Saturday Reads: The Shooting of Michael Brown and the Protests in Ferguson, Missouri
Posted: August 16, 2014 Filed under: Crime, Criminal Justice System, morning reads, racism, U.S. Politics | Tags: Antonio French, Captain Ronald S. Johnson, Chief Thomas Jackson, Darren Wilson, Ferguson MO, Governor Jay Nixon, looting, media, Michael Brown, Missouri, Peaceful protests, police brutality, police corruption, police shootings, St. Louis, violence 38 Comments
Demonstrators gather along West Florissant Avenue on Friday to protest the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer on Aug. 9. Friday’s demonstration ended with protesters clashing with police followed by more looting. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Good Morning!!
I’ve been following the events in Ferguson, Missouri for a week now. Last Saturday, 18-year-old Ferguson citizen Michael Brown was gunned down by a Ferguson police officer in broad daylight. That officer, who was finally named yesterday, is Darren Wilson. So far the media has not even been able to come up with a photo of Wilson, who had nearly a week to wipe out his media presence. He’s a complete mystery man.
After Wilson shot Brown multiple times, he stood over the body and called for assistance without informing dispatch that he had just shot someone. According to witnesses, Wilson did not check Brown for vital signs. Brown’s body lay in the street for an extended period–it’s not clear how long. No medical personnel were called to determine whether he needed assistance or to take his body to a hospital. Eventually police loaded the body into a police vehicle and took it away.
When family and others in the community protested, Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson asked St. Louis County police to provide “security.” As we all know, there was an intense police crackdown on peaceful protesters, and journalists were harassed and even arrested as were several community leaders.
On Thursday, Governor Jay Nixon ordered Ferguson and St. Louis County police to withdraw their military equipment from the streets of the small suburb and had handed over control of security to Captain Ronald S. Johnson of the Missouri State Police. Johnson is a lifelong Ferguson resident and is African American.
On Thursday night protesters were left alone to protest peacefully, and police were dressed in normal uniforms. Johnson walked among the protesters and patiently answered their questions. Apparently Chief Jackson and his men were unhappy with the peace and harmony, so they found a way to sow discord once again.
Around noon yesterday, without informing Captain Johnson of what he planned to do, Jackson released an 18 page media handout complete with still images from surveillance video, in which he accused dead teenager Michael Brown of stealing a box of cigars from a gas station convenience store in what he termed “a strong-arm robbery.” The stolen property was valued at $48.00. Jackson released this information immediately after revealing that mystery officer Darren Wilson had shot and killed Brown.
The implication was obvious. Brown deserved to die because he had shoplifted some cigars. The pictures of the young man police claimed was Brown were splashed all over the media and internet–but nary a photo of Wilson appeared.
Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson announces the name of Officer Darren Wilson as the man who shot and killed Michael Brown, 18, last Saturday.
Hours later, around 4PM, Chief Jackson held another press conference in which he admitted that killer cop Darren Wilson had no knowledge of the shoplifting incident that Brown had allegedly been involved in. He supposedly stopped Brown and his friend because they were walking in the street “blocking traffic.” So why was the 18-page handout released, reporters asked? Because reporters had requested it, said Jackson. But that wasn’t true either.
According to “MSNBC contributor” Goldie Taylor, who spent last night trying to find any reporter who had requested information on the convenience store robbery, no one requested it–in fact no one in the media knew about the incident until Jackson revealed it.
Reporters had specifically requested the officer’s report on the shooting and Brown’s autopsy report, but those were not released. Reporters have repeatedly asked Jackson how many times Brown was shot and the locations of the bullets, but he has refused to answer those questions.
Naturally Brown’s family and other Ferguson residents were outraged by Jackson’s behavior. He had poisoned the atmosphere in town once again.
Last night began as Thursday night had, with peaceful demonstrations and normal police presence. But early this morning, outsiders showed up and for a short time looted Ferguson businesses, including the store that Michael Brown had been accused of stealing from. From what I’ve been able to learn on Twitter from people who were there, protesters tried to stop the looters and helped to clean up damage to businesses; and there are reports of that in the mainstream media.
I thought I’d just write my own summary of events to begin with, since this situation is so complex. The racism that has been on display has been just stunning. It’s as if we’ve all been transported back to a much earlier era. But unfortunately the racism is real. You can see it on display in the behavior of law enforcement members in Ferguson and St. Louis, and in the people on Twitter and media comment sections cheering on the hatred against and even the murder of African Americans.
Some representative articles to read about recent events in Ferguson.
MSNBC: Michael Brown Killing: Police in Ferguson Fire Tear Gas Amid Looting.
Armored vehicles rolled back onto the streets of Ferguson early Saturday, as riot police faced off with looters in the Missouri town gripped by protests since the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teen.
The violence broke the brief period of calm that had settled over Ferguson, Missouri, after outrage over the shooting of Michael Brown spilled over.
