Riots in Ferguson, Missouri after police shoot Michael Brown

I totally agree with the pastor.

What the hell does Cleveland have to do with this??

Michael Brown's cousin arrested in ugly scenes outside Ferguson courthouse as protestors hurl smoke bombs, flares and overturn police cars as they rampage through city

• National Guardsmen increased from 700 to 2,200 on Tuesday night
• At least 80 arrests and 18 hospitalizations since Monday
• Riots follow jury decision officer Darren Wilson was justified in shooting teenager Michael Brown six times
• Within 30 minutes of Grand Jury's decision, Ferguson, Missouri, erupted with violence, clashes and mayhem
• Ferguson's mayor James W. Knowles III criticized delayed National Guard deployment
• 'We must be prepared ahead of time. We must be prepared for the absolute worst,' Knowles said
• President Obama said: 'A deep distrust exists between law enforcement and communities of color.'
• Brown's cousin Sabrina Webb was among dozens more arrested
• City protests declared an unlawful assembly Tuesday and everyone ordered to leave

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...alls-calm-city-braces-second-night-riots.html

http://www.submedia.tv/stimulator/2014/11/25/words-start-f/

'They're Definitely Targeting People': How The St. Louis County Courts Screw Over Minorities

The concept of "driving while black" has been part of the public consciousness for years, but for those who have never experienced this injustice, it's hard to understand how much it can permeate the lives of those caught up in it.

The Huffington Post visited four separate St. Louis-area municipal courts in a span of four nights last week: Pasadena Hills, Jennings, Country Club Hills and St. Ann. Two court sessions took place in municipal buildings, and two took place in residential homes that serve as courtrooms and city hall. In every single court session, the court officials, police officers and lawyers were overwhelmingly white, while the defendants were overwhelmingly black.

Part of the nickel and diming of America's working class, with a particular focus on African Americans, the unrelenting harassment of people leads to lost hours at work, if not lost jobs, and transfers millions of dollars from those who can afford it least to a government that then uses it to disproportionately imprison members of its community.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/24/st-louis-court-system_n_6215082.html

“The World Should See This”

Ferguson’s could-be Mike Browns take a furious pride in the chaos they’ve caused. Their pride arose from despair about a system that they believe has failed them over and over again.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/joelanderson/the-world-should-see-this

http://reason.com/blog/2014/11/26/darren-wilson-got-a-private-trial

I think your timeline is off. As I recall, he spent twenty minutes indicting everybody but Darren Wilson, throwing in a little cherry-picked evidence, then announced the verdict. Then word salad; background noise for two frames of on-the-ground video, soon talked over by commentators.

Is "verdict" even the right word here? They weren't even deciding to charge Wilson, the decision was to recommend charges or not. This grand jury seems to be saying "nothing to see here, folks".

I think they just stuck by what they'd already decided to do. I think this shooting was so routine in that system that the players never questioned if it was a problem -- the "problem" was the public relations headaches now attached to the case. I think the grand jury was simply used to dump responsibility. "Abracadabra; look over there..."

deray mckesson @deray · 9m 9 minutes ago
I just took a picture of the park rangers guarding a building. When I went to the car, they followed me. Got license plate.
#Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 9m 9 minutes ago
Two officers, one park ranger, and one in black literally just followed my car past two intersections.
#Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 9m 9 minutes ago
The ranger got closest to me and he wrote my license plate on his hand. Y'all, this is crazy.
#Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 7m 7 minutes ago
Here are the Rangers. Downtown.
#Ferguson





deray mckesson @deray · 6m 6 minutes ago
Another tank.
#Ferguson



deray mckesson @deray · 7m 7 minutes ago
I'm heading out of downtown. Gotta make a meeting. But this is WILD.

Exactly. Thank you.

Relevant, although I think this was produced on a "Just say No" grant:

This thread is about FERGUSON, not Cleveland. If you want to talk about Cleveland, please start a new thread and I'll be happy to post there about it.

Edit: I'm sorry for being so curt with you. I'm just so uptight about things Ferguson now. *sigh*

Shot in the head, gasoline poured on him, and set on fire.

