MO - Grief & protests follow shooting of teen Michael Brown #5

[ATasteOfHoney]

This is one of the few cases where I have seen "witnesses" lawyer up before giving witness reports. The kid that was with the victim never mentioned they had just jacked the convenience store just before the killing when giving his first account. But by the time for the next interview he had an attorney by his side and was speaking in "legal ease" language. A young man lost his life. I get that. But to prior to calling a funeral home to fly in an attorney from the east coast and immediately demand the DOJ come in (or else) make accusations of "execution" I don't get. And now the Attorney General is flying in. The family attorney is now saying anything negative about MB is destroying his "legacy". What "legacy" ?

JMO's

Do the parents want to egg this on in such a way that his "juvie" record becomes public information?

I think not.

They need to quit.

 

[Phoebeb]

I wonder if the police or 50 FBI agents were able to locate this person as a potential eyewitness for the GJ. I bet not.

Here is the short version of the background speaker with "translation"

http://youtu.be/prrydnTAly0

 

[Phoebeb]

Not sure, but I thought she said it was the screeching car that grabbed her attention... (I don't know if it was her or another witness tho)

Didn't she say she was getting ready for work and the gunshot was what originally caught her attention?

 

[tandt]

Originally Posted by Dogface
Couldn't stop watching last night, and some things I saw angered me while some touched my heart.

One very angry man was actually yelling at protestors and was quite aggressive, as the protesters were joined arm in arm, black and white. One of the protestors calmed the man, actually by yelling at him and put his arm around him and made him join in walking arm and arm with the group. That was touching.

Another guy tried to get in the face of a reporter(this was on fox) and I thought surely it was going to end badly, however, the reporter turned it into an interview. Which was positive. But the ignorance shown while the young man answered was so frustrating. He honestly couldn't answer definitively what he wanted to happen as a result of the protest. Just said he would be there all night, every night. And I think that is the case with a lot of the angry individuals. They are mad, not just about MB, perhaps least mad about MB. But the chip they have on their shoulder is unrecognized, and they have actually no game plan for change. THAT is frustrating. If you protest you should have clear, defined examples of why you are there and what you want.

And I grew up from about age 15-23ish, very much involved with mainstream rappers(my bf worked in the industry with some of the biggest rappers). The message that any kids listening to that music is to hate cops, blow money, never snitch, never backdown. And even though it's just music, anything repeated to you enough becomes part of your belief system, especially during an age where kids are so easily molded. I think so many kids, not just young black men, truly do not value themselves as an individual and believe they owe nothing to society. It is a take take take mentality, everyone owes them something. Yet they contribute nothing.

No self esteem, no emotional intelligence and trapped in a culture which tells them they are victims will always lead to anger and resentment. These kids need to know they are more than their skin color, more than their socioeconomic group and that they are valued and have so much to give. But first, and this is a universal truth for ALL people, you must demand more of yourself before you demand more of others.

All MOO/IMO.

Can we BEG for someone in the MSM to read this post on air many, many times?
Excellent post!

 

[EvilSoup]

Maybe they're taking a break from their jobs

This thread has been flying all day, so I am guessing lots of folks here aren't employed. Or are posting on breaks, or they work nights. Respectfully, lots of kinds of people have lots of different schedules, but I know what you mean...

I wanted to watch the FCA trial on TV soooo bad but had to work all day. So when I would see the video of people lined up to get into the courthouse every day, I would think "Dang! Don't these people have jobs?". :thinking:

Same with the Jodi Arias trial.

*grumbling*"Stupid work, ruining my trial watching"......

 

[Frydaddy]

Below is the testimony of Tiffany Mitchell. Again any errors are unintentional. Sorry for the length and delay, although now it seems like a needless exercise. One person has asked my why I did this. Frankly, I was curious to see if minds would change if each witness could be impeached. I still am not certain I know all the facts, but they are coming out. What I do know is that there are only two reasons in my mind that one could assume the cop's guilt up until the evidence started flowing. These three witnesses and assumed racial bias of the cop. I was curious, and still am, to see if those who adamantly felt the cop executed Mike would soften their stance if information supported it. I feel these two witnesses have impeached themselves and one reason I started with them is because we know Johnson was there in some capacity and that he lied from the beginning re: the robbery. I also felt he was a little too show business and oversold his story. I figured his testimony would be impeached by evidence gradually, while the other two didn't require evidence to impeach. And, I just didn't have time to deal with DJ and now it looks like it won't be necessary. That said, appearances are that Brown supporters have become a bit scarce now that news is looking unfavorable for them. That phenomenon is worth it's own thread. My gut said that race was the likely factor and the witnesses just gave some an avenue to play that card, but that avenue seems to be closing. I also wanted people to see that the witnesses were dismissed for cause rather than a pre-existing desire to defend LE. I upset a lot of LE friends and family last Sunday because I thought the cop snapped. Then Mike's image came into question, found out the robbery was 10-15 minutes previous. Cop's side came out. Heard some interviews that made no sense. Suddenly, it seemed we were somewhat manipulated by those quick to blame Wilson. Still, I don't want to assume things on such a sensitive case as this, so I did this legwork to make sure I was basing it on facts or lack thereof. If I see evidence contrary to Mike being shot based on his assault and charging the cop, I will gladly say so. Sadly, racial bias was cited here, but there was no discussion if racial bias towards the cop was at play the other direction. Thus, here's the homework.

