Police shooting of unarmed teen leads to protests and Riot

[Nage Waza]

I think most police use a policy where they escalate their own force based on the attacker. If they use a fist, they can deploy their baton (I don't even know if these are used anymore) or a taser. If they have a knife, police use a gun. In all circumstances, officer safety is very important, which is why they draw their weapons when there is no indication of violence. A guy with a knife at a distance is different than a guy with a gun at a distance.

There is certainly consideration for alternatives to shooting a guy, but only if time and safety of themselves and others are on the side of the police. If attacked by someone with a knife, the police will shoot to kill. Same goes for an officer who feels their life is in danger against an unarmed attacker.

It is looking like Michael Brown was approached by the police after committing a (violent) crime, and according to witnesses and autopsy results, may have attacked the officer. At this point all we know is that the officer determined his life was at risk and fired his weapon.

I would require evidence indicating anything else occurred, which I have certainly not seen. Police officers deal with bad people daily and if they really wanted to shoot someone they would have many opportunities.

The ensuing riots are terrible.

[Montana Moe]

An Op-Ed from Norm Stamper, Chief of Police during the 1999 "Battle in Seattle:

It’s difficult to view citizens as partners when you’re looking at them through a Kevlar helmet and a riot shield – or when you have failed to build a culture of trust and then you add military equipment and tactics to a combustible mix of racial discrimination and little police accountability. This explosive combination makes policing significantly less effective, and dramatically less safe for everybody.

It’s no wonder so many cops – like some of those in Ferguson, Missouri – view their own community as the enemy when they spend their time geared for combat. It’s no wonder why they, in return, are viewed as an occupying force.

Guardian Link

[wittynickname]

Originally Posted by Ducay

Its a tough situation, because the majority of those coming out to the "protest" are not coming to protest, they're coming for a riot/confrontation.

And most who are rioting or causing conflict aren't even from Ferguson, but from other areas looking to increase the anarchy. There are always idiots who like to exploit chaos to do dumb crap without as many repercussions.

Originally Posted by Bent Wookie

And 5 police officers were murdered in the US alone during that time period.

My point is, you make it sound like it is some sort of systematic execution of black men in the US.

There is a huge difference between officers--who are explicitly in a line of work wherein their well-being is at stake on a daily basis--and general civilians being killed at that high a rate.

Police by definition are in dangerous situations regularly. The average civilian should not be.

Originally Posted by combustiblefuel

A black man is shot by the police every 28 hours in America.

Not just shot--killed.

Black men are pulled over at a higher rate, stopped on the street and searched at a higher rate, incarcerated at a higher rate, more likely to serve a harsher sentence for minor drug offenses, more likely to return to prison after a first offense, less likely to obtain a job in general, let alone obtaining a job after even minor criminal activity (possession of marijuana, for example), they make less than white men make for the same amount of work, etc, etc, etc.

This is a much broader issue than one unarmed man being shot down by police. This is about systematic disadvantages to black men across this entire country. This event just brought a lot of those issues to a head.

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by Miniac

What ever happened to shooting people in the leg??

I suggest that you go out to a shooting range, set up a life sized target at 15' and just shoot the leg or arm then tell me how you hit it every time. Now add in a stressful situation and moving target and with a broken orbital bone and tell me that shooting at a small target thats moving is better than shooting for centre mass.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

Gun comes into play here. You don't mess around with someone with a lethal weapon. You don't try to shoot in the leg. You don't try to taser first.

My BIL is a cop in a mid size town, a guy he grew up with went nuts one night and came at 3 cops with an axe, my BIL capped him twice in the leg. at the inquirey when asked why he went against policy and shot at his leg he said "I missed, I must need more range time"

I asked him, what if you didn't know him? His answer?...he would be dead.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by PIMking

I suggest that you go out to a shooting range, set up a life sized target at 15' and just shoot the leg or arm then tell me how you hit it every time. Now add in a stressful situation and moving target and with a broken orbital bone and tell me that shooting at a small target thats moving is better than shooting for centre mass.

How'd you spell that, again? He's not who he says he is everyone! He's a Canadian pretending to be from Alabama.

This man's a phoney! Everyone look at the phoney.

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by T@T

My BIL is a cop in a mid size town, a guy he grew up with went nuts one night and came at 3 cops with an axe, my BIL capped him twice in the leg. at the inquirey when asked why he went against policy and shot at his leg he said "I missed, I must need more range time"

I asked him, what if you didn't know him? His answer?...he would be dead.

Your BIL and the two cops with him are lucky that he was a very good shot who got lucky, then. If he'd shot at the leg and missed, he'd have had a crazy axe-wielding man in his midst.