Friend of Dorian Johnson (who was with Michael Brown when Brown was killed.)

Rumored to have been a GJ witness.

Another one...so sad!

Trey Yingst @TreyYingst · 40m 40 minutes ago
Just saw police pull up to a car at National Rent To Own in #Ferguson and put a shotgun barrel through the window.

Trey Yingst @TreyYingst · 40m 40 minutes ago
The guy got out of the car with his hands up and police talked to him and let him go. Very odd interaction.
#Ferguson

Barack Obama, Ferguson, and the Evidence of Things Unsaid | The Atlantic

By Ta-Nehisi Coates

Violence works. Nonviolence does too.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics...son-and-the-evidence-of-things-unsaid/383212/

What do the newly released witness statements tell us about the Michael Brown shooting? | PBS NewsHour

In the grand jury case against Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, the prosecution revealed that physical evidence weighed in Wilson’s favor and that he had not unlawfully shot 18-year-old Michael Brown to death.

Over the course of the investigation, federal agents interviewed dozens of witnesses—some compelled to come forward by subpoena—to piece together what happened on that August 9 afternoon. Shortly after the press conference announcing the jury’s decision, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch released the transcripts of interviews with witnesses and Wilson.

We read and analyzed more than 500 pages of witness testimony and compared each statement to those given by Wilson. Below is a chart comparing several key details of the officer’s report to the witness statements. Was Brown facing Wilson when he was shot, or was his back turned to him? Did Brown have his hands in the air, or were they reaching toward his waist?


The chart above doesn’t reveal who was right or wrong about what happened that day, but it is a clear indication that perceptions and memories can vary dramatically.

Here’s a breakdown of the data we found:

• More than 50 percent of the witnesses said that Michael Brown held his hands up when Darren Wilson shot him. (16 out of 29)
• Only five witnesses said that Brown reached toward his waist during the confrontation leading up to Wilson shooting him to death.
• More than half of the witnesses said that Brown was running away from Wilson when the police officer opened fire on the 18-year-old, while fewer than one-fifth of witnesses indicated that was not the case.
• There was an even split among witnesses who said whether or not Wilson fired upon Brown when the 18-year-old had already collapsed onto the ground.
• Only six witnesses said that Brown was kneeling when Wilson opened fire on him. More than half of the witnesses did not mention whether or not Brown was kneeling.

Continued here:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/newly-released-witness-testimony-tell-us-michael-brown-shooting/

Posted by Anonycat at ESMB. Some good points are made:

http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthre...-a-cop-after-protest-riot&p=983523#post983523

deray mckesson @deray · 6h 6 hours ago
I had to take a call and now I have a meeting. Can't really tweet. But y'all. When I can tweet again. LIVID. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 5h 5 hours ago
Just finished a few interviews. I will not be filmed with a razed building behind me. Nope, find someone else. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
In the Galleria. Security officer comes out of nowhere and asks me, "Are you the person taking pictures in the mall?" #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Still standing with the security officer. She said that I fit the description that just came over her intercom. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
I'm now asking for the policy that says that NO photos can be taken in the mall. She's speaking to a supervisor now. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Y'all, I may get escorted out of the Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
And, for the record, I've taken no pictures in the mall today. But they ID'd me as "man in red hat and blue vest." #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Still with security. And I'm with @Nettaaaaaaaa now. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Now with the Sgt. Watson. Says we can't take pictures of any storefronts because they are private property. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Sgt. Watson cannot produce the policy in writing. Now we are about to talk to Galleria management. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Remember, I took NO photos in the Galleria today. None. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Now entering the Galleria management. The secretary is refusing to provide her name. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
I've been given this comment card in the event that the manager isn't available. Yes, Sgt. Watson gave pic permission. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Looks like the manager is available. @Nettaaaaaaaa and I are waiting in their office lobby to speak to the manager. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Sgt. Watson just spoke with the manager and the manager told him that he will not speak to us. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Earl Dorsey, mall manager, just came to speak to me. He said there's no written policy re: photos. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Mr. Dorsey said that photos of non-proprietary things, like the Xmas tree, or photos of each other, are okay. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Mr. Dorsey reminded us that this is private property. Galleria. I am, however, not being asked to leave the mall. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
Sgt. Watson is now escorting @Nettaaaaaaaa and I out of the mall management office. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
For what it's worth, most of the Galleria staff I just interacted with were pleasant. They had no answers, but were pleasant. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
The Galleria first security officer I interacted with described me as a man with a "blue vest and red hat." Unreal. #Ferguson

ShordeeDooWhop @Nettaaaaaaaa · 4h 4 hours ago
I've NEVER experienced like this at the Galleria before until @deray and his blue vest showed up. Lol what the hell.