8/13/14 KMOV http://www.kmov.com/special-coverag...n-Jr-shooting-speaks-to-News-4-271139501.html

As I was coming around the corner, I heard the tires squealing on the truck and as I get closer is when I see them tussling through the window. That the kid was pulling off and the cop was like pulling in.

They just didn’t look right for them to be wrestlin’, but, the first gunshot came through the window so like, I started like getting out of the way because the shots just came after that.

At this time, after the shot, the kid breaks away and the he started running away from the cop, the cop follows him and kept shooting and the kid’s body jerked as if he was hit and after his body jerked he turned around and puts his hands up and the cop continues to just walk up on him and shoot him until he goes all the way down.

My thoughts: First paragraph seems fishy, based on where she was when she heard tires and the distance from the gradual curve on Canfield (only "corner" that seems logical) to Wilson’s SUV. See Google Maps of the area. Second paragraph says shots, not shot. Third paragraph has obvious questions based on autopsy.

8/13/14 CNN http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/...o-brown-shooting-tells-her-story-318326851993

Thoughts will be interspersed in red due to format of interview.

Lemon: When did you arrive at the scene?

Mitchell: I arrived at the scene while they were tussling through the window. It looked like the kid was pulling away and the officer was pulling him in.

Lemon: Explain what you saw.

Mitchell: So as I come up on to it, I saw the officer pulling him in and I saw him try and pull away. I pulled out my phone to try and get a video because it just didn’t look right like I didn’t know exactly what was going on but I know it didn’t look right for someone to be wrestling with the police through the police window. But I didn’t get the video because a shot was fired through the window so I tried to get out of the way. As I pull to the side the kid he finally gets away, he starts running, as he runs the police gets out of his vehicle and he follows behind him shooting and, um, the kid’s body jerked, as if he was hit from behind and he turned around and he puts his hands up like this and the cop continued to fire until he just dropped down to the ground and his face just smacks the concrete.

Lemon: Did it look like Brown was trying to get into the car or get away?

Mitchell: It looked as if he was trying to pull away, I saw his hand like pushing up against the vehicle as he was pulling off, trying to get away from the cop.

Lemon: And then you heard a shot?

Mitchell: Yes

Lemon: And then you said Michael ran away from the car, got loose…

Mitchell: Yes, he finally gets away, he yanks away and he runs away from the cop, away from the vehicle and the cop gets out of his vehicle and pursues him…shooting.

Lemon: And then you said his body jerked and he falls to the ground?

Mitchell: No, he didn’t fall to the ground. As his body jerked, when his body jerked, he turns around facing the cop and he put his hands in the air and that’s when the
cop continued to come up on him and shoot him and so he fell down to the ground.

Lemon: Did you see a weapon by anyone other than the officer?

Mitchell: No, nobody else had a weapon besides the officer.

Lemon: How many shots did you hear or see fired?

Mitchell: I didn’t count the shots, but it was more than about five or six shots.

Lemon: What did the officer look like?

Mitchell: He was a white male, kinda tall, not too big, but he was a white male.

Lemon: Did he say anything, did anyone say anything Michael or the police officer?

Mitchell: No, I didn’t hear anybody say anything at all.

Lemon: And then what did you do after that?

Mitchell: Um, I went upstairs on the balcony where I, I was on my way to pick up my employee, she was standing on top of the balcony recording like the afterwards and she was just crying and I was trying to talk to her and then I called my fiancé and told him what happened and then I called the news reporters for all of them to come out there so I can tell them what I saw because, it just, the whole thing wasn’t right.

My thoughts: Called news reporters? Her first news spot was four days after the shooting?

Lemon: So, how many officers were on the scene while this was going down?

Mitchell: It was only one officer and then one other officer pulled up like after it happened.

Lemon: But only one officer was involved in the shooting, correct?

Mitchell: Yes

Lemon: How long did it take other people to get there, other help, backup?