Protests had started off peacefully in Ferguson on Friday night. Rev. Jesse Jackson linked arms with protesters, leading them in prayer and urging them to “turn pain into power” while fighting back non-violently, NBC Affiliate KSDK reported. Shortly after midnight, crowds got rowdier and looting began to break out, according to KSDK….Tear gas was deployed and riot police moved in, with some locals forming lines to protect local businesses from looters.
A handful of owners stood guard this morning at their businesses, doing their best to discourage any more looting or violence.
Rain fell on the scene of broken out windows and ransacked store shelves at businesses like Ferguson Market and Liquor.
The streets of Ferguson mostly were void of protesters by 6 a.m. as dawn broke and the rain continued after the violent night.
After some of the protesters blocked the entrances to businesses and civic leaders, including St. Louis Alderman Antonio French, arrived early Saturday, the scene calmed and the brief outbreak of looting ended.
The police line was still in place near West Florissant and Ferguson avenues but had not advanced to the site of the protest line as of 2:30. Officers also did not move in during the looting.
It’s amazing how quickly a few assholes can ruin things for people who have worked so hard to bring peace and justice after the death of an unarmed young man. Chief Jackson must be very happy with his handiwork this morning.
KDSK.com: Protesters tried to keep looters out of stores.
Several hundred people congregated on a busy Ferguson street Friday night as protests continued nearly a week after 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer. It was peaceful until about midnight, when a large crowd broke into the convenience mart that Brown allegedly robbed the day he was killed. The looting continued there for several hours, with looters entering and exiting freely with as many items as they could carry, including the store cash register.
The looting took place despite the best efforts of some who said they were among the peaceful protesters who marched early in the evening.
Michael Davis was among those who were peacefully protesting when things turned violent. “It was positive. Everything was going fairly well with everyone out here during the day. But as it turned night, it got hectic and things got out of hand in front of the Ferguson Market and Liquor store.”
According to Davis, they were having some success in calming things down until police showed up and teargassed the crowd. At that point looters “broke through his protective line and into the store.”
New York Times: Emotions Flare in Missouri Amid Police Statements.
One day after roiling tensions over the police shooting of a black teenager here began to subside, emotions flared anew on Friday as the police identified the officer involved but also released evidence that the victim was a suspect in a convenience store robbery moments before being shot.
The manner in which the police here released the information, which included a 19-page police report on the robbery but no new details about the shooting, led to the spectacle of dueling police news conferences, one led by a white officer who seemed ill at ease and defensive, and the other dominated by a charismatic black officer who expressed solidarity with the crowd even as he pleaded for peace.
The white officer, Thomas Jackson, the police chief in Ferguson, gave a series of incomplete accounts that sowed confusion about whether the officer who shot the teenager knew he was a suspect in the robbery. The black officer, Capt. Ronald S. Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, expressed his displeasure with how the information had been released.
“I would have liked to have been consulted,” he said pointedly about the pairing of the shooter’s identity with the robbery accusation.
Washington Post: Protests and looting return to Ferguson overnight, but most want peace [a collection of tweets from journalists covering Ferguson last night]
Reporters on the ground in Ferguson, most of whom have been there for nearly the entire week, painted on Twitter a dramatic and sometimes frightening scene as the unrest mounted. Emotions were heightened Friday after Darren Wilson was named as the officer who shot Brown and the Ferguson police released video surveillance of Brown allegedly stealing cigars from a convenience store.
The clashes throughout the night seem to have divided the protesters, pitting some who were assembling peacefully against others who were looting businesses in the St. Louis suburb.
As of early Saturday morning, some protesters were helping store owners clean their destroyed shops and many were eager to draw a clear distinction between the angry rioters and the other protesters.
Head over to that link to read a Twitter timeline.
More relevant links.
The Washington Post, Seven in 10 black Americans say the criminal justice system treats them unfairly.
Mother Jones, Exactly How Often Do Police Shoot Unarmed Black Men?
Reuters Column, Less than human: Do some police take a step beyond simple prejudice?
Peacock Panache, Conservative Hypocrisy: Bundy Ranch Versus Ferguson Protest Media Coverage.
Addicting Info, Ferguson Police Excuses Destroyed As Anonymous Shares Dispatch Recordings (AUDIO).
Mother Jones, Meet the St. Louis Alderman Who’s Keeping an Eye on Ferguson’s Cops.
Washington Post, Required reading on race, Michael Brown and Ferguson, Mo.
Spocko at Hullabaloo, What’s the Media Strategy of #Ferguson Protesters? The Police Have One.
The Atlantic, Echoes of Michael Brown’s Death in St. Louis’s Racially Charged Past.
The Atlantic, The Roots of Violence in Ferguson Run Deep.
Jonathan Chait, Joe Scarborough, Mike Allen Form Journalistic Axis of Evil.
I know there’s plenty of other news; I’ve just been focused on this story. Please feel free to discuss and recommend links on any topic in the comment thread.
