Ferguson Riots

[RockRaines]

I know this is a f***ed up situation, but nobody gets anywhere by making racially charged Facebook posts.

[Buehrle>Wood]

The presence of a few non-peaceful protesters throwing some rocks or bottles does not justify the response and the demands of the police here.

 

They are indiscriminately tear gasing people, including the media and residential neighborhoods. They are arresting members of the media for taking pictures of the police. They have been attempting to push media out of the city all together. Their first announcement before the latest round of tear gassing was a demand that everyone turn off their video cameras. And this is all in response to a community reaching the breaking point after the police gun down an unarmed 18 year old kid, shooting him in the back and letting him rot on the pavement for hours and then refusing to explain themselves.

They've burned down buildings and are using molotov cocktails and possibly firing shots. Let's not try and downplay what the protesters are doing. The police response has been too much though. They will pay for it through the media, I have little doubt.

[StrangeSox]

Did Tea Party protests ever draw this kind of reaction?

 

Just curious.

 

Not trying to be facetious...wasn't in the US for most of the last decade.

No. For various reasons, leftist protests (occupy, wto etc., not Ferguson) often start at higher tension levels, with both sides prepped for confrontation from the get-go. Many of the tea party protests are more like rallies or demonstrations than civil disobedience-style protests.

[RockRaines]

They've burned down buildings and are using molotov cocktails and possibly firing shots. Let's not try and downplay what the protesters are doing. The police response has been too much though. They will pay for it through the media, I have little doubt.

Depends how extreme a response burning down innocent peoples buildings are. Hard working business owners.

[StrangeSox]

Depends how extreme a response burning down innocent peoples buildings are. Hard working business owners.

 

Remember that this didn't start with some random, unprovoked riot but with the likely murder of Mike Brown, with leaving his body to rot in the sun for hours, with a stonewall from the police on what happened and who did it. In response to what is ultimately just property damage, they've turned the town into a police state.

[RockRaines]

Remember that this didn't start with some random, unprovoked riot but with the likely murder of Mike Brown, with leaving his body to rot in the sun for hours, with a stonewall from the police on what happened and who did it. In response to what is ultimately just property damage, they've turned the town into a police state.

Yes. But I still don't understand how in outrage you ruin other innocent peoples lives. Burning down businesses in protest is ignorant.

[StrangeSox]

Yes. But I still don't understand how in outrage you ruin other innocent peoples lives. Burning down businesses in protest is ignorant.

Yeah, it is, but nothing still comes anywhere close to justifying the actions of the police in Ferguson, going back to Saturday.

 

It got buried a bit back, but why didn't the dumbass Bundy militia members who pointed loaded weapons at police, who refused to back down in defense of a criminal and a thief, draw anything like the police response that largely peaceful protests have drawn?

 

edit: the actual psychology of riots is pretty complex; why do people burn cars and riot and loot when their sports teams lose (or even when they win sometimes)? How and why do people take out their frustration on random targets when things reach a boiling point?

Edited August 14, 2014 by StrangeSox

[StrangeSox]

Video of state security forces tear gassing al jazeera journalists

 

http://www.vox.com/2014/8/13/6001193/al-ja...ces-in-ferguson

[RockRaines]

Yeah, it is, but nothing still comes anywhere close to justifying the actions of the police in Ferguson, going back to Saturday.

 

It got buried a bit back, but why didn't the dumbass Bundy militia members who pointed loaded weapons at police, who refused to back down in defense of a criminal and a thief, draw anything like the police response that largely peaceful protests have drawn?

 

edit: the actual psychology of riots is pretty complex; why do people burn cars and riot and loot when their sports teams lose (or even when they win sometimes)? How and why do people take out their frustration on random targets when things reach a boiling point?

I guess I just don't get rioting. It makes no sense to me that your response is turn on your fellow man who did nothing wrong. There are better ways to express your frustration. I felt the same during the Rodney King riots. The guy you are assaulting or whose business you are burning down could be your ally or someone who has only helped your cause. It makes no sense.