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
And I love my blue vest. But clearly it makes me a mark. Sigh. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
We were told that we were not being kicked out of the mall. But we are definitely being followed by security. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
I can't take a picture of any of the security officer outside of a store who is watching us but that would be against policy. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 4h 4 hours ago
The Galleria did not throw us out of the mall. We are still here. Almost finished shopping. And def being followed. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
I didn't even know that the Galleria had plainsclothed security. But I've now seen half of them. Y'all, crazy. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
And I asked who made the call about me. Got no answers. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
Y'all, this guy who has been going in and out of stores and has an earpiece just said he is not security when @Nettaaaaaaaa asked. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
And now that they've followed @Nettaaaaaaaa, she wants to talk to mall management. Back to the Galleria office. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
Just spoke to another mall security who confirmed that the guy outside of Victoria's Secret, where we were, is security. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
Looks like we're waiting for Sgt. Watson. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
There are now 2 STL Officers and 1 "Universal Protection" officers are by us. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
We're now talking to Supervisor Yarbrough. She said that the guy is not security. Today is too much. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
Sgt. Yarbrough is now going to go check on who this guy is. Y'all, there are levels to this ish. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
I need a nap. Staring at injustice is exhausting. Necessary, but exhausting. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
The 2 STL County police that were watching us, in front of Janie and Jack, are now gone. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
Sgt. Yarbrough is still gone. We're still waiting. And now I'm hangry. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
Sgt. Yarbrough said that she spoke to the man and she understood our concern. And that he said he isn't security. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
When we asked the guy if he was security, his response was, "Where's the earpiece?" Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
And @MsPackyetti is with us now. Had planned to get something to eat. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
And @MsPackyetti asked the guy if he was security. He replied, "I'm not from here." Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
We're leaving shortly. Almost finished shopping. Sigh. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 3h 3 hours ago
And as we go to the last store, a Sheriff passes. Yup. Real life. Galleria. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 2h 2 hours ago
Did you know that the Galleria has security officers on bikes? I didn't either. Now you know. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 2h 2 hours ago
Just walked into the restaurant and the hostess said, "Mike Brown forever!" She knew us from Twitter. Y'all, the movement lives. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 2h 2 hours ago
I'm about to tweet some pics from earlier today that I wasn't able to get out because my hands were freezing. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 49m 49 minutes ago
Restaurant staff who support the movement just told us that State Troopers have been circling the restaurant since we arrived. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 45m 45 minutes ago
And just saw a State Trooper walk past the restaurant. Y'all. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 25m 25 minutes ago
I'm not joking y'all. There is an officer looking at us from outside the window. He moved when we saw him. Wow. Restaurant. #Ferguson

deray mckesson @deray · 19m 19 minutes ago
Just left the restaurant. Here's the officer that was watching us in the window. Now walking behind us. #Ferguson



deray mckesson @deray · 11m 11 minutes ago
Why protest? Because we refuse to be scared into silence. Because we refuse to drown in a pool of our tears. #Ferguson

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/mi...obing-arson-michael-brown-sr-s-church-n255961

Telling My Son About Ferguson | New York Times

By Michelle Alexander

My son wants an answer. He is 10 years old, and he wants me to tell him that he doesn’t need to worry. He is a black boy, rather sheltered, and knows little of the world beyond our safe, quiet neighborhood. His eyes are wide and holding my gaze, silently begging me to say: No, sweetheart, you have no need to worry. Most officers are nothing like Officer Wilson. They would not shoot you — or anyone — while you’re unarmed, running away or even toward them.