Mitchell: Um, it was…minutes, within minutes other cops started pulling up. Because right after he shot him he got on his speaker and started calling other people.

Lemon: So, you said you were going to pick up someone you work with or a friend…

Mitchell: Yes, I was on my way to pick up my employee and I drove right into it. Driving down her street, she lives like right over where it happened, her balcony is right in front of it.

Cohen: Tiffany gave her story to police immediately after, as did Piaget. Tiffany said police did treat her well, didn’t try to influence her story. Piaget essentially backs up what Tiffany said she saw and (inaudible) problems they have with the police and I think everybody just wants to be treated on the same level whether you’re white or black or Hispanic whatever your background I think what I’m seeing with a lot of my African-American clients, particularly the younger ones, is they feel like they’re not being treated as part of the community and that’s a concern because I don’t want people to be ostracized in the community and hopefully this event, some good can come out of it, we’ll bring people closer and realize that there are some racial issues that we still need to address.

My thoughts: Thought I heard the police hadn’t talked to ANY witnesses, I may be wrong. Sounds like police took her statement as she gave it. I have issues with the activism in the lawyers comments, this theme from the ladies COULD be influencing their statements.

Female anchor: What is this (referring to video shot after the incident)?

Mitchell: Okay, what I saw was when the cop and Michael were like wrestling through the window, it looked as if Michael was pushing off and the cop was trying to pull him in, then the cop shot a fire through the window. Michael breaks away and starts running away from the officer, so the officer gets out of the vehicle and pursues Michael as he’s shooting his weapon. Michael jerked his body like he was hit, turns around to face the officer puts his hands up and the officer still continues to shoot him until he goes down to the ground.

Cohen: Don, one other important thing that perhaps these young ladies aren’t saying is, there was a, if you look at the video, there is a good deal distance between where the officer fired at Michael Brown and where he was hit and where the officer was, I mean he was, I think, well away from the officer is my understanding from looking at the video and talking to both of these young ladies.

Mitchell: He was really far away from where the vehicle was when the fatal shot was fired.

My thoughts: Context, one answer was 20 feet, now it’s good deal of distance or really far away. Inconsistent at best, fishing for the most favorable answer at worst.

Lemon: How do you feel about the response from the police department?

Mitchell: I feel it is very unfair, if he was trying to get away from him, why did he continue to shoot at him? I mean, I still don’t get that part at all, why was he killed trying to get away from the officer?

Lemon: How far did he get away from the police car?

Piaget’s response in her portion.

Mitchell: Yeah, it was a ways, if you could look at the vehicle, I’m sorry, if you could look at the photo, he was way behind the vehicle whenever he was fatally shot. And he was facing the officer with his hands up whenever he went down.

My thoughts: Obviously there are numerous references to the body jerk, turned around, cop continued shooting response. Per the autopsy, this is in question. Must also point out that Tiffany and Piaget missed the early parts that Johnson described, which means they are lacking some context.

8/14/14 MSNBC Part One - http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word-...o-brown-shooting-tells-her-story-318326851993 Part Two - http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word-...ll---i-don-t-trust-cops-anymore--318328387512

O’Donnell: Did you know Michael Brown?

Mitchell: No, not at all?

O’Donnell: And you’re not from that neighborhood where his took place?

Mitchell: No

O’Donnell: Why were you there?

Mitchell: I was on my way to pick up an employee, she lives right in front of where it happened.

O’Donnell: Tell us what you saw as you came into that area.

Mitchell: Okay, as I come around the corner, I hear tires squeaking and as I get closer I see Michael and the officer, like, wrestling through the window, Michael was pushing, like trying to get away from the officer and the officer was trying to pull him in. Um, as I see this I pulled out my phone because it didn’t look right, you never see an officer and someone just wrestling through the window. So, as I pull out my phone, the first shot was fired through the window and I just like try to get out of the way I pull onto the parking lot right beside where the cop car was and um, that’s when Michael kinda broke away and started running down the street. The officer gets out of his vehicle and he pursues him, as he’s following him he’s shooting at him and Michael’s body jerks as if he was hit, then he turns around and he put his hands up. The officer continued to walk up on him and shoot him until he goes all the way down to the ground.

My thoughts: Not to split hairs, but pulling out the phone and parking the car during an incident that couldn’t have taken more than a few seconds sounds a little fishy. That her account is missing nothing relative to other witnesses is odd to me. Also, we have the context of the phone call which discredits Piaget’s account of the phone call and looking out the window.

O’Donnell: Tiffany, how far away from the police car were you when you first started looking at this?

Mitchell: I was really close, like I was feet away, like can’t say exactly, I was about 10-20 feet away from the car.

