Aibu too not understand the reaction of the Ferguson Michael Brown in the USA

[Natashathemum]

My Dh thinks that it is a disgusting example of racial inequality in America. But i think having read a lot of articles/news that the police officer was only protecting himself. Although it is unfortunate that someone so young died.

However Dh feels strongly it is disgusting racism. He called me blind and crazy (lighthearted). Aibu for thinking this.

I was disgusted at the police officer getting away with it. But today I heard the victim held the police officer gun and said you're too much of a coward to shoot me. And the policeman thought he was going to be shot with his own gun. Not sure if I quite believe this. But it does put a different slant on unarmed young person shot dead by police officer for no reason whatsoever.

angelohsodelight so does that mean he deserved to be shot 12 times and killed?

I agree with your husband OP. It is unbelievable that no charges were brought against the cop.

It's like that case a few years back again in America were a security guard shot and killed a black teenager walking through a gated neighbourhood. The kid wasn't armed and was just walking down the fucking street and the bastard got acquitted!

Then most recently a 12 year boy was shot by police for waving about a toy gun! A 12 year old boy! That's the same age as my dd1 who also plays with toy guns that funnily enough look similar to real ones. Fucking hell. Who are these people? How can someone shoot a 12 year old? Someone who is supposed to be protecting the community kills a kid FFS!

Nothing has changed at all since the LA riots over 20 years ago, after Rodney King was beaten to death. I'm surprised the riots aren't worse than they actually are. As much as I abhor violence I can totally understand why the people of Ferguson are rioting. It's the only way they can be heard.

I may be wrong damned but I dont think Rodney King was beaten to death.
The thing I cant get my head round in this case, is even if you believe the officer was acting in self defence, how is it necessary to shoot twelve times?

I've been reading different articles and during the initial riots after his death I watched some of the livefeed on the web. All very different to what was reported on the news.
Michael Brown has been a tipping point I think, people are angry and frustrated at what is still a rampant inequality in America.
The UN has had to tell the US to sort itself out wrt racial profiling and a friend of mine living out there tells me of a grim joke about young men being stopped and searched for 'driving while black'.
Like LtEve I can certainly see why they're rioting, at least people have to listen now.

Hadnt he just stolen stuff from a shop?

Capital punishment without trial for theft seems quite excessive to this pc bleeding heart liberal.

In any event, I don't think it should be possible to discharge a weapon in public without facing a public trial. If that was a given, and it should be, the evidence would be heard. At the moment, there's really only hearsay and another dead, unarmed teenager.

Rodney King died in 2012 - he drowned I think.

I'd be afraid for my sons if I was a black mother in the US.

Ah yes, sorry he wasn't beaten to death.

Honestly it's like something from the Hunger Games! The scene in Catching Fire where the peacekeepers start beating and shooting people for any reason. America really isn't that far from the fictional world of Panem!

Shop CCTV showing Michael Brown paying for the item has now been released. Previously, the Ferguson PD only released the section of him leaving the shop, and implied he was shoplifting.

The Police Officer in question refused to carry a non-lethal weapon ( a taser), because he found it uncomfortable on his belt. Instead he preferred to carry a gun, and plenty of spare ammo.

There is no photos from Michael Brown's autopsy, because the Medical Examiner didn't have batteries in his camera, so evidence that would have shown he was kneeling on the ground when shot has been destroyed.

There has been no trial of Officer Wilson. Instead the grand jury chose not to indict him. In order to do this, they needed 9 of the 12 jurors to agree. On the particular jury, 9 of the 12 jurors were white. Despite 85% of the Ferguson population being black. This means that the officer will never face trial for killing an unarmed teenage boy.

All of these facts come from transcripts from yesterdays Indictment Trial. They are legal facts, not opinions, not propoganda made up by Fox news.

I don't understand how anyone can see these and say that there was no racial bias.

There is also the point about the Officers gun, which was not dusted for fingerprints (Wilson says Brown grabbed his gun), and was placed in an evidence bag that was unsealed for hours leading to the CS Techs saying they could not confirm the chain of evidence in this case.

Ferguson PD have bought this on themselves. I cannot condem people rioting when they feel it is their last defence.

I suggest anyone who is actually interested in this case reads the evidence provided here:

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/11/25/us/evidence-released-in-michael-brown-case.html?_r=2

I won't comment on the actual killing of this boy, as the facts are too sketchy for someone to make a judgement one way or the other.

But what absolutely disgusts me is the riots and looting. Is stealing 20 dvds from an innocent store owner going to make you feel better about this boy dying? Is burning down an innocent person's home going to bring about societal change? Peaceful protests, petitions and legal action I support. But I hope these thugs are identified and punished for their actions.

The UN has had to tell the US to sort itself out wrt racial profiling and a friend of mine living out there tells me of a grim joke about young men being stopped and searched for 'driving while black'.

Something tells me that the US Gov't isn't going to comply.

I wonder how many black people have/had applied to become coppers in the area, in the past, but were refused.

But what absolutely disgusts me is the riots and looting.

Disgusts you more than the murder of an unarmed teenager? Well, we all have priorities, I suppose.

He was unarmed. Regardless of what aggression he was showing the officer, He.Was.Unarmed. According to his mother he was shot so many times none of his organs could be donated.

MidniteScribbler

Really? People 'stealing 20 DVDs' is more disgusting than the fact that a police officer who killed an unarmed boy will not even face trial?

this is why

www.uexpress.com/parents-talk-back/2014/9/29/black-moms-tell-white-moms-about/

There's certainly a problem with the police being quick to Fire on black men in America.

Man in Walmart killed after picking up a toy gun off the shelves.

Man 'accidentally' shot by policeman whilst going about his own business in a housing project.

Oscar Grant killed on a train when a policeman 'accidentally' uses his gun instead of his TASER.

These incidents happen so frequently in the U.S. it's scary. We lived there for 3 years, race is more of an issue there than it is here in the UK for sure.

Most of the protests dos start out peacefully - people kneeling down with their hands in the air chanting 'don't shoot' and people lying down in the street, silent, for 4.5 minutes commemorating the 4.5 hours Michael Brown lay dead in the street.

It was when the police and national guard started pulling these people to their feet that many of the protests became violent.

The Police started Tear Gassing protestors - denied they were using Tear Gas, telling reporters it was smoke...right up to the point that protestors started being admitted to hosp with tear gas toxicity (quite rare but not unheard of) and protestors photographed the empty cannisters and put the photos on FB and Twitter. Then the police admitted using it.

The whole thing bloody stinks and is so bloody unnecessary. Wilson should have been idicted. At least then there would have been a trial and all the evidence could have been seen, tested, cross examined etc. Wilson could have still been found not guilty, but at least it all would have been open.

When America sneezes Britain picks up the cold. Soon to come it will happen more often. Mark Dugan with no gun but killed, black men killed in uk custody always falls on deaf ears. As they silently get away of it.

There is rampant racism amongst law enforcement in the us. Not just against blacks but against Hispanics too. The level of prejudice against them is unbelievable.

I'll try and find that link to a charity's report on it (human rights watch I think).

The rioting is awful BUT a young man has been unlawfully killed and the law hasn't protected him.

I can't imagine the anger and frustration the people of Ferguson must feel.

PadThai that was an interesting article but TBH being harassed by men just for being them is the experience of every woman who has ever walked down a street in this country. The rules re. not getting shot are remarkably similar to the pervasive 'tips' on how not to get raped too.