Police abuse at it's finest

[jonnynobody]

jonny, look... big mike robbed the store... walked in the middle of the street like a stray dog.. the cop pulled up to tell mikey to use the sidewalk... mike assumed the cop was there to put him in a cage due to his robbery so he attacked the cop (stay with me) The struggle was so violent the cops orbital bone was broken, so violent a shot was fired inside the police car... big Michael starts to retreat then tries to return to the officer... officer puts mike in the ground. THAT is what happened.

That video is supposed to be evidence of what? The actual incident wasn't caught on that video otherwise it would be front and center of this entire boondoggle. The only thing that video shows is what may or may not be an individual's observation from a distance which does not indicate at all whatsoever what context in which this aggressive confrontation began and who initiated the first act of aggression and who then provoked the situation to the point of a deadly shootout in a busy public space where at least 6 shots were fired, 6 of which hit and killed Brown. We don't know how many more shots were fired because the police won't tell us how many bullets were left in the officer's clip.

I guess after being a first hand victim of police abuse, I know police encounters aren't as simple as the simpletons like to believe. The police can really paint whatever picture they want you to see and when the lie is retold enough times, it becomes true.

Brown did not commit an act of armed robbery, so he was of no eminent threat to anybody except that blunt he and his homey were about to kill. Brown and his buddy stole a pack of cigars from a bodega and when the owner confronted him at the door, Brown shoved him out of the way and Brown walked out with his buddy. That's called petty theft and physical battery with no injuries sustained. Get your terminology right or others may not understand what you're trying to say.

Was it wrong what Brown did? Absolutely unequivocally YES! He should have faced charges and gone through due process which our legal system provides. Should he have been executed for stealing $5 worth of blunts from a bodega and pushing a guy? The simple answer is no, I wouldn't want anybody with racist tendencies to hurt themselves over thinking that one.

If that's worth executing someone over, then I know there are plenty of law breaking constitutional right depriving officers that should turn themselves in for their public hanging at high noon today for the better good of society. After all, what's good for the goose is good for the gander, right? That is unless you're a fan of the double standard where police are above the Citizens they're hired to serve and protect.

I think serve and protect means something different these days. To serve themselves and to protect themselves; Citizens and constitutional rights be dammed.

 

[jonnynobody]

This is also a very interesting under reported fact about Wilson's background which is interesting and has been reported by numerous journalists and media outlets.

Darren Wilson’s past

Darren Wilson was finally named as the officer who shot the teen after an attempt to keep his name secret by the Ferguson police.

Information about Wilson has been suppressed for fear that too much information could prejudice a case against him or get him hurt or killed. But reporters from MailOnline have discovered the unusual and difficult life Wilson had as a child.

Wilson’s mother, Tonya Durso was a serial con artist. Durso started stealing people’s identities and taking large sums in loans and credit card debt long before anyone knew to watch out for this type of crime.

While on parole for theft and forgery, when she was 35 years old and Wilson was 16, Durso was found dead. Although the cause of death was never revealed, neighbors always believed that she was a suicide.

It is interesting that while he grew up surrounded by dishonesty and crime, Wilson would decide to make his living on the other side of the law.


Read more at http://www.commdiginews.com/news-2/five-under-reported-facts-about-the-michael-brown-shooting-24139/#5to0iM07eYQAGWF6.99


The bold portion above is opinion at best. A lot of folks become cops for the power the position affords them. If a seedy individual who learned some seedy unethical behavior from his mother then goes on to become a cop, I have to give pause and wonder which side of the fence he's really on. That we may never know, but forensics and this ongoing investigation will certainly help shine some light on the matter. All I do know is with that information, Wilson does not appear to be the product of a good and ethical environment, which again gives me pause.

 

[jonnynobody]

And another unreported fact that shines some light on Brown's background:

Michael Brown’s education

Michael Brown had just graduated from Normandy High School on August 1, 2014 according to the Washington Post. He had taken classes over the summer in an alternative learning program in order to complete all of his credits for graduation.

The Normandy School District is not one of the nation’s better school districts. Last May, the Missouri state education leaders voted to dissolve the entire school district after it lost its accreditation.

The school district is being taken over by a state-appointed, joint executive governing board. This would require any new schools in the system to report to the state.

With the loss of the accreditation, students were allowed to change enrollment to higher performing schools last year. Michael Brown did not make the choice to attend another school.