I am stammering.

For the past few years, I have traveled from coast to coast speaking to just about anyone who will listen about the horrors of our criminal injustice system. I have written and lectured extensively about the wars that have been declared on poor communities of color — the “war on crime” and the “war on drugs” — the militarization of our police forces, the school-to-prison pipeline, the millions stripped of basic civil and human rights, a penal system unprecedented in world history. Yet here I am, on Monday evening, before the announcement about the grand jury’s decision has been made, speechless.

My son wants me to reassure him, and tell him that of course Darren Wilson will go to jail. At 10 years old, he can feel deep in his bones how wrong it was for the police to kill Michael Brown. “There will be a trial, at least — right, Mom?” My son is asking me a simple question, and I know the answer.

As a civil rights lawyer, I know all too well that Officer Wilson will not be going to trial or to jail. The system is legally rigged so that poor people guilty of relatively minor crimes are regularly sentenced to decades behind bars while police officers who kill unarmed black men almost never get charged, much less serve time in prison.

I open my mouth to speak, look into my son’s eyes, and hear myself begin to lie: “Don’t worry, honey, you have nothing to worry about. Nothing like this could ever happen to you.” His face brightens as he tells me that he likes the police, and that he always waves at the cops in our neighborhood and they always wave back. His innocence is radiating from him now; he’s all lit up with relief and gladness that he lives in a world where he can take for granted that the police can be trusted to serve and protect him with a wave and a smile.

My face is flushing red. I am embarrassed that I have lied. And I am angry. I am angry that I have to tell my son that he has reason to worry. I am angry that I have to tell him that I already know Darren Wilson won’t be indicted, because police officers are almost never indicted when they kill unarmed black men. I must tell him now, before he hears it on the school bus or sees it in the news, that many people in Michael Brown’s town will be very angry too — so filled with pain, sadness and rage — that they may react by doing things they shouldn’t, like setting fires or breaking windows or starting fights.

I know I must explain this violence, but not condone it. I must help him see that adults often have trouble managing their pain just like he does. Doesn’t he sometimes lash out and yell at friends or family when he’s hurt or angry? When people have been hurt over and over, and rather than compassion or understanding you’re given lectures about how it’s really all your fault, and that no one needs to make amends, you can lose your mind. We can wind up harming people we care about with words or deeds, people who have done no harm to us.

I begin telling him the truth and his face contorts. The glowing innocence is wiped away as his eyes flash first with fear, then anger. “No!,” he erupts. “There has to be a trial! If you kill an unarmed man, don’t you at least have a trial?”

Continued here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/26/opinion/ferguson-telling-my-son-michelle-alexander.html

Cover Story: A “Broken Arch” for Ferguson | The New Yorker

"I wanted to comment on the tragic rift that we’re witnessing,” Bob Staake says about his cover for the December 8th issue, arriving next week. “I lived in St. Louis for seventeen years before moving to Massachusetts, so watching the news right now breaks my heart. At first glance, one might see a representation of the Gateway Arch as split and divided, but my hope is that the events in Ferguson will provide a bridge and an opportunity for the city, and also for the country, to learn and come together.”

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/cover-story-2014-12-08

Protests at US Embassy in London

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-30220409

Ferguson library stays open, attracts over $175,000 in grassroot support

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainme...cle_2ef8a4eb-fe0c-5390-87b7-bb471d6f06a3.html

Ferguson Library @fergusonlibrary · 1h 1 hour ago
Our address to send physical donations is:
Ferguson Municipal Public Library
35 North Florissant Road
Ferguson, Missouri 63135

U.S. top law enforcer promises strong Ferguson police probe - activists | Reuters

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told civil rights activists the Justice Department would aggressively investigate police practices in Ferguson, Missouri, after a grand jury declined to indict a white officer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager, two of the activists said on Wednesday.

In a phone call late on Monday, Holder, the country's top law enforcer, said the Justice Department was “moving strongly” in its investigation of police patterns and practices, said Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, who was on the call.

Laura Murphy, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington legislative office, who was also on the call, said Holder is “very conscious of it needing to move quickly."

