Ferguson - Grand Jury has reached their decision.

[tanatastic 2,062]

Of course all the black eyewitnesses will claim he wasnt charging the cop. forget race, pretend it was you or your brother. "Did he provoke the cop?" "No he didnt, he was just chillin." f course you wont rat out your boy to the evil cops. The dummy attacked a guy with a gun, im sorry but thats stupid. One less dirtbag on the streets. If he were white id say the same thing, one less hoodlum on he streets. Theres even video of him strongarming and robbing cigars from a store minutes prior! Come on people this isnt rocket science, the cop is innocent and this looting and rioting is a huge black eye for the african american community and society in general.

[IGotWorms 4,060]

I see your point Frank, honestly.

But now you're into that gray area trying to scrutinize what a cop has to do while being threatened in the line of duty. Feels similar to me when people are critical of how our soldiers kill an enemy during a war (a WAR!!!).

The critical people have no clue what that gray area is like - when you are in danger and forced to make the decision to use lethal force, as a cop or a soldier - and to me, this one isn't that hard. A bad guy assaulted a cop and got shot.

I vehemently disagree with the war analogy. Our streets are not war zones, or if they are we're totally focked and might as well just fold the whole thing

[IGotWorms 4,060]

all good Frank.

agreed.

 

so now it comes down to whether Brown charged back at the cop? Based on all the facts, actions, behavior up to this point- - Brown has no credibility, the cop has all of it.

And the witnesses are 50/50 on what happened... I'm not sure how much credibility I give anyone in that community right now.

Brown is dead so his credibility isn't really an issue. The credibility of the witnesses obviously is though, and clearly the grand jury believed the cop's side more. Case over

[NorthernVike 2,088]

I vehemently disagree with the war analogy. Our streets are not war zones, or if they are we're totally focked and might as well just fold the whole thing

Chicago sure looks like a war zone.

 

http://crime.chicagotribune.com/chicago/shootings/

[IGotWorms 4,060]

Chicago sure looks like a war zone.

 

http://crime.chicagotribune.com/chicago/shootings/

I'm not ready to cede a major US city to war zone status, but maybe that's just me.

 

More importantly, this occurred in a suburb of St Louis

[Sho Nuff 720]

you left out the fact that you're a righty hack playing politics and a bigot for thinking this way. and most likely you are responsible for the whole ordeal in the first place.

 

No...only a righty hack if you play politics with it and make it political...like blaming Obama for things.

HTH

[HenryHill9323 65]

How did that "leave a mark"? Just some bullsh1t troll spouting nonsense. You must be pretty dumb to eat that up

Probably because yet again you spouted off on a legal matter as if you knew WTF you were talking about when you are obviously ignorant of the evidence presented to the grand jury despite it being all over the internet today.

 

Feel free to point out the "nonsense" I spouted.

[NorthernVike 2,088]

I'm not ready to cede a major US city to war zone status, but maybe that's just me.

 

More importantly, this occurred in a suburb of St Louis

You moved to a suburb of St Louis? Or did you mean 'our streets' as in the USA?

[HenryHill9323 65]

:lol:

 

wow if that doesn't leave a mark...

I was going to use "corroborated by" instead of "backed up by", but I didn't want the poor boy's head to explode.

 

[ZeroTolerance 584]

Of course all the black eyewitnesses will claim he wasnt charging the cop. forget race, pretend it was you or your brother. "Did he provoke the cop?" "No he didnt, he was just chillin." f course you wont rat out your boy to the evil cops. The dummy attacked a guy with a gun, im sorry but thats stupid. One less dirtbag on the streets. If he were white id say the same thing, one less hoodlum on he streets. Theres even video of him strongarming and robbing cigars from a store minutes prior! Come on people this isnt rocket science, the cop is innocent and this looting and rioting is a huge black eye for the african american community and society in general.

You missed the part where several black eyewitnesses DID testify that Brown ran at the officer. It isn't like every black person in the area told the investigators that the cop chased him down and killed him in cold-blood.

[BunnysBastatrds 2,541]

mike browns mom....wasn't she preaching peace and calm just before this...

 

 

Looks like she could use a three piece.

[drobeski 3,061]

The dirtbag liberal rag New York Times has published the officers address.

Wtf fock is wrong with these sore losing ignorant focks ?