With the dismantling of the school system, all teachers’ and administers’ contracts ended on June 30.

Normandy schools finally lost their accreditation after no improvement in scores over a two year probationary period. Only about 20 percent of the students were able to pass national standards in reading and math.


Read more at http://www.commdiginews.com/news-2/five-under-reported-facts-about-the-michael-brown-shooting-24139/#5to0iM07eYQAGWF6.99

It sounds to me like Brown was on the right track and persevered through and overcame some difficult odds stacked against him and graduated from a broken school, even going to summer classes to obtain the credits he needed for his diploma. He was then to begin community college this fall. Now his parents are burying him. And I ask, why? Over petty theft ($5 worth of cigars), physical battery (shoving), and jaywalking? Keep in mind, the officer had no idea about the physical battery or the shoving at the point of police contact with Brown. The initial contact was over jaywalking (pedestrian obstruction of traffic).

My friends and I stole plenty of stupid shit when we were kids including chewing tobacco, baseball cards, key chains, and alcohol. I had 2 police encounters over my stupid illegal actions, but I wasn't killed. I learned my lesson through due process and what the court system put me through (rightfully so, as I broke the law), and I decided I didn't want to be on the receiving end of the Justice system's penal code. Brown was not afforded that opportunity, he was shot 4 times in the arm, 2 kill shots to the head, and now he's dead. I don't believe Brown chose to die, I believe an officer chose to show poor restraint and utilized his available resources in an extremely poor manner; now the city is burning and all trust between the Citizens and the police is gone. Is this what protect and serve is all about?

What a world we live in..

 

[jonnynobody]

Maybe someday they will be called peace officers again. Maybe?

 

[jonnynobody]

By the way, for those of you who don't know this, many police departments hire officers to patrol communities they don't even live in which is why they have such a disconnect with the Citizens of the areas they patrol. This is true of Ferguson as well as the entire St. Louis County PD. You have white officers that grow up in South or West St. Louis County which is predominantly white and affluent that then become officers and get assigned to patrols in North St. Louis County which is predominantly low income minorities. This creates a huge disconnect from the actions an officer would most likely take in his OWN community as opposed to what actions he or she might take in another community that they have little connection to other than the job that put them there.

The St. Louis Fire Department on the other hand requires that all Firefighters working for the City be Residents of the City. I think we would have a better quality relationship between the officers that patrol and the Citizens they're supposed to serve and protect if indeed these officers actually lived in the neighborhoods they work.

An officer might not be so quick to pull the trigger if said officer might run into the victim's mother or brother at the local grocery on Sunday. That would be awkward now wouldn't it?

But if you live in a community 35 miles away in an affluent white neighborhood, you don't have to worry so much about things like that, which is what creates the police officer / Citizen disconnect.

 

[Healenz]

jonny, stop saying "You don't know what happened"!!! We have a clear picture! The statement from the police, numerous videos and eye witness statements, the store robbery video for character/mindset of fat mike and just old common sense tells us the story! What do you have to verify your theory? 1 ex con that is has SERVED TIME FOR LYING TO POLICE and currently wanted on warrants so he cannot make an official statement to police LOL.

As far as how many shots the officer fired, he needs to fire as many as possible to save his life!!!!

 

[941mick]

jonny, stop saying "You don't know what happened"!!! We have a clear picture! The statement from the police, numerous videos and eye witness statements, the store robbery video for character/mindset of fat mike and just old common sense tells us the story! What do you have to verify your theory? 1 ex con that is has SERVED TIME FOR LYING TO POLICE and currently wanted on warrants so he cannot make an official statement to police LOL.

As far as how many shots the officer fired, he needs to fire as many as possible to save his life!!!!

There are multiple other witnesses backing up Johnson's story.....At least 3 others with different viewpoints. Even the NYT who referenced witnesses with different stories, came out the next day saying that the author couldn't show any evidence of these witnesses existing.... These other witnesses with different accounts have only been mentioned by one 3rd rate reporter, and the news hungry media will jump on any info these days and run with it, much like the broken bone, that everyone even Glen Beck is back tracking on.

Anyone could get physical with a cop get shot then decide to succumb, it is also possible that someone who just got their ass beat, when seeing the perp turn back around would assume he is coming back to fight some more and decide to shoot some more.

