THE FURY IN FERGUSON; BLOG # 159; NOV 28,2014

THE MESSAGE:

A SUMMARY OF A NATION-SHAKING INCIDENT

A St. Louis County grand jury has brought no criminal charges against Darren Wilson, a white police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed  Black teenager, more than three months ago in Ferguson Missouri.

Speculation

Was Michael Brown nervous about being stopped by  police after his  involvement in the theft pictured below?

pictures from convenience store from where the cigarillos were stolen

Officer Darren Wilson had been dispatched on an unrelated call. He subsequently heard further dispatches regarding the theft of cigarillos by a black male wearing a red cap and khaki shorts and accompanied by another black male.

Dorian Johnson

Michael Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson were walking down the middle of the street, shortly after the theft, with a box  of cigarillos.  Officer Wilson drove up and told them to move to the sidewalk. Words were exchanged and Brown and Wilson struggled through the window of the police vehicle.  Wilson's gun was fired as a result of the struggle. Brown and Johnson then fled in different directions, with Wilson in pursuit of Brown. Witness reports differ as to whether and when Brown had his hands raised, and whether he was moving toward Wilson, when the final shots were fired.

THE DOZENS OF GLARING HOLES IN MICHAEL BROWN WITNESS STORIES: 

> A review of thousands of pages of grand jury documents reveals numerous examples of statements made that were inconsistent or provably wrong.

> Autopsies ultimately showed Brown wasn't struck by any bullets in his back, despite witness Dorian Johnson claiming he saw it happen.

> One witness admitted that she suffered from a mental disorder, has racist views and trouble distinguishing the truth from things she had read online.

> Another said he saw an officer with a gun drawn and Brown 'on his knees with his hands in the air' before later admitting he hadn't seen the shooting

THE ST LOUIS COUNTY AUTOPSY REPORT

> The first shot fired from Wilson’s gun was at close range and hit Brown’s right thumb, adding weight to Wilson’s testimony that the two struggled for the gun in Wilson’s police cruiser. Previous reports stated Brown’s blood on Wilson’s gun and uniform, as well as inside the car. 

> The wound on Brown’s thumb contained “microscopic matter from the barrel” of the officer’s pistol. 

> Wilson’s other five shots hit Brown from the front, contradicting some witness reports that Brown had been running away from the officer when he was shot. 

Is this what we want to teach young minds?

> The angle of the wound to Brown’s forehead indicated that he was either falling or lunging forward when the bullet hit him. 

> The autopsy report indicated that Brown did not have his hands up when Officer Wilson shot him. 

"Hands up don't Shoot"

> The toxicology report on Brown was positive for marijuana. 

FORENSIC EVIDENCE REVEALS THE FOLLOWING:

> Michael Brown's blood was found inside the police vehicle

> Michael Brown was shot in the hand while reaching inside the police vehicle 

> Officer Darren Wilson had been punched in the face and head while still in his vehicle

> The trail of blood from Brown's hand revealed that he had run away from the officer and then turned and ran towards Wilson. He was within 8 to 10 feet when Wilson shot him.

> Several witnesses provided testimony to the Grand Jury that corroborated Officer Wilson's account of the incident

Robert P. McCulloch

The decision by the grand jury of nine whites and three blacks was announced Monday night by the St. Louis County prosecutor, Robert P. McCulloch, at a news conference packed with reporters from around the world.




The killing, on a residential street in Ferguson, set off weeks of civil unrest — and a national debate — fueled by protesters’ outrage over what they called a pattern of police brutality against young black men. Mr. McCulloch said Officer Wilson had faced charges ranging from first-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter.

“The system failed us again,” one woman said. In downtown Ferguson, the sound of breaking glass could be heard as crowds ran through the streets. At an early morning news conference the St. Louis County police chief, said at least a dozen buildings had been set on fire.

Benjamin Crump

The Brown family lawyer, Benjamin Crump, added that they would be exploring their legal options now that the grand jury has failed to indict Officer Wilson. “They don’t trust this prosecutor; they never did from the beginning,” Mr. Crump said. “And they are going to try to see if they can do something to get some positive change out of this because they understand this system needs to be changed.

IN MY OPINION

> One can empathize with the plight of young black males that feel harassed and threatened by police; however, how is their position strengthened or remedied by rioting, looting, arson and unruly behaviours?

> Innocent victims suffer through the riots. A Black Missouri   woman, whose small business supported her children, was devastated when she saw her store vandalized in the Ferguson protests.

She was busy rolling out pies and cakes at her bakery on Thanksgiving, despite broken windows and other damage.  
Supporters of every colour raised more than $200,000 in two days to help Natalie DuBose, the owner of 'Natalie's Cakes & More'. 

> Far too often pot stirring clowns like Rev Al Sharpton play the race card and blame the situation at hand on discrimination and injustice. 

The report is another lie from the “white power establishment,” 

> THINGS NEED TO CHANGE! A huge problem arises when violent reactions to incidents actually detract from genuine concern and support for a workable solution to this long standing issue.

> Police need to change their 'Shoot to Kill" behaviour.

> If young Blacks and Latinos, wherever they exist, continue to be ignored in education or are forced to accept a substandard education, then solutions are impossible.

> If young Blacks and Latinos persist in gang behaviours, intimidation, drug sales, or other criminal activity then solutions are impossible.

> If young Blacks and Latinos persist in behaviours that are counter to communal values then solutions are impossible.

> If communities continue to be unserved, underprivileged, run down, disrespected, riddled with violent crime, ignored or abandoned then solutions are impossible. 

> Change must happen from within. The cycle of fatherless children, lack of opportunity, lack of discipline and reasonable role models must be eradicated. 

THE QUOTE:

“Eastward and westward storms are breaking,--great, ugly whirlwinds of hatred and blood and cruelty. I will not believe them inevitable.”  - W.E.B. DuBois




THE QUESTION:

IS IT ALL JUST "BLOWIN' IN THE WIND?

THE CLIP:

THE DOCUMENTS:

The reader can access all of the Grand Jury Documents released in this case by following the links below. To begin, click on the words 'Michael Brown' below. 

Michael Brown.