POLL: Ferguson Cops, Curfew & Protesers (St. Louis, Jackson: vs, safety, cars)

[aliasfinn]

Originally Posted by Dawn10am

So when is this going to be over? Don't people have lives they need to get back to?

I just don't see how this could possibly end well. Whether the cop was justified or unjustified, the violent reaction has been disastrous for the black community and is only going to make racial divisions worse. Ferguson's 30% white population is going to drop to about 0% white as the remaining middle class (of both races) flees even faster than before. Then the businesses will close up shop and pretty much all of North County will be a slum. It really is a lose-lose situation.

Yeah, the population will definitely decline. Why did they shoot that protestor in the forehead? She was black and just holding up a sign.

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by luzianne

Well obviously, since the police aren't saying what the evidence is, which is normal protocol, I don't KNOW what the contradiction is. I just know they said that the eyewitness accounts are not matching up with the facts/evidence of the case. Just like when there is a murder investigation, the police don't release all the information and that way if someone CLAIMS to have knowledge of the murder, but their version of the story doesn't match the evidence, you know they are lying.

All Al Sharpton has to do is show up and he causes division. He does it everywhere he goes. All he and Jesse Jackson EVER do is cause more racial tension.

That's why I am glad the other agencies are working along with the county. I don't know the facts. I am suspicious of the police department because of the reputation.

As far as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson comment, they are two different people. I really can't stand Jesse Jackson after living in Chicago and knowing how that crook works. Please don't get me started luzianne. Al Sharpton isn't my favorite person either. The problem I have with your thought process is you can't identify one statement he made that would be racially divisive to St. Louis. By him being present doesn't divide especially since he made it clear his purpose for coming. You and people like you still don't want to listen.

Please don't take this the wrong way. The National media loves to be divisive and to keep the anger going between Blacks and Whites. Please don't let them take you there with a lot of brainwashing. Some people would love to see us at each others throat and neither of us will benefit from the results.

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by Dawn10am

So when is this going to be over? Don't people have lives they need to get back to?

I just don't see how this could possibly end well. Whether the cop was justified or unjustified, the violent reaction has been disastrous for the black community and is only going to make racial divisions worse. Ferguson's 30% white population is going to drop to about 0% white as the remaining middle class (of both races) flees even faster than before. Then the businesses will close up shop and pretty much all of North County will be a slum. It really is a lose-lose situation.

No. The rioters don't have lives. That's why they are rioting. Many are criminals with nothing to lose. The rioting is hurting the African American community as a whole but the protesting isn't. Things have to be handled the right way and the protesters are there to see to it and bring attention to issues that have hurt the Black community who pays for police protection. As soon as I heard about the shooting and heard what I thought was a difference in stories I said that we are in trouble. This isn't only a St. Louis thing just look at nyc la Georgia. Too much has happened for this to happen and not be dealt with. I can remember talking to older relatives who remember the civil rights movement of the 60s. They remember Whites saying that Martin Luther King Jr was a trouble maker and they wish that Black people would just stop marching and let things be. This is the same thing.

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

Serious question. What contradiction is there? Please share? From what I can see the picture is coming together just fine.

One contradiction seems to be the witnesses as far as I can tell have said there was no physical altercation between the officer and Brown, at least in which Brown participated - yet the police claim the officer had injuries to his face consistent with such an altercation.

Doesn't mean the subsequent shooting was justified.

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by MUTGR

One contradiction seems to be the witnesses as far as I can tell have said there was no physical altercation between the officer and Brown, at least in which Brown participated - yet the police claim the officer had injuries to his face consistent with such an altercation.

Doesn't mean the subsequent shooting was justified.

The most recent lady testimony started at the point of the officer was pulling Brown into the car. The going back and forth could have caused the officer to get hit.

The friend described a scene that could have resulted in him striking the officer out of reaction to being choked and trying to get away. We react in ways to defend our self when being attacked. I'm interested in hearing the facts about Mr. Brown grabbing for Officer "?" gun.

Maybe this could be a wakeup call for some to try to be as cooperative as possible when dealing with these type of officers. Maybe we need to train the officers not to use profanity when giving directives to citizens. I don't know yet. I will have to wait and see.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by Time2Improve

I'm black and I live in the area. I have a college degree and I work 45-50 hours a week. I'm disgusted by the looting.. Those people are low-life, self-serving people and I'm glad that over 30 of them were caught and arrested. Please note that most of those people are not even from Ferguson. It's unfortunate that they took advantage of the situation and decided to destroy our community....BUT you cannot classify all black people or all people of Ferguson based on the actions of a few.