[jerryskids 6,969]

Was there ever a tox report on Brown? I haven't followed this closely.

[porkbutt 897]

Was there ever a tox report on Brown? I haven't followed this closely.

marrajawanna

[remote controller 143]

"undocumented shoppers" lol! That's good!

[NorthernVike 2,088]

Now Holder is on the news telln' the blacks that it ain't over yet. Typical for this administration. Reward the criminals.

[rholio 339]

Now Holder is on the news telln' the blacks that it ain't over yet. Typical for this administration. Reward the criminals.

In case you missed it...

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/25/politics/eric-holder-resignation/

[HenryHill9323 65]

Now Holder is on the news telln' the blacks that it ain't over yet. Typical for this administration. Reward the criminals.

Can't let the riots and looting die down. Gotta keep the animals stoked up as much as the administration can.

[rholio 339]

Can't let the riots and looting die down. Gotta keep the animals stoked up as much as the administration can.

In case you missed it...

 

http://www.cnn.com/2...er-resignation/

[joneo 560]

The dirtbag liberal rag New York Times has published the officers address.

Wtf fock is wrong with these sore losing ignorant focks ?

 

Link?

[mobb_deep 920]

I believe the cop was in fear of his life, thus justified in shooting.

 

Just look at the guy. He couldn't protect a popsicle stand from a snow storm. He's the stereotypical "I was a nerd who became a cop to get back at the jocks".

 

Not guilty, your honor!

[Sho Nuff 720]

The dirtbag liberal rag New York Times has published the officers address.

Wtf fock is wrong with these sore losing ignorant focks ?

 

Agreed...the media is disgusting when they do such things.

[IGotWorms 4,060]

Probably because yet again you spouted off on a legal matter as if you knew WTF you were talking about when you are obviously ignorant of the evidence presented to the grand jury despite it being all over the internet today.

 

Feel free to point out the "nonsense" I spouted.

Bullshiat, you were just playing your ghey little word games. Like I said, there was testimony that Brown turned around and charged the cop. And obviously the grand jury believed that version of events. Case over focktard

[Voltaire 5,390]

 

Link?

My BS detector haskicked in and I'm having trouble believing this is true as well. I'll help drobeski look though.

[Voltaire 5,390]

My BS detector haskicked in and I'm having trouble believing this is true as well. I'll help drobeski look though.

I couldn't find it. Doesn't mean though it isn't/wasn't there though.

[HenryHill9323 65]

Bullshiat, you were just playing your ghey little word games. Like I said, there was testimony that Brown turned around and charged the cop. And obviously the grand jury believed that version of events. Case over focktard

You said "there was talk".

 

Face it, you got schooled again on legal matters........as usual.

[mobb_deep 920]

Michael Browns step father should be indicted for inciting riot.

[Voltaire 5,390]

Bullshiat, you were just playing your ghey little word games. Like I said, there was testimony that Brown turned around and charged the cop. And obviously the grand jury believed that version of events. Case over focktard

Earlier in this thread, somebody posted that Michael Brown's blood trail can be traced away from the cop car and then back towards it. I hadn't heard that in the media to confirm the story, but if he was shot in the car, he would have been bleeding, there should be a blood trail to follow.

[jerryskids 6,969]

A white guilt angst teenage friend of mine posted this link on Facebook. The first sentence sets the tone for a bizarro-world interpretation of events. I bolded my favorite sentence; it was hard to choose.

 

As we all know by now, Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenage boy, was gunned down by the police while walking to his grandmother’s house in the middle of the afternoon. For the past few days my Facebook newsfeed has been full of stories about the incidents unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri.

9

 

But then I realized something.

 

For the first couple of days, almost all of the status updates expressing anger and grief about yet another extrajudicial killing of an unarmed black boy, the news articles about the militarized police altercations with community members and the horrifying pictures of his dead body on the city concrete were posted by people of color. Outpourings of rage and demands for justice were voiced by black people, Latinos, Asian Americans, Arab American Muslims. But posts by white people were few at first and those that I saw were posted mostly by my white activist or academic friends who are committed to putting themselves on the frontlines of any conversation about racial or economic injustice in America. And almost nothing, silence practically, by the majority of my nonactivist, nonacademic white friends—those same people who gleefully jumped on the bandwagon to dump buckets of ice over their heads to raise money for ALS and those same people who immediately wrote heartfelt messages about reaching out to loved ones suffering from depression following the suicide of the extraordinary Robin Williams, may he rest in peace. But an unarmed black teenager minding his own business walking down the street in broad daylight gets harassed and murdered by a white police officer and those same people seem to have nothing urgent to say about pervasive, systemic, deadly racism in America?