My thoughts: In the context of the distance references, 20 feet was really far, 10-20 feet is really close. Curious!

O’Donnell: So were there any cars between you and the police car?

Mitchell: Not at all.

O’Donnell: So you had a clear line of sight of that car?

Mitchell: Yes

Video of chief

O’Donnell: Tiffany, is that what you saw?

Mitchell: No, I didn’t see the initial whenever they pulled up on each other, whenever the cop pulled up, so then, but what I saw was Michael trying to pull away from the cop through the window.

My thoughts: Probably nothing, but pulled up on each other? I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, but it sticks out for some reason.

O’Donnell: Could you see if the police officer was touching Michael when he was trying to pull away?

Mitchell: Yes, he was, he was pulling him in

O’Donnell: What you saw was the police officer trying to pull Michael into the car?

Mitchell: Yes

O’Donnell: Did Michael’s body stay out of the car the whole time?

Mitchell: Yes

O’Donnell: Tell us about the first shot.

Mitchell: When I heard the first shot they were still like, like in a tug of war stance, like he was pulling in and he was pulling out and then the shot came through the window and that’s whenever like Michael like kind of pulled back and he yanked away.

O’Donnell: Could you see Michael’s hands when the first shot was fired?

Mitchell: Yeah, they were up against the SUV pulling away.

My thoughts: Tug of war indicates hands involved…like she knows not to give any room for Mike trying to get the gun.

O’Donnell: So you saw his hands outside of the car when the first shot was fired?

Mitchell: Yes

O’Donnell: You didn’t see the altercation the chief described (struggle)?

Mitchell: No, I did not

O’Donnell: Did you see anything that could have been a struggle over the officer’s weapon?

Mitchell: No

O’Donnell: Michael’s hands were outside of the car?

Mitchell: Yes

O’Donnell: You and the chief agree that that first shot was fired while the police officer was still in the car?

Mitchell: Yes

O’Donnell: Did you hear anything said by Michael or the police officer?

Mitchell: No, not at all. I couldn’t hear anything from either of them?

My thoughts: More on this in my conclusion.

O’Donnell: Does that make any sense to you (the police story about the officer injury from a blow to the side of the head)?

Mitchell: It doesn’t and don’t these guys supposed to have like dashboard cams on their vehicles or something like that?

O’Donnell: Well apparently not, if they did have a dashboard cam, it wouldn’t be aimed out the side of the car probably.

Mitchell: No, but it would have heard what was going on in there.

O’Donnell: Yeah that’s right, it would have picked up the sound.

O’Donnell: What did the police officer look like?

Mitchell: He was a white male, tall white male.

O’Donnell: Did he have a hat on when he got out of the car?

Mitchell: No, he didn’t

O’Donnell: How far away was Michael from the police car when the officer stepped out of the car?

Mitchell: Um, Michael was like right behind his car at like the next car right behind, there was a white Monte Carlo right behind the police car that was stopped behind them because he couldn’t get by and he was probably like passing that car at that time and that’s when the police got out and was firing right at him, as soon as like Michael like yanked away and started running, the police got out right after that.

My thoughts: This doesn’t seem credible. Johnson also described cars pulling up on this incident, I tend to think that if this cop executed
Michael Brown, the drivers of these cars pulling up would have stuck around to tell their story. I also question if both Brown and Wilson were running past cars in the street with occupants, someone would have come forward. Big issue for me!

O’Donnell: What position was the police officer in when he started firing for the second time?

Mitchell: He was running after him

O’Donnell: So, he didn’t stop to fire, he was actually physically moving and running and holding the gun while firing?

Mitchell: Yes

O’Donnell: And this was a handgun right, it wasn’t a long barrel firearm?

Mitchell: Yes, it was a handgun

O’Donnell: How many shots do you think were fired?

Mitchell: I can’t, I didn’t count the shots, but I know it was like more than five or six shots

O’Donnell: Was Michael facing the officer while the officer was shooting, once he started running and shooting?

Mitchell: Whenever he started running and shooting, no he wasn’t facing, he was running away from him, whenever his body jerked as if he was hit, that’s whenever he turned around and faced the officer.

O’Donnell: Did his body jerk on the first shot that the officer fired?

Mitchell: No

My thoughts: According to Dorian Johnson, the first shot after the cop exited the car and chased Brown was the one that caused Mike to stop, turn and raise hands. Major inconsistency!

O’Donnell: So, it’s possible that some of those shots missed Michael and the body jerking was the first one that hit him, that might be the case?

Mitchell: Yes, some of the shots did miss him because they went into, um, one of the neighbor’s house as the officer was shooting, they had to go in and remove the bullet from the neighbor’s house.