Several issues are at play in this situation. The Ferguson police Department does not adequately represent the population they are expected to protect. The population in Ferguson, MO is approx 21,000 people. Of those 21,000 people, 70% are black. There are 53 officers in the Ferguson Police Department. 3 of those officers are black and only one of them is a black male. This is a 95% white police force representing a population that is 70% black. They have no connection to the people they are supposed to protect, this is a problem especially in a city like St. Louis, which is ranked as the 6th most segregated city in the country. This police is set up to collect money, not to help people. I've attached a file that shows the break down of how they interact with white citizens vs black citizens. They do not have any dash cams in their vehicles, you should think about that. That's a problem!
My friend and I were stuck on the side of a fairly busy road in Ferguson, waiting for AAA for 2 hours. More than 9 squad cars drove past us doing rounds and never stopped once to see if we needed help!!

People are upset because there is a trend of police officers abusing their power AND getting away with it.
If you are not familiar, please look up these cases: Sean Bell, Oscar Grant, Amadou Diallo, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and now Michael Brown. I guarantee if white teenagers were unarmed and being killed like this, the officers would be prosecuted. I mean James Holmes killed 12 people and injured more than 50 without a doubt and he's still alive to live through a fair trial? How does that make sense?! And that was white on white crime!

The body of Michael Brown was left in the street for 4 hours....meanwhile, the officer in question was allowed to leave the scene. I don't even know how that's allowed if this is an investigation. The lead witness has not been interviewed by the police yet...They still haven't released the name of the officer or any information about him. But they showed 10 of the looters pictures and names on the news.
Things are not adding up and people need to ask questions and think critically.

I attended one of the demonstrations and it was very peaceful. And contrary to what many believe, there were also Caucasian people in attendance.... this is race driven but we are dealing with a bigger issue(elite vs everyone else). The demonstration was very peaceful, then law enforcement ordered the media out of the area. After that happened, they claim that violence broke out. That just doesn't make sense. An area that is saturated with police presence, armored swat vehicles, helicopter spotlights and military weapons breaks out in random violence?

I feel sorry for any racists on either side who can't wake up and see that something strange is going on..

Nice post. I really hope people do understand that the black people out looting and using this as an excuse to tear up the city are the minority. They are just uneducated and often isolated and brainwashed IMO. I'm sure many of those causing the most trouble are from some of the worst parts of St Louis City, not suburban North County. It's so sad to read all the comments about the entire black race by I'm assuming whites in social media and media websites (youtube, cnn etc). I really do have issues with inner city thug culture though and often cops and innocent victims are caught in the middle of trying to stop the constant violence and crime they cause.

I think sometimes it's probably just as difficult to be cop in these situations (just trying to protect everybody from the few morons) as it is to be a young black male and always being viewed as a potential criminal by the police.

Having said that, I don't know what's going on in Ferguson. Are the cops really racists against all blacks? How can you even be a cop anywhere (let alone a predominately black area) and hate blacks? It seems to me that many people (black and white) hate cops with a passion. Are you sure the cops don't just hate all the trouble makers coming into Ferguson and sometimes innocent people are caught in the middle or cops just make terrible split second decisions?

I am in no way supporting what happened. It really seems like the cop had no justification to shoot the kid form the details I know.

But just like most black people are the same civilized, caring people that most white people, I'm still confident that most cops are not out to kill unarmed black kids on the streets and are doing what they do not for a power trip, but because they want to protect and serve their community.

The same KCMO cops that put up with this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJThnnZFoSs

Will still do this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Fwkd54_eE

[Seacove]

Has anyone said how far away the officer was from Michael Brown when he shot him the final number of times? Was it three car lengths? If so, how could he have possibly been a threat to the officer under any circumstance at that point? No weapon, hands up, three car lengths away? And already shot twice? Where's the threat?

[marigolds6]

Originally Posted by aliasfinn

I think they could at least give the autopsy report. They said maybe in a few weeks, sounds suspicious to me.

Autopsies take several weeks. The whole problem here is that the more information you release about the investigation while it is in progress, the easier you make it for the defense later on to disqualify jurors and throw out evidence.

[marigolds6]

Originally Posted by aliasfinn

Yeah, the population will definitely decline. Why did they shoot that protestor in the forehead? She was black and just holding up a sign.

She was not shot by the police. She got caught in the line of fire when a small group of people shot at the police. It has not made the news much, but the police have been taking a lot of gunfire every night.

[HeadedWest]

[quote=marigolds6;36076043]Autopsies take several weeks. /QUOTE]

Actually, autopsies take an hour or two.