5

 

They have nothing to say?

 

Why? The simplest explanation is because Facebook is, well, Facebook. It’s not the New York Times or a town hall meeting or the current events class at your high school. It’s the internet playground for sharing cat videos, cheeky status updates about the joys and tribulations of living with toddlers, and humble bragging about your fabulous European vacation. Some people don’t think Facebook is the forum for serious conversations. Okay, that’s fine if you fall into that category and your wall is nothing but rainbows and happy talk about how much you love your life.

1

 

However, I think the explanation is more complex and mirrors the silence of many people that I witness in real life. A lot of white people aren’t speaking out publicly against the killing of Michael Brown because they don’t see a space for themselves to engage meaningfully in the conversation so that they can move to action against racism. It’s not so much that they have nothing to say but rather they don’t see an opportunity being opened up for them to say something or to do something that matters. Or they might not be sure what to say or how to do it. They might have a hard time seeing a role for themselves in the fight against racism because they aren’t racist, they don’t feel that racism affects them or their loved ones personally, they worry that talking about race and differences between cultures might make things worse, or they think they rarely see overt racism at play in their everyday lives. And, sometimes, they are afraid. There’s a real fear of saying the wrong thing even if the intention is pure, of being alienated socially and economically from other white people for standing in solidarity with black people, or of putting one’s self in harm’s way, whether the harm be physical or psychological. I’m not saying those aren’t valid fears but I am challenging white people to consider carefully whether failing to speak out or act because of those fears is justified when white silence and inaction mean the oppression and death of black people.

3

 

Let’s talk about an active role for white people in the fight against racism because racism burdens all of us and is destroying our communities. And, quite frankly, because white people have a role in undoing racism because white people created and, for the most part, currently maintain (whether they want to or not) the racist system that benefits white people to the detriment of people of color. My white friends who’ve spoken out harshly against the murder of Michael Brown end with a similar refrain: What can I do that will matter in the fight against racism?

 

White people who are sick and tired of racism should work hard to become white allies.

 

In the aftermath of the murder of Michael Brown, may he rest in power, here are some ways for white people to become white allies who are engaged thoughtfully and critically in examining the situation in Ferguson and standing on the side of justice and equity. This list is a good place to start your fight to dismantle racial inequity and shine a light on the oppressive structures that lead to yet another extrajudicial killing of a black person.

 

1. Learn about the racialized history of Ferguson and how it reflects the racialized history of America.

Michael Brown’s murder is not a social anomaly or statistical outlier. It is the direct product of deadly tensions born from decades of housing discrimination, white flight, intergenerational poverty and racial profiling. The militarized police response to peaceful assembly by the people mirrors what happened in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement.

2

 

2. Reject the “he was a good kid” narrative and lift up the “black lives matter” narrative.

Michael Brown was a good kid, by accounts of those who knew him during his short life. But that’s not why his death is tragic. His death isn’t tragic because he was a sweet kid on his way to college next week. His death is tragic because he was a human being and his life mattered. The Good Kid narrative might provoke some sympathy but what it really does is support the lie that as a rule black people, black men in particular, have a norm of violence or criminal behavior. The Good Kid narrative says that this kid didn’t deserve to die because his goodness was the exception to the rule. This is wrong. This kid didn’t deserve to die because he was a human being and black lives matter.

 

3. Use words that speak the truth about the disempowerment, oppression, disinvestment and racism that are rampant in our communities.

Be mindful, political and socially aware with your language. Notice how the mainstream news outlets are using words like riot and looting to describe the uprising in Ferguson. What’s happening is not a riot. The people are protesting and engaging in a justified rebellion. They have a righteous anger and are revolting against the police who have terrorized them for years.

4

 

4. Understand the modern forms of race oppression and slavery and how they are intertwined with policing, the courts and the prison industrial complex.