It's also possible your assumption is right, but at this moment in time there is no evidence to support your story, besides a youtube video with people in the background discussing what they saw. There is a reason right wing media isn't running with that btw....

 

[Healenz]

It's also possible your assumption is right, but at this moment in time there is no evidence to support your story, besides a youtube video with people in the background discussing what they saw.

What more could you ask for?? This video was taken at the scene while Give me your cigars little man mikes body was still somewhat warm. It is not coached, not influenced, not tainted... just a pure, accurate description of what the man saw.. and he was speaking to one of his peers, not a reporter or police.

Besides the dude that SERVED TIME FOR LYING TO POLICE - I have not heard one other account of the events that would back up planking mikes side

 

[jonnynobody]

jonny, stop saying "You don't know what happened"!!! We have a clear picture! The statement from the police, numerous videos and eye witness statements, the store robbery video for character/mindset of fat mike and just old common sense tells us the story! What do you have to verify your theory? 1 ex con that is has SERVED TIME FOR LYING TO POLICE and currently wanted on warrants so he cannot make an official statement to police LOL.

As far as how many shots the officer fired, he needs to fire as many as possible to save his life!!!!

I can tell by you grammatical structure and communicative abilities that you're not an individual whom is very intelligent. I'll ignore your posts moving forward. I have a wonderful saying for people like yourself that don't aspire to ever achieve the level of intelligence it takes to participate in reasonable and thoughtful conversation.

"The world is always gonna need ditch diggers, and then there's the other guys that teach the ditch diggers how to dig."

You sir, are the ditch digger and I am one of the other guys. Congratulations you've just proven to the world you're an incompetent ditch digger.

By the way, we could be asking for video of the actual incident from the officer's body camera, but Ferguson PD didn't want what their officers do for a living being recorded, so there was no body camera and there is no video. That's why we have incompetents like you spouting off about a worthless video that was shot after the fact of the actual incident between Brown and Wilson. Brown was already dead and your silly video is useless containing no relevant information about the confrontation between Brown and Wilson.

Also, I certainly hope that avatar of yours is no indication that you're black, because you sir would then be a true piece of shit trashing the denigration and public execution of a an unarmed 18 year old boy who shares your same ethnicity. Shit, I'm white and I have a fucking problem with it. I worked in Ferguson for over a year and a half in these people's homes and have been pulled over twice by North County police (Ferguson) for being white in the wrong neighborhood in my own damn clearly labeled (magnetic signs) work truck who then told me, "I was in the wrong neighborhood and needed to handle my business and get outta there."

That's what kind of policing they do out there, and again, I'm fucking white and I was in my work truck with signs as an independent cable contractor breaking no law.

What kind of treatment from the police does the black man or woman then receive? Well they get something else entirely, courtesy of this fucked up culture of police abusing their power.

What personal experience with Missouri police or Ferguson police do you have to offer here?

Fantasy land must be a nice place to live in. How much is real estate out there, the wife and I are thinking of buying a home there?

 

[st0wandgrow]

Here's the thing ....

I don't know what really happened, and neither do any of you. Normally the prudent thing to do would be to wait until this goes to trial and see how it shakes out. BUT, I don't even trust the damn criminal "justice" system anymore. Can't trust the police, can't trust lawyers, and you can't trust the courts/judges.

The only thing you can trust to be true anymore in this country is that money is power. If you have money, and you find yourself caught up in the system, you can buy a favorable verdict. No money? Best of luck to you.

My fear is that this case won't get a fair shake in court. There is compelling evidence on both sides of this, but do any of you trust that the actual truth will come out and justice will be served?

 

[jonnynobody]

Here's the thing ....

I don't know what really happened, and neither do any of you. Normally the prudent thing to do would be to wait until this goes to trial and see how it shakes out. BUT, I don't even trust the damn criminal "justice" system anymore. Can't trust the police, can't trust lawyers, and you can't trust the courts/judges.

The only thing you can trust to be true anymore in this country is that money is power. If you have money, and you find yourself caught up in the system, you can buy a favorable verdict. No money? Best of luck to you.

My fear is that this case won't get a fair shake in court. There is compelling evidence on both sides of this, but do any of you trust that the actual truth will come out and justice will be served?

No. History has proven that the judicial protects bad cops, just like the police unions do. Isn't it funny that unions are all terrible things that must be done away with when it comes to teacher's unions and labor unions, but the police union is the sacred cow that must be protected.