[EvilMonkey]

the Occupy protests around the country were almost universally met with heavy police resistance (remember the UC Davis pepper spray cop?) Any time there's a WTO or G8/G7 summit, there's a lot of protesters and a similar police response.

 

What's different here, imo, is that it's a single, geographic community that is protesting, not people coming in from all over like with the Occupy/WTO/G8 protests.

From the story I read of the 20 or so people arrested the first night of looting, all but 2 were from communities other than Ferguson, with one being from as far away as Texas. You have many people here trying to take advantage of the situation for whatever reason.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Holy s***, cut to about the 8 minute mark in his video....

 

http://new.livestream.com/accounts/9035483/events/3271930

[greg775]

The presence of a few non-peaceful protesters throwing some rocks or bottles does not justify the response and the demands of the police here.

 

They are indiscriminately tear gasing people, including the media and residential neighborhoods. They are arresting members of the media for taking pictures of the police. They have been attempting to push media out of the city all together. Their first announcement before the latest round of tear gassing was a demand that everyone turn off their video cameras. And this is all in response to a community reaching the breaking point after the police gun down an unarmed 18 year old kid, shooting him in the back and letting him rot on the pavement for hours and then refusing to explain themselves.

 

The police response tonight was horrendous. There should be some mass firings, starting with the police chief. You can't arrest reporters for doing nothing wrong. You can't throw teargas at a media crew. That's the media part of this.

Also, you can't throw teargas in neighborhoods when the people aren't doing anything violent. What's more the cop who killed that kid has to be charged with murder and tried. It's just the way it is. You can't kill an unarmed person and not at least be tried for the crime. That cop should be charged soon. But will he be??

[cabiness42]

They need to clean house at the Ferguson police department. They are firing rubber bullets and gas at crowds for no reason and telling people to stop filming? This is a police state.

Obama should get his ass there and hold an immediate meeting with f***ing cops and kick some ass.

Get some people fired ASAP. I mean this is unacceptable. At the minimum, if I'm Obama I get on the phone with the police chief and tell him to get his act together NOW.

 

The first big mistake was that the Ferguson police force was not built to resemble the community. Ferguson is 75% black, and I haven't seen exact numbers on the police force other than it being referred to as "mostly white". There is built in tension because there is such a disconnect there. That isn't to say that white officers can't build relationships with the community and serve them. From time to time you see stories about white police officers in various communities stopping to shoot hoops with black kids or help them out in different ways. That apparently wasn't happening here.

 

I've seen eyewitness accounts that claim the kid was shot in the back. Forensics will very easily prove or disprove that claim, but if it's true, then that should be an easy murder charge for the officer. Also, if it is true then I think the state needs to take control of the local police department and clean house.

[Brian]

The first big mistake was that the Ferguson police force was not built to resemble the community. Ferguson is 75% black, and I haven't seen exact numbers on the police force other than it being referred to as "mostly white". There is built in tension because there is such a disconnect there. That isn't to say that white officers can't build relationships with the community and serve them. From time to time you see stories about white police officers in various communities stopping to shoot hoops with black kids or help them out in different ways. That apparently wasn't happening here.

 

I've seen eyewitness accounts that claim the kid was shot in the back. Forensics will very easily prove or disprove that claim, but if it's true, then that should be an easy murder charge for the officer. Also, if it is true then I think the state needs to take control of the local police department and clean house.

 

Two witnesses, who haven't even been officially interviewed, say he was shot in the back as well.

 

A twitter acct, @TheAnonMessage, is claiming to have the name of the cop who killed Brown and has tweeted it. Is threatening to release his address as well.

 

Don't know how reputable that is though.

[Buehrle>Wood]

Two witnesses, who haven't even been officially interviewed, say he was shot in the back as well.

 

A twitter acct, @TheAnonMessage, is claiming to have the name of the cop who killed Brown and has tweeted it. Is threatening to release his address as well.

 

Don't know how reputable that is though.

I got suckered into that account yesterday for some other stuff they were saying. It's a fraud.

[Brian]

I got suckered into that account yesterday for some other stuff they were saying. It's a fraud.

