Running gun violence thread

[Dick Whitman]

But police brutality is a special kind of problem, and a sizable response is merited.

100% true.

But, we don't know if that's what happened here.

And, similar to previous incidents -- including the Trayvon Martin case, which didn't involve the police, but is similar -- folks aren't demanding the truth, they are demanding an arrest.

Justice is not being defined as seeking the truth. The justice folks are seeking is an eye for an eye.

And, again, we saw a narrative developed that wasn't based on fact.

Let's call it the "Gentle Giant" narrative.

And, when that narrative gets called into question, we see a violent reaction to it.

We were also told that Brown was on his knees, with his hand up. Is that true?

I want the truth. I wanted the officer's name released. I wanted the autopsy results released.

I'm perfectly willing to believe that cops in general, and perhaps this cop specifically, treat minorities poorly. But, we have a rush to judgement here. People want to convict the cop with no evidence.

Many more want to exonerate him with no evidence.

Most of them sun burn.

 

[JayFarrar]

What's largely fueled the outrage is the lack of information from the police.

After the shooting and days later, the cops still hadn't released basic details.

In the absence of information, you get rumors, speculation and anger.

Even now, basic details are still lacking. That's not because of the people in the streets. That's the cops, the prosecutor and the local leadership not doing their job.

The press is doing its job but let's blame them.

 

[YankeeFan]

Many more want to exonerate him with no evidence.

Most of them sun burn.

What do you base this on?

Who has said that.

I think people have given him the benefit of the doubt while waiting for more fact. That's entirely reasonable.

I think the idea that a cop decided to murder a young black man in cold blood, for no reason, doesn't make a lot of sense.

If Officer Wilson had simply wanted to kill a black man, he could have done it any day of the week. Why would he choose this day? Why would he do it in broad daylight, in front of witnesses.

I think it's reasonable to assume there is more to the story. And the rest of the story is how we determine if reasonable force was justified.

But, some folks want to insist that the "Gentle Giant" did nothing wrong. And when that turns out to be false, it undermines their position.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Many more want to exonerate him with no evidence.

Most of them sun burn.

What do you base this on?

Who has said that.

I think people have given him the benefit of the doubt while waiting for more fact. That's entirely reasonable.

I think the idea that a cop decided to murder a young black man in cold blood, for no reason, doesn't make a lot of sense.

If Officer Wilson had simply wanted to kill a black man, he could have done it any day of the week. Why would he choose this day? Why would he do it in broad daylight, in front of witnesses.

Cop has a temper and a God complex.

Sky is blue.

 

[YankeeFan]

The press is doing its job but let's blame them.

Who blamed them for violence?

But, seriously, what reporting has been done so far?

All I've seen from the press is stenography. They've put microphones in front of people, but I haven't seen any reporters breaking news.

Did they get the police officer's name before the police released the info?

Did they know about the robbery before police released the info?

Have we seen a good interview with a witness?

Where's the reporting?

 

[Dick Whitman]

I think that when all is said and done we will find out that Michael Brown acted like a shirthead.

And that that did not still call for six shots to be fired at him, including two head shots.

Nor did it call for the Ferguson police to play army for a week.

 

[Dick Whitman]

The press is doing its job but let's blame them.

Who blamed them for violence?

But, seriously, what reporting has been done so far?

All I've seen from the press is stenography. They've put microphones in front of people, but I haven't seen any reporters breaking news.

Did they get the police officer's name before the police released the info?

Did they know about the robbery before police released the info?

Have we seen a good interview with a witness?

Where's the reporting?

Legitimate complaint.

It's a lot like the Tony Stewart story. Nobody wants to step out. Safety in numbers on a hot story.

 

[YankeeFan]

Cop has a temper and a God complex.

Sky is blue.

No kidding.

A lot of cops are assholes. I would not argue this point.

But, just as there's a difference between robbin' and shopliftin', there's a a big difference between being a hot headed asshole cop with a God complex, and a cold blooded killer.

And, if you get into a physical altercation with a cop, you've made a very big mistake.

 

[YankeeFan]

I think that when all is said and done we will find out that Michael Brown acted like a shirthead.

And that that did not still call for six shots to be fired at him, including two head shots.

Nor did it call for the Ferguson police to play army for a week.

The Ferguson Police have not done well. The Chief looks like a boob, and they went into protection mode instinctively, instead of having an open process.

(Though, unfortunately, this response is typical of police forces. It should also be pointed out that it was mostly the county cops playing army. And only after a night of looting and violence.)

Acting like a shirthead does not deserve to get you shot.

But, if he got into a physical altercation, that's a different story. being unarmed becomes irrelevant. Because the cop is armed, a physical fight becomes a life and death struggle.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

I think that when all is said and done we will find out that Michael Brown acted like a shirthead.

And that that did not still call for six shots to be fired at him, including two head shots.

Nor did it call for the Ferguson police to play army for a week.

The Ferguson Police have not done well. The Chief looks like a boob, and they went into protection mode instinctively, instead of having an open process.

(Though, unfortunately, this response is typical of police forces. It should also be pointed out that it was mostly the county cops playing army. And only after a night of looting and violence.)

Acting like a shirthead does not deserve to get you shot.

But, if he got into a physical altercation, that's a different story. being unarmed becomes irrelevant. Because the cop is armed, a physical fight becomes a life and death struggle.

So if the officer was 50 feet from Brown when he fired, does that make a difference to you?

 

[Dick Whitman]

The Ferguson Police have not done well. The Chief looks like a boob, and they went into protection mode instinctively, instead of having an open process.

(Though, unfortunately, this response is typical of police forces.)

Look up "Brooklyn" or "Chicago" and "basement files" to find out how typical it is of police to go into "protection mode" immediately. I cannot fathom how much exonerating evidence is sitting in dusty boxes in the bowels of our big cities.

Acting like a shirthead does not deserve to get you shot.

But, if he got into a physical altercation, that's a different story. being unarmed becomes irrelevant. Because the cop is armed, a physical fight becomes a life and death struggle.

A physical altercation does not necessarily warrant six bullets, including two head shots. Rodney King did not receive six bullets and two head shots. It's not an all-bets-are-off situation.

 

[YankeeFan]

I think that when all is said and done we will find out that Michael Brown acted like a shirthead.

And that that did not still call for six shots to be fired at him, including two head shots.

Nor did it call for the Ferguson police to play army for a week.

The Ferguson Police have not done well. The Chief looks like a boob, and they went into protection mode instinctively, instead of having an open process.

(Though, unfortunately, this response is typical of police forces. It should also be pointed out that it was mostly the county cops playing army. And only after a night of looting and violence.)

Acting like a shirthead does not deserve to get you shot.

But, if he got into a physical altercation, that's a different story. being unarmed becomes irrelevant. Because the cop is armed, a physical fight becomes a life and death struggle.

So if the officer was 50 feet from Brown when he fired, does that make a difference to you?

I think it's one relevant point of information.

The official police account had always had Brown some distance from the Wilson and the police car.

If there had already been a struggle in the car for the gun, and a shot had been fired, and now Brown was charging the officer, then I'm not sure if 50' or 35' or 10' makes a huge difference.

How close or far does he need to be away for the officer to use deadly force?