Stow, my Sister and I have been going back and forth on this issue and this is our communication which I think you'll enjoy.

My sister sent me this after a phone conversation in which I stated my views:

Thought you might like this. An officers perspective (this is Aaron's friend, who also went to law school after several years as STL city officer, and will be sitting for the BAR soon). This is primarily targeted at the second officer involved shooting the other day (with a sprinkle of Mike Brown).

He writes:

It's been difficult to listen to this vitriol being spewed at police officers over the Ferguson situation. I've tolerated the misguided attacks, misinformed opinions and broad, sweeping, hyperbolic classifications of police officers for the past several weeks because, quite frankly, I think there's room for debate (regardless of my own opinion) about whether the shooting of Mike Brown was justified. Furthermore, I don't think it's entirely unnecessary or useless for this Country to critically examine the interaction between race, poverty and criminality - whether it be in reality or in police perception.

That being said, I am starting to see "outrage" over the police shooting in the City from two days ago after the video was released. I've read with complete amazement as people suggest that officers should have used their "billy clubs" or their tasers - or the coup de grace - that officers should "have shot him in the knee." That one never fails to elicit an audible sigh of disbelief. I'm sure you've all nearly been in a car wreck. Just to gain some perspective, recall how afterwards and you sit and shake, contemplating how you nearly lost your life, you try to recall the sequence of events and wonder how you managed to avoid the accident, despite the situation happening far too quick to put any thought into how to avoid the accident. Now, put yourself in the shoes of a police officer in the face of a man that just rushed you with a knife, who it certainly appears has lost touch with reality and is intent on thrusting that sharp blade into your body, jeopardizing your life, depriving your kids of their father/mother. Now imagine attempting to hit a knee cap, an object about the size of an apple - a moving apple - with a handgun. Now realize that despite what happens in the movies, it is EXCEPTIONALLY difficult to hit moving targets with a handgun or even stationary ones in a high-stress environment. Tell me then, with YOUR life on the line, would you really aim for the knee cap? Would you then deploy a taser, which optimistically, works 3/4 of the time against a man wearing only a t-shirt (which this man was not). Or would you shoot the largest part of the body of the person representing the threat to your life to stop his advance? Take a moment.... Yeah. I thought so.

Please, do me a favor. Either educate yourselves over those things which you give your opinion or at very least, really attempt an objective opinion. Otherwise, please respectfully remove me from your Facebook friend list. I don't think anyone could assert that I am intolerant of others' opinions, but I expect that they be educated, considerate and objective. Ask Eisha, we disagree on nearly everything, but I respect her opinion because it is an informed, carefully considered opinion. If they are not, your opinions are officially relegated to the position of Fox News and MSNBC in my life, which is to say they are not a part of my life.

- Little sister

My response:

I absolutely wholeheartedly agree with Aaron's friend. I think a lot of the anger that has resulted from this situation has been unfortunately misdirected in a variety of ways that are not appropriate or representative of the reality that we truly live in.
I think the good officers that are honest with good intentions can and do an amazing job and I both commend and respect their service. We need more good officers in this country like Aaron's friend and if I were there speaking with him personally, I would most likely end up shaking his hand and we'd probably break bread together, because I simply respect the nobility and bravery of their job, when they're honest good people with good intentions, like Aaron's friend seems to be.
My problem is with the culture that our modern police force is breeding which seems to be one geared more towards violent confrontation rather than peaceful conflict resolution, and that's a scary thing to unleash into our communities. I think we simply need to care a little bit more about our fellow brothers and sisters in our communities (regardless of race, religion, or creed) and have more consideration for one another which would cultivate more mutual respect for one another.

I think we need to support and reward the good officers in our communities and insure they become sergeants, lieutenants, captains, and chiefs meanwhile reprimanding and eliminating the bad officers. I think the prosecuting attorney's office as well as our elected officials need to take action to make this happen. I think the prosecuting attorney's office and the fraternal order of police need to stop protecting bad officers and begin to hold them accountable. This will lead to a better quality police force with fewer violent confrontations that would be handled in a more reasonable manner. This is no easy task though, because the current culture that has been bred for decades in our police force, especially in the inner cities, is entrenched in poor practices. I think the drug war is partly a large reason for this decay of public trust between the police force and the citizens they're hired to serve and protect. We need to end this war on our citizens so the citizens can end the hatred towards bad policing.
We need judges, politicians, police, and the community on board to make this work. It's not just a law enforcement problem, it's a societal problem and we can all be part of the solution if we want to, but it will take people in positions of far more power than myself.