We don’t enslave black people on the plantation cotton fields anymore. Now we lock them up in for profit prisons at disproportionate rates and for longer sentences for the same crimes than white people. And when they are released, they are second class citizens stripped of voting rights and denied access to housing, employment and education. Mass incarceration is The New Jim Crow.

2

 

5. Examine the interplay between poverty and racial equity.

The twin pillar of racism is economic injustice but do not use class issues to trump race issues and avoid the racism conversation. While racism and class oppression are tangled together in this country, the fact remains that the number one predictor of prosperity and access to opportunity is race.

3

 

6. Diversify your media.

Be intentional about looking for and paying close attention to diverse voices of color on the tv, on the internet and on the radio to help shape your awareness, understanding and thinking about political, economic and social issues. Check out Colorlines, The Root or This Week in Blackness to get started.

3

 

7. Adhere to the philosophy of nonviolence as you resist racism and oppression.

Dr. Martin Luther King advocated for nonviolent conflict reconciliation as the primary strategy of the Civil Rights Movement and the charge of His Final Marching Orders. East Point Peace Academy offers online resources and in person training on nonviolence that is accessible to all people regardless of ability to pay.

 

8. Find support from fellow white allies.

Challenge and encourage each other to dig deeper, even when it hurts and especially when you feel confused and angry and sad and hopeless, so that you can be more authentic in your shared journey with people of color to uphold and protect principles of antiracism and equity in our society. Go to workshops like Training for Change’s Whites Confronting Racism or European Dissent by The People’s Institute. Attend The White Privilege Conference or the Facing Raceconference. Some organizations offer scholarships or reduced fees to help people attend if funding is an issue.

1

 

9. If you are a person of faith, look to your scriptures or holy texts for guidance.

Seek out faith based organizations like Sojourners and follow faith leaders that incorporate social justice into their ministry. Ask your clergy person to address antiracism in their sermons and teachings. If you are not a person of faith, learn how the world’s religions view social justice issues so that when you have opportunity to invite people of faith to also become white allies, you can talk with them meaningfully about why being a white ally is supported by their spiritual beliefs.

1

 

10. Don’t be afraid to be unpopular.

Let’s be realistic. If you start calling out all the racism you witness (and it will be a lot once you know what you’re looking at) some people might not want to hang out with you as much. That’s a risk you’ll need to accept. But think about it like this: staying silent when you witness oppression is the same as supporting oppression. So you can be the popular person who stands with the oppressor or you can be the (maybe) unpopular person who stands for equality and dignity for all people. Which person would you prefer to be? And honestly, if some people don’t want to hang out with you anymore once you show yourself as a white ally then why would you even want to be friends with them anyway? They’re probably racists.

 

11. Be proactive in your own community.

As a white ally, you are not limited to being reactionary and only rising up to stand on the side of justice when black people are being subjected to violence very visibly and publicly. Moments of crisis do not need to be the catalyst because taking action against systemic racism is always appropriate because systemic racism permeates nearly every institution and community in this country. Some ideas for action: organize a community conversation about the state of police-community relations* in your neighborhood, support leaders of color by donating your time or money to their campaigns or causes, ask the local library to host a showing and discussion group about the documentary RACE – The Power of an Illusion, attend workshops to learn how to transform conflict into opportunity for dialogue. Gather together diverse white allies that represent the diversity of backgrounds in your community. Antiracism is not a liberals only cause. Antiracism is a movement for all people, whether they be conservative, progressive, rich, poor, urban or rural.

 

12. Don’t give up.

We’re 400 years into this racist system and it’s going to take a long, long, long time to dismantle these atrocities. The antiracism movement is a struggle for generations, not simply the hot button issue of the moment. Transformation of a broken system doesn’t happen quickly or easily. You may not see or feel the positive impact of your white allyship in the next month, the next year, the next decade or even your lifetime. But don’t ever stop. Being a white ally matters because your thoughts, deeds and actions will be part of what turns the tide someday. Change starts with the individual.

 

This is a list of just 12 ways to be an ally. There are many more ways and I invite you to consider what else you can do to become a strong and loyal white ally. People of color, black people especially, cannot and should not shoulder the burden for dismantling the racist, white supremacist system that devalues and criminalizes black life without the all in support, blood, sweat and tears of white people. If you are not already a white ally, now is the time to become one.

 

People are literally dying.