A Justice Department spokesman on Wednesday confirmed a call took place.

Police have arrested more than 400 people nationwide in two nights of protests that erupted after St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced on Monday the decision to not indict officer Darren Wilson in the fatal Aug. 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

Should the Justice Department conclude that Ferguson police systematically violated citizens' rights, it can take action under a 1994 federal law that prohibits officers from engaging in a "pattern or practice" that deprives people of their constitutional rights.

The law gives the Justice Department considerable leverage in requiring police departments to institute reforms, such as installing an independent monitor or adopting new training policies. Police departments facing such claims usually enter into a settlement with the Justice Department. A settlement may be enforced by a federal judge if the two parties agree.

Continued here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/27/usa-missouri-shooting-holder-idINKCN0JB02W20141127

Lisa Bloom @LisaBloom · 11h 11 hours ago
Many parallels between failures of prosecution in Trayvon Martin & Mike Brown cases: dehumanizing victim, failing to ask tough questions of shooter

Lisa Bloom @LisaBloom · 10h 10 hours ago
George Zimmerman and Darren Wilson: both said brutally beaten, refused medical treatment, then went. Docs found only the tiniest of injuries.

Lisa Bloom @LisaBloom · 5h 5 hours ago
George Zimmerman and Darren Wilson: both hassled, then killed unarmed black kids, and magically got prosecutors who forgot how to prosecute.

Lisa Bloom @LisaBloom · 5h 5 hours ago
Reading the Ferguson grand jury transcripts, this one line haunts me the most. Darren Wilson re Mike Brown: “it looks like a demon.” IT.

Lisa Bloom @LisaBloom · 5h 5 hours ago
Everything Darren Wilson said in his testimony was after practicing with his lawyer. STILL he disparaged the community and called Mike “it.”

Lisa Bloom @LisaBloom · 4h 4 hours ago
To those despairing: look at art, listen to music, romp with your dog, get silly with a kid, breathe. We need you balanced. Joy is allowed.

At a Ferguson-related demonstration happening now in Los Angeles, the LAPD are losing their cool.

https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=LAPD

Here's a live feed:

http://abc7.com/live/

Here's one protester's Twitter feed:

https://twitter.com/jasmyne

From yesterday in Minneapolis. WARNING - EXTREMELY GRAPHIC

http://m.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/283891941.html

imfabulous @imfabulous13 · 11h 11 hours ago
According to Darren Wilson this is what happened. No reason not to believe him. #FergusonDecision #Ferguson #tcot

Zak Cheney-Rice @zakcheneyrice · 25m 25 minutes ago
#LAPD has arrested 183 #Ferguson protesters over the past three days, the most in the whole country.

LAPD begins arrests in downtown L.A. during demonstrations over Ferguson decision | LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-ferguson-protests-los-angeles-20141126-story.html

https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=LAPD

Stream Team ‏@fergusonstream1 4m 4 minutes ago
If you haven't seen the MSNBC The Ed Show report on the arrest of
@TDUBBOHMYGOD @rik @bassem_masri
http://www.msnbc.com/the-ed-show/watch/day-two-of-nationwide-protests-364177987703

Also, too....https://twitter.com/LAPDHQ

Which ones are the good points?

CODEPINK @codepink · 3h 3 hours ago
Protesters in #LA trapped by police, over 100 arrested including @kristindelfs of @CODEPINK @democracynow



CODEPINK @codepink · 3h 3 hours ago
THIS IS BS: 100+ LA protesters kettled and arrested demanding #Justice4MikeBrown will be held until Monday on $500 bail.

CODEPINK @codepink · 3h 3 hours ago
MT @batoolreads: [LA] Protesters will be getting more jail time than a man who murdered someone. Makes so much sense.
#justice4mikebrown

CODEPINK @codepink · 2h 2 hours ago
Horrible. LAPD arrests 100+ protesters (incl @kristindelfs of @codepink) demanding #Justice4MikeBrown, keeping them for 5 DAYS.
#LAtoFerguson

More info on Bassem:

http://www.gofundme.com/freebassem

Where is Eric Holder?? He assigned Bassem to some anti-brutality committee...