Racist Police Response to Ferguson Protests

[LemonMelon]

I can't tell if this is ignorant as fuck, deliberately incendiary or both:

Kansas City, Mo., cop under review after posting fake 'Michael Brown' picture to Facebook: report - NY Daily News

[DaveC]

I watched about half an hour's worth of the protests on CNN late last night, it is absolute chaos there right now. It was the first time I had watched any of it (couldn't sleep, channel surfing) but from what I hear it was one of the calmer, more peaceful nights of protesting recently.

What I saw was total chaos, and it was actually quite peaceful other than a lot of screaming and a few arrests. I can only imagine how insane it has been other nights though if that's "calm".

[bono_212]

Why exactly are they protesting late late at night?

I could be wrong, but this doesn't seem like standard protesting behavior. Doesn't that usually stick to daylight hours?

A large group of people forming in a heated environment late at night would likely set me on edge, as a member of law enforcement, regardless of race. But of course, I can't know that for sure, not being in law enforcement.

[BVS]

Originally Posted by bono_212

Why exactly are they protesting late late at night?

I could be wrong, but this doesn't seem like standard protesting behavior. Doesn't that usually stick to daylight hours?

A large group of people forming in a heated environment late at night would likely set me on edge, as a member of law enforcement, regardless of race. But of course, I can't know that for sure, not being in law enforcement.

People work during the day?


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

[AEON]

Originally Posted by BVS

People work during the day?


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

The peaceful protests have been taking place from 5 pm until about 10 pm (for the most part). It's been turning violent closer to midnight.

[BVS]

Originally Posted by AEON

The peaceful protests have been taking place from 5 pm until about 10 pm (for the most part). It's been turning violent closet to midnight.

Many of which aren't even from there...


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

[bono_212]

Originally Posted by BVS

People work during the day?


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

Didn't stop all those Occupy protests.

All I'm getting at is, I don't see what good it does at midnight. Otherwise, protest away. I love protests. Not violent ones and not ones that receive a violent response, I just love the concept of protests.

[AEON]

Originally Posted by bono_212

Didn't stop all those Occupy protests.

All I'm getting at is, I don't see what good it does at midnight. Otherwise, protest away. I love protests. Not violent ones and not ones that receive a violent response, I just love the concept of protests.

I think for the most part - the leaders of those protests - at least the ones I've seen interviewed - are trying to accomplish that and have been very critical of the few violent outbreaks.

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by AEON

I think for the most part - the leaders of those protests - at least the ones I've seen interviewed - are trying to accomplish that and have been very critical of the few violent outbreaks.

Once people started getting aggressive towards the police, and the line of cops in riot gear formed up across the street, those elements who were getting violent were very quickly shut down. There was at first a group that held hands to form a line between the two sides, which actually worked, and then after they left about 4 or 5 people who seemed to be leaders of some kind were speaking to the crowd and obviously were trying to calm the situation down. There was a small elderly gentleman who was talking to the protestors and actually pointed out someone for the police to go arrest (which they promptly did). It seems that the violent elements aren't really welcome there, which is fantastic. I just hope the numbers of people who go there looking for a riot don't increase to the point where they can't be controlled.

[BVS]

Originally Posted by bono_212

Didn't stop all those Occupy protests.

All I'm getting at is, I don't see what good it does at midnight. Otherwise, protest away. I love protests. Not violent ones and not ones that receive a violent response, I just love the concept of protests.

But take into consideration what Occupy was protesting; banks, corporations, etc what hours will you be most effective? While they're open.

The peaceful protestors don't have to protest during banking hours, and those that are waiting till after 10 aren't the real protestors.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

[bono_212]

I didn't say banking hours, but it's summer, I think a lot could probably be accomplished during daylight, and even early night hours, as you're already suggesting. 10 PM makes sense as a reasonable cutoff point. But Dave seems to suggest that there was protesting of both types (Real protesting and whatever not real protesting would be) well beyond 10 PM.

[AEON]

Originally Posted by DaveC

There was a small elderly gentleman who was talking to the protestors and actually pointed out someone for the police to go arrest (which they promptly did)..