 

Hope so. They aren't helping matters.

[Buehrle>Wood]

Hope so. They aren't helping matters.

Well they just posted the guys name supposedly. They better be right or it'll probably undue any good that could come from this situation.

[bmags]

For people that use anonymous as a news source, they should read through the Steubenville thread. They had maybe 95% of the details incorrect on that story.

[bmags]

The police response tonight was horrendous. There should be some mass firings, starting with the police chief. You can't arrest reporters for doing nothing wrong. You can't throw teargas at a media crew. That's the media part of this.

Also, you can't throw teargas in neighborhoods when the people aren't doing anything violent. What's more the cop who killed that kid has to be charged with murder and tried. It's just the way it is. You can't kill an unarmed person and not at least be tried for the crime. That cop should be charged soon. But will he be??

 

This is where I am. I really don't care that there was looting any more. By and large since then "rioting" is not the problem. Yesterday the police, looking like military, lined up around a a daytime peaceful protest with guns trained on the protestors. By all appearances they are declaring war on that community, and have lost all legitimacy. When that happens, horrible things are liable to keep coming up.

 

The feds/state police/anyone need to take over. If you are nervous that the crowd unrest will turn into violence, use the same riot shield + baton that works in every other city. Batoning people obviously sucks but rubber bullets can kill people. You are also much less likely to shoot a baton at someone on their front lawn.

[Jenksismyhero]

This is where I am. I really don't care that there was looting any more. By and large since then "rioting" is not the problem. Yesterday the police, looking like military, lined up around a a daytime peaceful protest with guns trained on the protestors. By all appearances they are declaring war on that community, and have lost all legitimacy. When that happens, horrible things are liable to keep coming up.

 

The feds/state police/anyone need to take over. If you are nervous that the crowd unrest will turn into violence, use the same riot shield + baton that works in every other city. Batoning people obviously sucks but rubber bullets can kill people. You are also much less likely to shoot a baton at someone on their front lawn.

 

What kind of neighborhood are they in? If it's "lawless" like parts of Chicago, I don't mind them being a little over the top. Shields and batons don't work against guns.

[bmags]

Yeah I'm sure that's what they are thinking and why Mike Brown is dead in the first place. Thanks for illustrating that.

 

 

[EvilMonkey]

The first big mistake was that the Ferguson police force was not built to resemble the community. Ferguson is 75% black, and I haven't seen exact numbers on the police force other than it being referred to as "mostly white". There is built in tension because there is such a disconnect there. That isn't to say that white officers can't build relationships with the community and serve them. From time to time you see stories about white police officers in various communities stopping to shoot hoops with black kids or help them out in different ways. That apparently wasn't happening here.

 

I've seen eyewitness accounts that claim the kid was shot in the back. Forensics will very easily prove or disprove that claim, but if it's true, then that should be an easy murder charge for the officer. Also, if it is true then I think the state needs to take control of the local police department and clean house.

A radio report I heard had the police force being 25% black in Ferguson. But you have to look at WHY the makeup of the force is that way. Do they not have applicants or are they rejecting applicants. You know, snitches get stitches, and someone from the hood becoming a cop might not bode well for them. Maybe they don't WANT to be cops there.

[Jenksismyhero]

Yeah I'm sure that's what they are thinking and why Mike Brown is dead in the first place. Thanks for illustrating that.

 

So you expect cops to go in basically unarmed to quell a protest/riot that turned to violence in an area where there could be guns (and not really "could be" in this case, because as I posted yesterday there was at least two shootings)?

Edited August 14, 2014 by Jenksismybitch

[Jenksismyhero]

A radio report I heard had the police force being 25% black in Ferguson. But you have to look at WHY the makeup of the force is that way. Do they not have applicants or are they rejecting applicants. You know, snitches get stitches, and someone from the hood becoming a cop might not bode well for them. Maybe they don't WANT to be cops there.

 

I'm sure they'd claim the test was discriminatory, which is possible.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Jenksismybitch

[LittleHurt05]

St. Louis County Police have been relieved of their duties in Ferguson