My thoughts: Two things. 1. I thought the shot from inside the car was the one that went into the house. 2. I wonder if police removed this bullet and why I haven’t heard about this from anyone but these two witnesses.

O’Donnell: You saw that after the fact - that they had to remove a bullet from the neighbor’s house?

Mitchell: My employee did, she lives right next door to where they had to come and remove the bullet.

My thoughts: Based on my understanding and projection of where things occurred, I don’t see how this is possible from the car or as Wilson encountered Mike in the street.

O’Donnell: Was Michael’s back to the police officer during all of the shots that were fired?

Mitchell: No, after his body jerked he turned and faced him and put his hands up that’s when the police continued to shoot until he went down

O’Donnell: And so when he turned and faced him and put his hands up was he standing still at that point?

Mitchell: Yes

O’Donnell: And then, do you know how many more shot shots you think the officer fired after he stood and put his hands up

Mitchell: Several, I didn’t count them but it was several?

My thoughts: Piaget said two, Johnson said several.

O’Donnell: Several more?

Mitchell: Yes

O’Donnell: How long did it take for Michael to go down as you said?

Mitchell: It was seconds, it wasn’t that long at all

O’Donnell: And did the officer stop as soon as Michael was down on the ground, were any shots fired when Michael was on the ground?

Mitchell: Yeah, it stopped as soon as he went down to the ground, he didn’t fire any more

My thoughts: Nothing about kneeling or going down in surrender.

O’Donnell: What did the officer do immediately after stopping firing the weapon?

Mitchell: He got on his radio, I don’t know what was said, but he got on his radio and at that time there was another cop pulling up

O’Donnell: Did the officer who shot Michael then approach Michael’s body?

Mitchell: He just paced back and forth in front of his body, like right by him

O’Donnell: Did he go back to his police car at any point?

Mitchell: I can’t say that, I don’t know if he did or not

O’Donnell: How long did you stay in your car watching this?

Mitchell: Oh, I got right out of my car immediately

O’Donnell: Immediately, Tiffany when…

Mitchell: After I pulled in and parked I got right out of my car

O’Donnell: So you got out of the car before the shooting or after the shooting?

Mitchell: I got out of my car while the shooting was going on

My thoughts: Who does this? Who drives up on an altercation, within 10-20 feet and gets out of their car when shots are being fired? Not credible in my opinion.

O’Donnell: What did it feel like to be in the middle of the gunfire situation?

Mitchell: It was shocking, I couldn’t believe what I saw. It didn’t register with me that he was dead until I saw the blood pouring from his body. Then like why and what exactly was going on. It was really, really shocking for me.

O’Donnell: Did the feeling get worse that something was wrong?

Mitchell: Yes, it definitely did. Shots continued to be fired after he put his hands up. I thought to myself, like, is he shooting rubber bullets, like, am I dreaming, like it just, nothing seemed right at all. And for him to not check his pulse after going down, I mean did you already know he was dead.

My thoughts: According to you and Piaget, you both did, why wouldn’t the cop?

O’Donnell: How long was it before anyone reached Michael?

Mitchell: It was like 30-45 minutes before an ambulance came and checked his pulse.

My thoughts: Both Piaget’s video and Black Canseco’s video show the ambulance and EMS tech arriving. Note that Black Canseco’s video shows police tape had not been put up yet for Piaget’s parking lot. Note that already Black Canseco’s video indicates the “arms up” statement, says “yeah, they said they shot him while he was on the ground”. Doesn’t square with Tiffany’s account, but indicates that within 30 minutes (or likely less in my opinion) there was discussion of what went on, long before any interviews started. Not a stretch to think that Tiffany and Piaget heard this talk. People who hadn’t seen the shooting already knew police had done it?

O’Donnell: And none of the police officers did that?

Mitchell: No, not at all.

O’Donnell: What did you do there in that area, after the shooting?

Mitchell: I went up to Piaget’s house, my employee, who I was on my way to pick up and I started calling police, I called the news thing…uh, the news stations, I called my fiancé, none of this seemed right so I called everybody I could, I knew I had to stay there and tell everyone what I saw.

My thoughts: Yet she told no news people her story for four days.

O’Donnell: Media discusses how the officer feels in danger…how do you feel?

Mitchell: I feel like I’m in danger. Who am I supposed to call if I need help and like, something’s going on with me, who do I call from seeing this? I don’t trust cops anymore.

My thoughts: You trusted them enough to call them and you said they treated you very well and didn’t try to coerce your story. But fair enough I guess.

O’Donnell: How do you feel about being on the other side of the police story?

Mitchell: I think about that all the time, but whether I’m scared or not, they need to know what happened.