 

[mrbungle79]

That's one thing I think we can all agree on, the court system. All too often they get it wrong and I certainly wouldn't want to put myself in the hands of opinionated jurors or an under paid defense lawyer

 

[jonnynobody]

That's one thing I think we can all agree on, the court system. All too often they get it wrong and I certainly wouldn't want to put myself in the hands of opinionated jurors or an under paid defense lawyer

Ya know bungle, even though we don't see eye to eye on this issue completely, it's nice to know that we can both find some common ground to stand on.

 

[mrbungle79]

I don't see eye to eye with a lot of people but I'd still go have beer with'em or share a spliff with'em.

 

[mrbungle79]

We'll see if this makes national headlines.
I don't believe this shooting was a racial thing at all just pointing out the difference in media attention and reaction from communities from both incidents. the only time race ever seems to be mentioned is when its white on black. If it's the other way around many times race is omitted from the report. Just like the hammer attack in Ferguson, all the local reports failed to mention race at all. It was an independent column I read that mentioned the attackers as being black and the victim as being white. Now why is that?

looters have been spotted at bed bath and beyond and starbucks in Salt lake city! jk jk

SALT LAKE CITY — The police officer who shot and killed Dillon Taylor captured the incident on his body camera, Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank said Tuesday.
Burbank said the video, along with the name of the officer, will be released to the public at the "appropriate" time. He said he didn't know if that would be days, weeks or months.
"It would be wholly inappropriate to take the most vital piece of evidence that we have and put it out to the public prior to the officer having some due process," he told reporters.
The officer's body camera recorded the entire incident, including the point when the officer shoots Taylor, Burbank said.
Burbank has watched the video but would not comment on whether he thought the Aug. 11 shooting in a 7-Eleven parking lot was justified. Burbank also would not comment on whether the 20-year-old Taylor had a gun. The man's family has said he was not armed.
Taylor's aunt, Gina Thayne, said Tuesday that police know they "killed an innocent kid."
"If in fact they actually produce a tape, it will show exactly what happened," Thayne said. "It will come out eventually. It will never bring Dillon back, though."
Taylor's friends and family protested his death and demanded answers from police Monday in a rally across the street from the Public Safety Building.
Another demonstration is planned for Wednesday night outside the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building for not only Taylor but also for Michael Brown, the unarmed teenager police shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri.
That shooting has ignited violent protests in the small town outside St. Louis where racial tensions have boiled over, leading to clashes between demonstrators and police.
"I cannot stress enough that this is not Ferguson," Burbank said, declining to compare the two incidents.
The chief also addressed speculation about the ethnicity of the officer who shot Taylor, saying the officer is not white. Taylor's brother, Jerrail Taylor, raised issues last week about racial profiling. He said his brother was Hispanic.
Five agencies and boards, including the South Salt Lake Police Department, Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office and Salt Lake City Police Civilian Review Board, are investigating the officer's actions, Burbank said.
"I do not send officers out to use deadly force. That's never our intention. In fact, our policy specifically says that is the last resort," he said. "The officer in this circumstance did not set out to use deadly force. We have an unfortunate incident where Dillon Taylor lost his life."
Police have said officers responded to a report of a man "waving a gun around." When police arrived, they found three men leaving the convenience store. One of the men, later identified as Taylor, reportedly matched the description of the man reported in a 911 call.
South Salt Lake Police Sgt. Darin Sweeten said three officers gave Taylor verbal commands to reveal his hands, but Taylor failed to comply and was "visibly upset." Taylor was subsequently shot and died at the scene.
Body cameras are becoming more common among Salt Lake police officers. Currently, 125 officers wear the cameras, and that number will increase to 259 by the end of September, according to the department.
Burbank said he committed to make the videos available to the public when he started the program about two years ago.

 

[Healenz]

You sir, are the ditch digger and I am one of the other guys. Congratulations you've just proven to the world you're an incompetent ditch digger.

I can now dig my ditches without the fear of fat mike harming me.

 

[cephalopod]

just in case you guys missed this one...