they provoke a police riot. I think there should be a certain distance between the front lines of the protestors and the front lines of the police. because standing as close together as they are/were while one side uses bullhorns and screams right up in the faces of those on the other side who are expected to placidly accept it ... is a recipe for disaster

(I'm a veteran of anti-war protests in '68/'69 and I know how quickly it can spiral out of control, even with the best intentions on both sides)

 

[popsicle]

[h=1]Media organizations to police in Ferguson: ‘We are appalled’[/h]
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/...ations-to-police-in-ferguson-we-are-appalled/

 

[reedus23]

I am hopeful that these most recent developments are going to help. I think the simple fact that some in authority have acknowledged the fact that Ferguson and St. Louis County's measures have been over the top will mollify most of the residents. There will likely still be isolated incidents of violence and those will probably be conducted by outsiders and they need to be dealt with just as any other crime would be. No need for the military to form a front line. My hopes at least.

 

[popsicle]

NBCWashington ‏@nbcwashington 7m
JUST IN: Howard University alumna shot during #Ferguson protests http://bit.ly/1sZIo68

 

[liljim]

rand paul: we must demilitarize the police

http://time.com/3111474/rand-paul-ferguson-police/

 

[vjlaw]

That is not just the departments responsibilty. They could sponsor a cadet program, but that is a liability up to the city to decide. Schools, families and city leaders need to encourage young people to learn about jobs in law enforcement. There several police agencies not just Ferguson to learn that. Getting kids to want jobs in law enforcement anywhere is the key to changing the numbers in Ferguson and surrounding areas. I do know police agencies have tried to get minorities to apply and they just don't get the applications. It is going to take the whole community to encourage that not just the departments. jmo This was a reply to Reedus and again I am doing something wrong with this new software and it doesn't respond to Reedus post.

 

[liljim]

gov. nixon just spoke - missouri state highway patrol taking over local security in ferguson

 

[popsicle]

David Carson @PDPJ · 4m

#Ferguson people questioning my statements about Molotov cocktails, I saw three separate incidents have pix of one pic.twitter.com/x4GY1D5SAS

 

[popsicle]

FOX 5 Atlanta ‏@FOX5Atlanta 6m
NIXON: Ferguson will not be defined by a community torn apart by violence. #fox5atl


FOX 5 Atlanta ‏@FOX5Atlanta 5m
Capt. Johnson: I understand the anger and fear the citizens are feeling. #fox5atl


FOX2now ‏@FOX2now 1m
This ought not to be a black and white thing. We can do better than this.

CNN Breaking News ‏@cnnbrk 1m
Ferguson has “looked a little bit more like a war zone, and it’s not acceptable,” Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon says. http://cnn.it/Vq6wl4

 

[liljim]

hopefully highway patrol has some time to get setup and get out among the people before it gets dark, should be possible as people are reporting convoy of HP vehicles headed toward ferguson right now.