 

Black people are dying and it’s not your personal fault that black people are dying because you’re white but if you don’t make a purposeful choice to become a white ally and actively work to dismantle the racist system running America for the benefit of white people then it becomes your shame because you are white and black lives matter. And if you live your whole life and then die without making a purposeful choice to become a white ally then American racism becomes your legacy.

1

 

The choice is yours.

 

This post originally appeared at janeewoods.com. Follow Janee on Twitter at @janeepwoods. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com.

 

[rholio 339]

Thanks Jerry, that was frickin' hilarious.

[drobeski 3,061]

My BS detector haskicked in and I'm having trouble believing this is true as well. I'll help drobeski look though.

http://www.ibtimes.com/new-york-times-publishes-darren-wilsons-address-info-ferguson-simmers-1728676

[porkbutt 897]

I believe the cop was in fear of his life, thus justified in shooting.

 

Just look at the guy. He couldn't protect a popsicle stand from a snow storm. He's the stereotypical "I was a nerd who became a cop to get back at the jocks".

 

Not guilty, your honor!

another liberal idiotic remark. he certainly was able to protect himself from a 6'4 criminal.

[joneo 560]

http://www.ibtimes.com/new-york-times-publishes-darren-wilsons-address-info-ferguson-simmers-1728676

 

Thanks Drobs.

 

Stay classy NY :mad:

[rholio 339]

From Drobs link:

 

Wilson received death threats after he was identified as the officer who shot Brown, and as community members and activists plan to protest if he is not indicted, the location of his home could potentially endanger him, his new wife, and his property if the protests result in violence, some of his defenders say. Wilson’s home address is a matter of public record, and it has been published in numerous media reports beginning in August.

But printing his street name in the nation’s most influential newspaper on the day the grand jury is expected to hand up a decision on the indictment could reignite interest in -- and awareness of -- the location, and some critics worry that it could result in protesters descending on his home. Slate even went a step further than the Times, publishing an article featuring a photo of the modest, red-brick house on Monday.

A number of Twitter users -- some of whom have identified themselves as planning to protest the grand jury decision -- have tweeted the location of Wilson’s home as they gear up for rallies. The house number was not printed in the Times, but the street in the St. Louis suburb of Crestwood where it sits is only about two blocks long, and the house number can be easily located via online sources using only the street name and Wilson’s name.

 

 

Pathetic. I hope everyone living on that street sue the Times.

[HenryHill9323 65]

From Drobs link:

 

 

 

Pathetic. I hope everyone living on that street sue the Times.

"All the news that's fit to incite"

[NorthernVike 2,088]

From Drobs link:

 

 

Pathetic. I hope everyone living on that street sue the Times.

Maybe the dumbass governor will deploy the National Guard there since he didn't deploy them last night.

[Voltaire 5,390]

http://www.ibtimes.com/new-york-times-publishes-darren-wilsons-address-info-ferguson-simmers-1728676

Unreal.

 

Thanks. The house is as good as burned down now and their lives in danger. Hopefully this family gets out of there ASAP (actually it says they're seldom there now) and sues the living hell out of NYT (and other media) over this. I can't believe the paper would do this.

[jerryskids 6,969]

Unreal.

 

Thanks. The house is as good as burned down now and their lives in danger. Hopefully this family gets out of there ASAP (actually it says they're seldom there now) and sues the living hell out of NYT (and other media) over this. I can't believe the paper would do this.

I just posted the NYT article on Facebook with this comment:

 

I generally avoid political topics on Facebook, but the NYTimes posted an article yesterday about Ferguson Officer Wilson's marriage. On the day of the indictment decision, they published not only his new wife's name (a fellow officer), but added the completely unnecessary information regarding the city and street on which they live. If something happens to the couple I suppose they can find plausible deniability in the fact that this information is technically public knowledge. Congratulations NYTimes, you have sunk to the level of paparazzi rag.

 

[drobeski 3,061]

Unreal.

 

Thanks. The house is as good as burned down now and their lives in danger. Hopefully this family gets out of there ASAP (actually it says they're seldom there now) and sues the living hell out of NYT (and other media) over this. I can't believe the paper would do this.

when its the new york times, its actually easy to believe

[IGotWorms 4,060]

I can't believe the New York Times did that. Focking shameful