I know that personally in that kind of situation...I'd want to be going home in the same number of pieces I went to work in. Your BIL took a massive risk, and he's damn lucky it worked out for him. Or he may have been facing an inquiry wondering why he missed and two of his fellow cops are dead, his 'friend' was dead, and he was cut up badly.

[photon]

Originally Posted by combustiblefuel

http://www.globalresearch.ca/ferguso...ricans/5396329

This is the original "study".

http://mxgm.org/wp-content/uploads/2...etto-Storm.pdf

It doesn't read like any study I've ever read, the language, formatting, tone, etc makes me at least question the impartiality of it. And I'm probably more sympathetic than not.

[combustiblefuel]

Vice news just started there live feed again.

Edit : If you tune in on their YouTube feed and its off they are just fixing an audio channel problem.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

It is looking like Michael Brown was approached by the police after committing a (violent) crime, and according to witnesses and autopsy results, may have attacked the officer. At this point all we know is that the officer determined his life was at risk and fired his weapon.

I would require evidence indicating anything else occurred, which I have certainly not seen.

Are you saying that there are witnesses (evidence) that state he attacked the officer and nothing in the form of other witnesses to suggest otherwise?

[combustiblefuel]

Peaceful tonight. Most people are at the shooting location that happened today. Another vice reporter had to leave that location as many people their have guns at there waist.

[combustiblefuel]

Here we go again. Someone threw a plastic water bottle. Then the cops went full force on him. Nothing else thank god people were able to calm the crowd. Masked protesters going after media telling them to shut down their cameras.

[combustiblefuel]

A cop is going around to everyone with a camera "if its not shut off We will tear gas you".

[combustiblefuel]

Legal observer was arrested possibility from National Lawyers Guild
. A woman was tackled. The crowd chants she's pregnant! She's pregnant!!.

Now the ambulance is being brought in. Dunno who its is for 10 arrested so far for standing around.
Media being told to get out of the way .

[combustiblefuel]

Police have cleared out west florintine . The protesters have been pushed back to a Vacant lot . The police have announced "Anyone who wishes to peacefully demonstrate may use this empty property".

Around 50 press related people. Around 20 legal observers present .

Live ammunition was heard in the distance throughout the night on this feed. Possible from the other protest scene.

[combustiblefuel]

Stream is now offline . If anything happens they will be back live.

For more info follow

@Timcast
And
@Vicenews

[RougeUnderoos]

Bringing out the Chaplin fellow to start off the late night press conference. Heads down and eyes closed. Thanks to Jesus for keeping the peace.

Mysterious ways.

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Bringing out the Chaplin fellow to start off the late night press conference. Heads down and eyes closed. Thanks to Jesus for keeping the peace.

Mysterious ways.

I guess thanking the invisible sky god is appropriate? The people keeping the calm of the protesters calm this evening was local religious head figures. If any thing they should be thanking them.

To lay context to this. a few of the town religious head figures along with some of the masked protesters ( The same ones yelling at the media to " turn of the there cameras. You are making it worse". These people when it got to the most tense points linked hands and formed a line between the police and protesters calling for peace. Right before police were thinking about unleashing "less lethal force" as marked on many orange stocked and orange pumped 12 gauge shot guns( these weapons look like toys but can fire live ammo or bean bag rounds).

[Aarongavey]

It is looking like Michael Brown was approached by the police after committing a (violent) crime, and according to witnesses and autopsy results, may have attacked the officer. At this point all we know is that the officer determined his life was at risk and fired his weapon.

To whom is it looking like Brown attacked the officer?

http://www.theroot.com/articles/cult..._shooting.html

Five separate witnesses who all saw the same thing. Brown running away and the cop firing at him. Brown turning around and the cop firing two more shots and killing him.

There has been absolutely nothing that I have seen where an eye witness has corroborated the officers version of events. And there is absolutely no evidence that the reason the cop fired his weapon was because he thought his life was at risk. It does seem like a convenient reason post facto to explain why the weapon was fired.

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

To whom is it looking like Brown attacked the officer?

http://www.theroot.com/articles/cult..._shooting.html

Five separate witnesses who all saw the same thing. Brown running away and the cop firing at him. Brown turning around and the cop firing two more shots and killing him.

There has been absolutely nothing that I have seen where an eye witness has corroborated the officers version of events. And there is absolutely no evidence that the reason the cop fired his weapon was because he thought his life was at risk. It does seem like a convenient reason post facto to explain why the weapon was fired.

So umm... why are no bullets in his back?