This completely ignores Dorian Johnson's testimony which is backed up by the same evidence you're referring to but suggests that Wilson instigated the scuffle, something he would have had a better angle to see than any of the other witnesses.
There are serious problems with Johnson's evidence. It duress not jive with the autopsy and ballistics reports. Those aren't infallible, but it raises serious issues with Johnson's credibility.
According to MSNBC, immediately prior to Darren Wilson testifying, the Assistant DA handed a piece of paper to the Grand Jury with the specific 1979 Missouri Law which outlined which circumstances make it legal for a police officer to shoot a suspect.
Specifically the statute, Section 563.046 makes it legal for an officer to shoot a suspect simply for the act of running away.
The very, very serious problem with this is that the statue was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1985.
What the Assistant DA handed to the Grand Jury, immediately prior to Darren Wilson's testimony, was something that had not been a law since Ronald Reagan was president, her entire legal career.
Saw this floating around on Facebook. Usually just ignore the stuff but thought it was poignant, especially the bolded part. Many people aren't willing to acknowledge or see that part of themselves.
At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my thoughts:
I'M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes.
I'M FRUSTRATED, because pop culture, music and movies glo...rify these types of police citizen altercations and promote an invincible attitude that continues to get young men killed in real life, away from safety movie sets and music studios.
I'M FEARFUL because in the back of my mind I know that although I'm a law abiding citizen I could still be looked upon as a "threat" to those who don't know me. So I will continue to have to go the extra mile to earn the benefit of the doubt.
I'M EMBARRASSED because the looting, violent protests, and law breaking only confirm, and in the minds of many, validate, the stereotypes and thus the inferior treatment.
I'M SAD, because another young life was lost from his family, the racial divide has widened, a community is in shambles, accusations, insensitivity hurt and hatred are boiling over, and we may never know the truth about what happened that day.
I'M SYMPATHETIC, because I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened. Maybe Darren Wilson acted within his rights and duty as an officer of the law and killed Michael Brown in self defense like any of us would in the circumstance. Now he has to fear the backlash against himself and his loved ones when he was only doing his job. What a horrible thing to endure. OR maybe he provoked Michael and ignited the series of events that led to him eventually murdering the young man to prove a point.
I'M OFFENDED, because of the insulting comments I've seen that are not only insensitive but dismissive to the painful experiences of others.
I'M CONFUSED, because I don't know why it's so hard to obey a policeman. You will not win!!! And I don't know why some policeman abuse their power. Power is a responsibility, not a weapon to brandish and lord over the populace.
I'M INTROSPECTIVE, because sometimes I want to take "our" side without looking at the facts in situations like these. Sometimes I feel like it's us against them. Sometimes I'm just as prejudiced as people I point fingers at. And that's not right. How can I look at white skin and make assumptions but not want assumptions made about me? That's not right.
I'M HOPELESS, because I've lived long enough to expect things like this to continue to happen. I'm not surprised and at some point my little children are going to inherit the weight of being a minority and all that it entails.
I'M HOPEFUL, because I know that while we still have race issues in America, we enjoy a much different normal than those of our parents and grandparents. I see it in my personal relationships with teammates, friends and mentors. And it's a beautiful thing.
I'M ENCOURAGED, because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn. BUT I'M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through the his son Jesus and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One that's capable of looking past the outward and seeing what's truly important in every human being. The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It's the Gospel. So, finally, I'M ENCOURAGED because the Gospel gives mankind hope.
According to MSNBC, immediately prior to Darren Wilson testifying, the Assistant DA handed a piece of paper to the Grand Jury with the specific 1979 Missouri Law which outlined which circumstances make it legal for a police officer to shoot a suspect.
Specifically the statute, Section 563.046 makes it legal for an officer to shoot a suspect simply for the act of running away.
The very, very serious problem with this is that the statue was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1985.
What the Assistant DA handed to the Grand Jury, immediately prior to Darren Wilson's testimony, was something that had not been a law since Ronald Reagan was president, her entire legal career.
Saw this floating around on Facebook. Usually just ignore the stuff but thought it was poignant, especially the bolded part. Many people aren't willing to acknowledge or see that part of themselves.
At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my thoughts:
I'M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes.
I'M FRUSTRATED, because pop culture, music and movies glo...rify these types of police citizen altercations and promote an invincible attitude that continues to get young men killed in real life, away from safety movie sets and music studios.
I'M FEARFUL because in the back of my mind I know that although I'm a law abiding citizen I could still be looked upon as a "threat" to those who don't know me. So I will continue to have to go the extra mile to earn the benefit of the doubt.
I'M EMBARRASSED because the looting, violent protests, and law breaking only confirm, and in the minds of many, validate, the stereotypes and thus the inferior treatment.
I'M SAD, because another young life was lost from his family, the racial divide has widened, a community is in shambles, accusations, insensitivity hurt and hatred are boiling over, and we may never know the truth about what happened that day.
I'M SYMPATHETIC, because I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened. Maybe Darren Wilson acted within his rights and duty as an officer of the law and killed Michael Brown in self defense like any of us would in the circumstance. Now he has to fear the backlash against himself and his loved ones when he was only doing his job. What a horrible thing to endure. OR maybe he provoked Michael and ignited the series of events that led to him eventually murdering the young man to prove a point.
I'M OFFENDED, because of the insulting comments I've seen that are not only insensitive but dismissive to the painful experiences of others.