That is awesome. I wonder if he was a veteran of the MLK-led marches.

[AEON]

Originally Posted by BVS

those that are waiting till after 10 aren't the real protestors.

I think just about everyone is agreeing with this now.

[AEON]

Also - I noticed the last couple of nights, that around 10 pm the ratio of reporter to "protester" becomes about 2:1 (in favor of reporters).

The freelance "reporters" from the small websites and personal blogs almost seem like paparazzi at this point.

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by AEON

Also - I noticed the last couple of nights, that around 10 pm the ratio of reporter to "protester" becomes about 2:1 (in favor of reporters).

The freelance "reporters" from the small websites and personal blogs almost seem like paparazzi at this point.

Another thing I forgot to mention, was that the media outnumbered the protesters at the front line by far, I would say at least 2 to 1. The cops were all on the sidewalk in a line (in riot gear) down one side of the street, and across on the other side the media took up at least 2/3rds of the sidewalk, with the protesters taking up only about the other third at most. There was another large group who looked mostly like people just standing around observing down about a block or two in a strip mall parking lot. After about half an hour once the main group dwindled and calmed down, the police moved down the street past the media and into the secondary group and got them out of the street. There was more shouting but the only pushing match I saw (guy started yelling at the cops and reached towards the police when the line got close, cop pushed him back) ended quickly when other protesters grabbed him and took him away, obviously trying to calm him down.

But the number of media was immense. The police had them shut off all their camera lights at one point before moving to clear the streets because the line couldn't see with the lights in their faces.

[AEON]

This story was floating around twitter yesterday. This is the second leak of this information:

Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Mo., police officer whose fatal shooting of Michael Brown touched off more than a week of demonstrations, suffered severe facial injuries, including an orbital (eye socket) fracture, and was nearly beaten unconscious by Brown moments before firing his gun, a source close to the department's top brass told FoxNews.com.

Missouri cop was badly beaten before shooting Michael Brown, says source | Fox News

If this is true (I know it's foxnews, but it is starting to trickle it out it seems, and a battered face and broken eye-socket will be an easy thing to prove) - why aren't the police allowed to publicly release this information? Especially if it would help (possibly) ease the tension (which presumably started with the story that the officer shot Michael Brown execution style and unprovoked)? Does FOIA apply in this instance?

[Diemen]

I, too, heard about the orbital fracture. One interesting point that's been made in response to this points to Brown's autopsy: his body showed no signs of a struggle/fight. One would expect that if you punched someone hard enough to break their eye socket, and especially if you nearly beat them to unconsciousness, your fists would bear some signs of that.

One theory I've seen regarding this also somewhat corroborates the witness accounts: if Wilson opened the door hard enough to bounce off of Brown come back again, could it have caught Wilson by surprise and caught him in the eye, causing the fracture?

[AEON]

Originally Posted by Diemen

.

One theory I've seen regarding this also somewhat corroborates the witness accounts: if Wilson opened the door hard enough to bounce off of Brown come back again, could it have caught Wilson by surprise and caught him in the eye, causing the fracture?

I agree, that does seem more plausible that the car door would cause this - more than a fist with no marks. However, I'm not sure a "bounce" off a body would cause the door to swing that violently though. That would need to be tested. It would seem more likely the car door would need to be slammed against the officer's face - which is consistent with his story.

I wish they would/could release more evidence of what happened at/in the police vehicle. Although - I'm not sure if any information (to the benefit or detriment of Darren Wilson's defense) would be of much use now (in quelling violence). The response to this incident has taken a life of its own.

[bono_212]

I'm trying to picture what possible position a person could even be in, to have hit themselves in the eye with a car door

[Diemen]

Originally Posted by AEON

I wish they would/could release more evidence of what happened at/in the police vehicle.

Just think of how much more clear cut this whole thing could have been if the Ferguson police department used dash cams and personal recorders. (TBH, it boggles my mind that police departments wouldn't at the very least insist on installing dash cams)