O’Donnell: Can you think of anything else you saw in that street…

Video skips by one minute like it was edited.

My thoughts: Curious, wonder if it was a technical glitch or if they edited something out for some reason.

Conclusion: In addition to the highlights above, two things are very curious to me about all of Mitchell’s comments. One, I notice there is no mention whatsoever, about Dorian Johnson, who was standing right next to Michael Brown when she pulled up, based on DJ’s account of things. Two, Dorian said that the cop spoke to Michael in the car and that Michael spoke to the cop before the fatal shots and Tiffany heard nothing. I find it compelling that a cop is going to whisper a warning in the heat of battle and I find it even more difficult to believe that someone whose attention was gotten by a supposed shot in the back is going to say “I am unarmed” and “you should stop shooting me” quietly. Dorian heard it, Tiffany didn’t hear any spoken words in this whole situation? This is someone who, while in her car could hear tires squeal from down the street. Because it took me so long so get all this together, I haven’t been able to match up all three witnesses accounts to compare the exactness of testimony, but just based on my recollection, I was struck at how similar the description of the various things in common were, even as some details were different. All three witness mentioned the word died or dead, starting with DJ. All three described the struggle of pulling in and pulling away. And there were words used that threw me off, just not words I would expect to hear like “destination” “compliant” “tussle”, some repeated like things were memorized. Again, I am being uber-critical like a lawyer or juror would. I don’t think Mitchell is a credible witness, too many inconsistencies. If you look at where Michael’s hat is, the cop car had to have blocked off the closest entrance to Piaget’s lot. If you look at the entrance to the next lots towards W. Florissant, then see the distance from parking in one of those to where Mike’s body was, you question how she could see so much so well. I think she may have come upon the scene after the fact and got the story from people. Be curious to see if 911 received a call from her or when she called her fiancé. Also, given the location of Wilson’s car and the fact that backup arrived within two minutes of the start of the event minimum, I wonder what happened to the cars that pulled into the theater that DJ and Tiffany mentioned, seems to me they might have been sitting there when backup arrived. Also, who notices the make and model of a particular car when there is an altercation/shootout occurring?

As always, IMO and all that.

 

[EvilSoup]

Does anyone know why there was no curfew last night if they were on alert for possible violence?

That seems weird.

 

[SStarr33]

This is one of the few cases where I have seen "witnesses" lawyer up before giving witness reports. The kid that was with the victim never mentioned they had just jacked the convenience store just before the killing when giving his first account. But by the time for the next interview he had an attorney by his side and was speaking in "legal ease" language. A young man lost his life. I get that. But to prior to calling a funeral home to fly in an attorney from the east coast and immediately demand the DOJ come in (or else) make accusations of "execution" I don't get. And now the Attorney General is flying in. The family attorney is now saying anything negative about MB is destroying his "legacy". What "legacy" ?

JMO's

This is a coordinated effort that has been taken many times in the past. Google Frances Robles, Daryl Parks, Ben Crump, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Community Relations Service, Dream Defenders.

IMO, their ultimate goal is to sue the city, as usual. Just watch.

It's all about the Benjamins.

 

[Lovejac]

Dang it! Let these babies get back to school!!!!!

http://www.kmov.com/special-coverag...t-school-become-police-officer-271858171.html

“I’m trying to get back to doing math and science and getting all my A’s,” Ryan said.

Ryan could not wait to show News 4’s Chris Nagus the laptop he received because he received all A’s and had perfect attendance.

Ryan wants to be a police officer when he grows up because he wants to “protect and serve.”

 

[MyBelle]

BBM-

I was describing how a person in Ferguson might see the event, not that it was the only truth. It is the old a glass is half empty or half full scenario, some see it one way others see it another, there is not just one way of seeing something, both perspectives are accurate.

In terms of LE dragging their feet I think that is accurate if one is looking at it objectively. In that 10 minute video on youtube taken soon after the shooting, I see officers just standing around. I don't see anyone attempting to engage with the onlookers to find out if there are any eyewitnesses in the crowd, or just attempt to defuse the situation by engaging with their community. I realize it was a tense situation, and many officers may have felt uncomfortable and not equipped to defuse the situation or afraid of making it worse. However, it was a lost opportunity to get witnesses before they were compromised by others in the community or media reports.

Another example, is the withholding of information allegedly to protect public safety. They refused to release officer Wilson's name when the FOI request compelled them to release it allegedly on concerns of public safety, but then released the videotape of Brown in the liquor store when there was not FOI request at the time. Make a decision and withhold both pieces of information for public safety or release both, but also release things like officer Wilson's incident report as well. Not releasing seems like protecting the police department. You can't pick and choose and be seen as being impartial.