I'M CONFUSED, because I don't know why it's so hard to obey a policeman. You will not win!!! And I don't know why some policeman abuse their power. Power is a responsibility, not a weapon to brandish and lord over the populace.
I'M INTROSPECTIVE, because sometimes I want to take "our" side without looking at the facts in situations like these. Sometimes I feel like it's us against them. Sometimes I'm just as prejudiced as people I point fingers at. And that's not right. How can I look at white skin and make assumptions but not want assumptions made about me? That's not right.
I'M HOPELESS, because I've lived long enough to expect things like this to continue to happen. I'm not surprised and at some point my little children are going to inherit the weight of being a minority and all that it entails.
I'M HOPEFUL, because I know that while we still have race issues in America, we enjoy a much different normal than those of our parents and grandparents. I see it in my personal relationships with teammates, friends and mentors. And it's a beautiful thing.
I'M ENCOURAGED, because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn. BUT I'M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through the his son Jesus and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One that's capable of looking past the outward and seeing what's truly important in every human being. The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It's the Gospel. So, finally, I'M ENCOURAGED because the Gospel gives mankind hope.
God is the answer? Well, I call BS.
__________________
Pass the bacon.
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The overall issue is way more complicated than any side gives it credit for. There is no doubt that the historical subjugation of black people by colonial white people has ripple effects felt today, and there is no doubt that generally speaking, more white people are in a better position today than their African brothers because of it. I don't see how anyone can dispute that. Heck, if you want to be really specific, white anglo protestants are probably better positioned than whites of other pedigrees because of historical forms of discrimination.
But white people are not to blame for all the woes of individual African Americans. In this particular situation, it sounds to me like 2 bad guys (one white and one black) crossed paths and as a result, one ended up dead.
I bolded the part where I completely lost your point. The officer did nothing wrong, quit trying to make it out like he was a bad guy. He was attacked by someone who had early committed a violent robbery, and had to resort to killing him to protect himself. The evidence supports the exact narrative that so many people, like you, are ignoring.
Pretty interesting case. I'm curious how the grand jury process works. I'd thought it was similar to our preliminary inquiry, but it doesn't seem so from the transcript. It seems highly bizarre that the prosecutor would conduct a direct rather than cross examination of a suspect, and weirder still that the case could die in a process like this.
So then you tend to believe all accused criminals who testify that they're innocent, or just when they're cops?
If all I had to base an opinion on was the testimony of a police officer and a guy who just robbed a store - I'll take the police officer 100% of the time. Yes I'm sure sometimes I'll be wrong but I bet I come out ahead.
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I'll throw my 2 cents in here. Eye witness's are crap... even the officer, who is a professional witness, his recollection of the even is skewed by emotion and could be effected by memory loss from the trauma of the event, believe it or not, an officer involved shooting is stressful for the officer. Eye witnesses are the most unreliable piece of evidence in a trial, because everyone comes in with their own agenda, pre conceived ideas and prejudice.
What makes me think that the events went down closer to Officer Wilson's account is the physical evidence at the scene and the autopsy. Physical evidence doesn't lie and what the evidence tells a story of is a physical altercation that turned deadly.
Here's an interesting article that matches up Wilson's testimony with evidence. Here
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Sorry if I missed the discussion earlier, but what exactly did the forensics indicate? Shot in the back? Close or long range?
So much of this makes no sense. You don't need to hate cops to think that the process is broken down there.
Edit: Just read the link from underGRADFlame, thanks that helps. Would still be helpful to hear the call for backup. I think that would indicate whether he felt he was truly in peril.
__________________
From HFBoard oiler fan, in analyzing MacT's management:
O.K. there has been a lot of talk on whether or not MacTavish has actually done a good job for us, most fans on this board are very basic in their analysis and I feel would change their opinion entirely if the team was successful.
Last edited by Fighting Banana Slug; 11-28-2014 at 09:38 AM.
Sorry if I missed the discussion earlier, but what exactly did the forensics indicate? Shot in the back? Close or long range?
So much of this makes no sense. You don't need to hate cops to think that the process is broken down there.
I'll throw my 2 cents in here. Eye witness's are crap... even the officer, who is a professional witness, his recollection of the even is skewed by emotion and could be effected by memory loss from the trauma of the event, believe it or not, an officer involved shooting is stressful for the officer. Eye witnesses are the most unreliable piece of evidence in a trial, because everyone comes in with their own agenda, pre conceived ideas and prejudice.
What makes me think that the events went down closer to Officer Wilson's account is the physical evidence at the scene and the autopsy. Physical evidence doesn't lie and what the evidence tells a story of is a physical altercation that turned deadly.
Here's an interesting article that matches up Wilson's testimony with evidence. Here
That is a great article. Thanks.
I am interested to see how those on the opposite side feel about it. Without getting into the racial discussion, I am curious how THEY would react to a situation like this. An agitated, aggressive man attacking you in your car, attempting to disarm you, running away, then charging back at you. Seriously, what would you do?
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I am interested to see how those on the opposite side feel about it. Without getting into the racial discussion, I am curious how THEY would react to a situation like this. An agitated, aggressive man attacking you in your car, attempting to disarm you, running away, then charging back at you. Seriously, what would you do?
I don't think anyone on the opposite side is debating what they would do in the situation you've described. We're saying we don't believe that was in fact the way the situation went down.
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I don't think anyone on the opposite side is debating what they would do in the situation you've described. We're saying we don't believe that was in fact the way the situation went down.
No, I get that.
If that's the case, what do you think of the article?
