Except nobody with the authority to declare martial law or deem Ferguson an "emergency zone" has done so. Therefore, Constitutional rights have not been suspended. This is the default action of the state police force, regardless of legal standing.
Has anyone seen this story yet? Thought about putting it in its own thread. Just saw this story today. Police killed a man walking around with a toy gun that he grabbed off the shelf in a Wal-Mart because they thought it was a real weapon. Family of man killed by cops at Wal-Mart demands video http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/family-man-killed-cops-walmart-demands-surveillance-video
Really it couldn’t be more dissimilar to a bunch of drunken hockey fans. Otherwise fantastic analogy.
In this day and age of mass shootings (mainly by white dudes), I have a hard time believing that the result would have been much different for a white guy who is carrying what is believed to be a gun around a populated place and then won't throw it down when the police ask him (just going on the original article). Aren't toy guns supposed to clearly look fake nowadays?
Except these kinds of things seem to happen a lot more to black people. That said, a lot could be resolved if Walmart would just release the video. Unlike other situations where there is a lot of ambiguity in what happened, the video would hopefully answer questions one way or another.
Right. It seems hard to imagine that this guy would not have dropped the toy/BB gun when being told to, so the timing of all of this could certainly be answered with the video. It leads to suspicion that he was not told to drop the gun or that he wasn't given an opportunity to drop it.
No, It happens to white people too. The difference is there isn't usually a big social media upheaval, or Je$$ie Jack$on and Al $harpton aren't there to stir the pot for several weeks afterwards. 3 days ago in Utah... http://fox13now.com/2014/08/11/brea...-involved-shooting-in-s-salt-lake-police-say/ 2 days ago in Dallas... http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Man-Dies-In-Dallas-Officer-Involved-Shooting-270705511.html a year ago in Orange, Tx http://www.12newsnow.com/story/2294...f-duty-police-officer-still-hopes-for-justice No wild media firestorm, no mass social media outcry, no national coverage. It happens, you just don't hear about it. It's terrible and sad when this happens to anybody of any race. However, you can't just demand answers when the investigation is still going on. Be patient and wait for the investigation results - THEN protest peacefully. Riots only make matters worse and draw attention away from the actual problem..the shooting of an unarmed Person (not a race, a human being)
From who? The state? At the end of the day, two people have died - Ferguson and that Wal-Mart kid. How many do you think will die if a full blown armed insurrection begins. Remember this fact: War is the continuation of politics by other means. If you are willing to take up arms against a state, you better actually have a clear, concrete and realistic goal in mind - or you will lose.
My 2 cents: 1) The police person responsible should be terminated and case turned over to grand jury for investigation. You never shoot an unarmed man running away. Never. 2) The Ferguson police department needs a overhaul from the top down. “Didn’t know any better”? Really? Did you just say that out loud? I have 0 confidence in the handling of anything by someone who just said that. This guy is in a job WAAAY over his head. 3) I wish the country would get this passionate on the black-on-black crime that is committed every day. It is truly sad that this kid (regardless of what petty crime he might have committed) lost his life because of an overzealous cop who got punched, but 100s of senseless killings occur every night in cities all over America and barely a word is said. It’s been accepted as a part of “living in the hood” but it should not be. Justice is not used, but retaliation is. It’s causing a non-stop killing machine of youth which gives them less and less respect for life. 4) Looting in your own neighborhood is the equivalent of s@#ting in your own bed. Stupid, lazy and has little bearing on the issue. Just a sorry reason for the “don’t haves” to steal and destroy from those doing business in the neighborhood.
Apparently, you missed the time when white people carrying assault rifles went into a Chipotle, prompting that company to ask that people refrain from open carrying in their restaurant.
I would normally agree but this was a product at a Wal-Mart that they were SELLING. He was just walking around shopping. I just hate that the cops are "shoot first think later" in these scenarios. It seems that police escalate these situations which in my opinion is the exact opposite of what is necessary. I can understand and appreciate a policemen's right to defend himself with deadly force but I can't stand behind this stuff. Police are here to serve and protect ALL citizens.
Per rules of their investigation they won't release the video even to attorneys. All cops should carry those new uniform video recorders. It would save police a lot of BS complaints and investigating and make them much more accountable. It has already been proven to be highly effective. http://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-body-cameras-cuts-violence-complaints-rialto http://www.wkrn.com/story/23033687/use-of-body-cameras-decrease-number-of-officer-complaints
I never post in this forum but this is all very sad. Even if this white cop killed this black man cold-blooded it does not give this community justification to act like they are. I don't care about people. Gay, Straight, man, woman, both, black, white blah blah blah. I would say that it seems to be that the Black community lacks objective leadership and consequences for actions sometimes at the city level when stuff like this happens. It is just as much on them to concede that we are all the same.
There was one night of looting and the like. The protests since have been peaceful. There is never justification for arresting journalists for being in a McDonald's or for demanding the press turn off their cameras. I cannot believe I live in a country where people think what these officers were doing is OK or justified.
From their aggressors. The political system is broken. This has been occurring for decades. Police no longer protect and serve. They're dangerous. Anybody who's not a fool does their best to avoid them. They've become military police in the war on drugs, and elections and peaceful means are not achieving anything. The police who wield force against citizens would do well to remember who gave them that authority to begin with. For them to take up arms would change the conversation and level the playing field. Of course, for somebody like yourself who seems to worship the state as an infallible entity that can do no wrong, that may be difficult to understand. I don't expect you to agree. But for somebody who's grown up and seen how the system operates first hand, I can tell you with certainty that there is no justice, and going out and voting isn't helping the situation.