-MOO

I will attempt to respond to all posts that had concerns or problems with my original post, time permitting.

Respectfully, I think you are not being objective and are making assumptions. Unless you know the protocol the officers followed, you can't say they were doing "nothing." It may be protocol for an officer involved shooting for them to await for a superior officer to arrive. And I think the Chief made it abundantly clear he withheld the officer's name out of fear for the officer's safety. He released it only because the media was guessing and other officers were receiving death threats. The Chief was not under any FOI obligation to release the officer's name or his report in an ongoing criminal investigation. That's optional, and is his call.

JMO

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Holder brings his civil rights push to Ferguson

President Barack Obama is sending Holder to Ferguson to bring the full weight of the federal government into the investigation of the death of another young black man, Michael Brown, who was unarmed when a white police officer shot him multiple times Aug. 9

Shortly after taking office in February 2009, Holder called the United States "a nation of cowards" when it comes to talking about race in a Black History Month speech. Conservative backlash was swift. Holder quickly toned down his rhetoric while quietly rebuilding the division.

He used the Martin killing two years ago to criticize "stand your ground" gun laws in states like Florida. The Justice Department is investigating the 17-year-old's death but has yet to say if it will file federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who said he killed Martin in self-defense and was acquitted in a state trial.

Holder even partnered with the Education Department to try to change the so-called "school-to-prison pipeline," where minority children — especially black students — are suspended and expelled at a rate that's three times higher than that of white children.

http://news.yahoo.com/holder-brings...-202537812.html;_ylt=AwrTHRdgwPNTmQEAYMJXNyoA

 

[SStarr33]

Is there anywhere to see a detailed diagram with photos or animation or rendering of Canfield and the shooting area so we could visualize the scene? Has anyone seen anything like that? It's confusing looking at the video from the aftermath with all other police cars.

Did the boys run from the car (after the initial altercation) in the same direction they were heading originally when they first encountered DW? That's how I picture it, but I've seen video taken from both sides of the street and can't get a clear picture in my head of how it all happened.

.

According to DJ's attorney, yes, they kept going in the same direction.

 

[mdana]

Apollo-----there were many parts of the poster (#556) viewpoints I disagree with but most vehemently disagree with his/her views of assimilation of certain subsets gaining "entry" into a successful role within our society. Since the poster specifically mentioned my ancestry & assumed the ease of assimilation (which is not true---it was far from easy), I figured I'd go only as far as to say that I disagree.
Rather than looking at the statistics on subsets that have eventually assimilated with success, I feel the true learning & change comes from focusing on why certain subsets fail.

Anger at others that consumes the heart & soul eventually eats away at itself 'til there's only a shell of a human left standing. It may sound trite but peace is the only answer.

They have seen foreign waves of Irish, Italians, Chinese, Germans, etc., face a generation of harsh racism or bias, but be accepted into the American Melting Pot as full americans with standards of living and wealth comparable to white Americans that have been here for generations.

BBM

This is what I originally wrote with errors, I am not seeing where I assumed any ease. I meant to write:

They have seen foreign waves of Irish, Italians, Chinese, Germans, etc., face a generation or two of harsh racism, bias, ostracism, and vigilante violence but be accepted into the American Melting Pot as full americans with standards of living and wealth comparable to white Americans that have been here for generations.

I was getting tired and unconsciously self edited. I apologize for not being able to be more specific or acknowledge a larger time frame than even 2 generations in attaining relatively full assimilation. I didn't mean to minimize any specific ethnic group that faced obstacles or make sweeping generalizations, just to acknowledge that African-Americans have faced more obstacles and far longer than any other ethnic group outside of possibly Native Americans.

I have ancestors that came over as indentured servants, others were Cherokee and were forcibly removed from their ancestral homes, and others were Mormons that were kicked across the country until they settled down in Independence, Mo. in the middle of the 19th century. My family faced hardships in the Great Depression, fought in WW II, and served during Vietnam like many others in this country.

However, I don't think that compares to having your ancestors not allowed to read for centuries. Not allowed to vote in many instances until 50 years ago. Only allowed a small segment of jobs or places to live until relatively recently. Facing suspicion and distrust from your fellow Americans seemingly all the time. I didn't have an ancestor lynched 90 years ago destroying a family's forward growth. I didn't have a grandfather denied going to college to become a teacher due to the color of his skin. I didn't have a father serve 10 years on a drug charge impeding his ability to support my family and give me guidance as a young boy or teen.

Life is hard for everyone some more than others, I not denying that in anyway, but try and imagine your life with even more obstacles to attaining an education and employment. I can only speak for myself, but I would not welcome it.