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Antonio French is reporting on Twitter that police in Ferguson deliberately chose not to stop looters, even though protesters begged them to do so. Read his Twitter feed to learn what happened. French believes that was a good thing, because police actions would have made the violence worse.
They can go back on video and ID the perps. Then start arresting people. That’s what they did after Katrina. People who took diapers or food or clothing were given a pass but they wen after the ones taking things like TVs.
It reminds me of that scene in The Grapes of Wrath, where the assholes bring in people to start a riot…on purpose.
You talk about racism BB, well a little observation of mine this morning in an unrelated incident. Here in Atlanta area a little toddler shot himself with a gun. Mom was arrested and charged. She is black. Mother of Atlanta child who shot self in face arrested | http://www.ajc.com
Now, I could list number of times parents of children who get killed by guns that not arrested that are white…if y’all get what I am saying.
I’m sure you’re right. That reminds me of the white middle class professional man in Boston who left his child in a car for hours to die. He was supposed to drop the child off at day care and forgot. He wasn’t prosecuted.
Even if the protesters tried to held off the looters or if police tried to pacify the violence, that doesn’t sound good, because the media will keep focusing mainly on the assholes on both sides.
There are photos and video of the protesters trying to stop the looting and cleaning up the mess, so that’s not in question. I posted several MSM stories that did report that. However, your overall point is taken. Fortunately the fed are watching closely.
Hopefully the feds will also be the ones investigating the shooting, not the DA.
Ideally it should be a separate independent agency, like the one created in WI after another shooting. (http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/08/what-i-did-after-police-killed-my-son-110038.html)
The FBI is investigating, but Holder says he’ll wait for the DA’s report first. As of now, the DA hasn’t investigated anything. He said yesterday, he’s too busy.
BB, look here: English Professor Thrown to the Ground and Arrested for Jaywalking – Little Green Footballs
Wow. I never heard about that one before.
Damn. I’m wracking my brain to remember where I read about agitators being paid to loot during peaceful protests for the purpose of making the protestors look bad. I know I remember it from somewhere and the Ferguson story smacks of it.
It’s certainly possible, but the actions of the Ferguson police chief were deliberately designed to inflame people’s emotions and start trouble.
They surely were. And so what even if the kid allegedly did shoplift something. That’s not a reason to shoot an unarmed kid with his hands up.
It’s deeply troubling that the Ferguson police chief either 1) thought that a kid allegedly shoplifting was a reason to shoot or 2) just wanted to cause more trouble. Either way he should be fired.
Here’s a good post at DailyKos that summarizes the stupid actions of Chief Jackson.
Dumbest Police Chief in America
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/16/1322091/-Dumbest-Police-Chief-in-America
OMG. The inhumanity.
That is surreal.
Link to the NYT story with the nurse anecdote from a witness.
Finally, we have a photo of the shooter.
WaPo: Here’s what has been reported so far about Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/08/16/heres-what-has-been-reported-so-far-about-officer-darren-wilson/
Washington Post @washingtonpost 17s
A look at how the Pentagon’s equipment has spread to America’s police forces http://wapo.st/1pn0iy8 pic.twitter.com/VNTkODxxXQ
Ferguson, Missouri is now a sundown town.
Missouri Governor Declares Emergency in Ferguson and Orders Nightly Curfew
This isn’t going to help.
“Twenty years of covering the law has taught me this: Think twice before calling the police.” http://slate.me/1pR7fXK
I read that yesterday. It’s good.
That press conference was enraging to me. THE POINT – an 18 year old was shot down in the street – eight days ago. No investigation information has been released – but witnesses concur he was running away – shot twice in the back, then 5 times in front as he turned with hands up. He could have done nothing to deserve this. Gov. Nixon did not answer any of those questions regarding investigation. This will not stand. I fear for the citizens of Ferguson, for any citizen in any town. This has been appallingly mishandled. The Chief of Police is still employed? The shooter is no where to be found? No indictment(s)? No information released? Capt. Ron Johnson is an open honest genuine human being – but he cannot shoulder all this – those citizens who want answers deserve them NOW. There is to be a service for Mike Brown tomorrow – nine days have passed. His parents, loved ones, friends, community have been shut down – given nothing. I am sickened that this circus has been allowed to continue and I dread the fire storm this is continuing to feed. We are in a police state. We have no rule of law. What is wrong with those in power that they missed the POINT.
Very well said, and I totally agree with you. I think the protesters should disobey the curfew order and if the police want mass arrests, fine.
When an extremist Christian fundamentalist got to run a whole state
Kansas is the new battleground for the soul of the GOP. Sam Brownback’s term as senator should be a cautionary tale
HEATHER DIGBY PARTON, ALTERNET
http://www.salon.com/2014/08/02/when_an_extremist_christian_fundamentalist_got_to_run_a_whole_state_partner/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
Howard University Grad Mya Aaten-White Shot in Ferguson, Missouri
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Howard-University-Grad-Mya-White-Shot-in-Ferguson-Missouri-271285081.html
There is a “redacted’ police report – I missed that. Will go read it.