-JMO

 

[CHERIE.T]

That would be over-the-line torture

bieber alternated with celine dion.............. bahhhaaaa :laughing:

 

[popsicle]

This thread has been flying all day, so I am guessing lots of folks here aren't employed. Or are posting on breaks, or they work nights. Respectfully, lots of kinds of people have lots of different schedules, but I know what you mean...

I wanted to watch the FCA trial on TV soooo bad but had to work all day. So when I would see the video of people lined up to get into the courthouse every day, I would think "Dang! Don't these people have jobs?". :thinking:

Same with the Jodi Arias trial.

*grumbling*"Stupid work, ruining my trial watching"......

Not a good comparison considering not everyone on WS is even from the US forget about the same time zone.

 

[tlcya]

Diddy weighs in, takes Obama to task for not doing enough.

http://madamenoire.com/460084/people-diddy-delivers-message-president-obama-tells-help-ferguson/

In a crass manner, he tried to address the President of the United States through Instagram. The mogul posted, “WATCH DIS! DEAR PRESIDENT OBAMA!!!!!! IF YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY SEND A VIDEO MESSAGE TO THE PRESIDENT #DEAROBAMA” before posting the following video: - See more at: http://madamenoire.com/460084/peopl...ama-tells-help-ferguson/#sthash.g4pXCyMb.dpuf

thanks for sharing your concerns Mr. Diddy, from the comfort of your very wealthy life. At least Nelly showed up, tried to counsel calm and peaceful protest. What have YOU done to make this situation better not worse? Because that little stunt does not.

ETA is this person even still relevant in hip hop culture? I just haven't seen much of him since the horrid reality Danity Cane days. Maybe he has something to promote soon and wanted to remind folks he is still around?

 

[CARIIS]

We have great hopes the attorney general visit tomm will ease things. They are so disconnected. If every one of us stepped out for 15 minutes, did a on the street interview, I bet 99.9% have no idea who he is, what his job duties are and frankly could care less!


In fact in could flame the fires - these disenfrachised folks are really interested in listening to a cacasion, dude, from Wash, who arrives in limo, is wearing a $2054 suit, -- who is this populations enemy?

What is the entire reason for the last 10 days?

Everything he is!

 

[mdana]

Thanks for providing your opinion. I was so dismayed to watch yesterday and see Baden's words twisted throughout the day. I was dumbfounded when Parcells was on every show multile times saying, "the results are consistent with someone surrendering!!!!!"

Late last night he was on one of the shows, and was saying that "WE will be reviewing all the other evidence of the autopsy, and WE will then be able to figure out what happened." I'm paraphrasing.

All these tv anchors are treating him as if he's an ME and he never corrects them, and let's them believe he's some sort of "partner or peer" of Baden's. If he keeps it up he's going to be found out, and I wouldn't be surprised if it makes a lot of people question why Baden is associated with him.

He's also going to potentially cause a problem b/c what if the final findings prove to be much more in line with the police officer's version of events? The people of Furgeson will really feel as if the authorities are lying to them.

BBM-

The first bolded section gives the impression that was the only opinion Parcels gave on how the shooting took place in regards to the hand and middle of the arm, but the only interview I saw on Lawrence O'Donnell's show, was that was one possible scenrio, the others were he was running towards the officer or he was running away from the officer.

In the second bolded section, they did not have access to the X-rays which may help narrow their analysis. I don't think he stated they would be able to figure out what happened, but it might give them a better idea. At least that was what I saw on "The Last Word."

MOO

 

[EvilSoup]

Not a good comparison considering not everyone on WS is even from the US forget about the same time zone.

Yes, but many of us are one here at the same time, and many members post much of the day. We could safely assume that there are retired folks, stay-home parents, student, folks who work nights, etc. why wouldn't we assume the same about these folks in MO? I only mentioned it because it seemed like painting with a broad brush and in reality, there are many reasons people would have time to gather in protest, not just being unemployed. That's all.

And those trial-goers who were there daily for weeks on end were most certainly in the same time zone. . Nobody ever commented on their employment status, IIRC.

But boy, was I jealous.

 

[SStarr33]

We have great hopes the attorney general visit tomm will ease things. They are so disconnected. If every one of us stepped out for 15 minutes, did a on the street interview, I bet 99.9% have no idea who he is, what his job duties are and frankly could care less!


In fact in could flame the fires - these disenfrachised folks are really interested in listening to a cacasion, dude, from Wash, who arrives in limo, is wearing a $2054 suit, -- who is this populations enemy?

What is the entire reason for the last 10 days?

Everything he is!

Ease things? If he does that it will be a first. IMO, he is going there to gin things up.