Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

Lately, it's been in the news that officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown. The officer has been on trial and today has been given a verdict of not guilty.


Just wondering what are your thoughts on everything about this situation including the riots that are going on?

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

Glad Riotpolice posted this. So fitting.

But yeah, some people on the force shouldn't be on the force. The community should be able to vote whether or not these "police" officers should still be getting paid.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

How can I not when my parents watch news like half the time and it's blaring so loud even a closed door cannot keep out Fox News.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

Didn't find it surprising. The police force were prepared for something like this as if they knew it'd happen, and guess what, it did. Kind of telling if their actions were anticipatory in a way, no?

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Well I mean, do you think they would have rioted if the verdict was guilty? I think that if the verdict was guilty/innocent it would not have mattered at all. The mob is there, angry or happy, and the riots would have happened no matter what the verdict would have been.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

IMO this says nothing as there would likely be riots either way after a verdict:

Not guilty/no trial- "Police covering up their brutality, gotta fight the man, etc etc!" = Riots.
Guilty- "See we were right all along the police are brutal assholes, gotta fight the man, etc etc!" = Riots.

If a population is looking for a reason to be offended they will find one, the police have to be prepared.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

I just..couldn't care less to be honest.
This debate is pointless as both sides have their arguments. I'm not a cop, nor am I black..so this doesn't affect me either way.

Regarding the rioting, I think these people are rioting simply because they can. The police surely can't put down these riots effectively since they're under scrutiny by an entire nation. It's amazing to me that the national guard hasn't been called in to quash this bullshit.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

I work in St. Louis, so this is very close to home for me. Here was my facebook post following the news tonight:

Protesting violence with violence is straight up hypocritical. The looters don't want justice, they want witch hunts. I hope that everyone who breaks the law gets arrested and jailed. That includes shutting the people down highways. Lawlessness is never the answer, and highly hypocritical.

The Grand Jury reviewed all the evidence, including all eyewitness testimony and the phsyical evidence. The physical evidence contradicted most eyewitness testimony. The Grand Jury went through pretty much all the steps of a trial. The entire process took about three months. There was plenty of opportunity to weigh evidence, and their decision reflected the evidence at hand.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

Forgive me, but I myself am not totally caught up on the whole situation.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

I think this is tragedy and it's so sad that a boy died at the hands of someone who is supposed to protect us. But we have to acknowledge that we will never know if the police officer's life was truly in danger and whether his actions were truly justified (dangerous territory I know, to say that the end of someone's life was justified). I think that the issue of race is a very important one, but one that can't be answered by this case alone. We simply can't know to what extent Officer Wilson acted how he did because Michael Brown was black or that the officer was even aware of the fact that color played a role in how he responded. I think the big issue and more pervasive issue here is the subconscious racism that people aren't even aware of. I full-heartedly believe that Officer Wilson would have reacted differently was Michael Brown been white. Not because he is a raging racist, but because of the pervasive stereotype that blacks are more dangerous, especially in areas like Ferguson were being black and being a criminal seem to go hand-in-hand in the eyes of the police. While I have no idea whether or not the officer is technically guilty, I hope this case and ones like bring attention to the fact that police men, whether they are aware of it or not, do not treat everyone equally. While none of us are free from making judgements, the more we can expose the stereotypes and assumptions that we make, the more power we have to debunk them.

Sorry this is so long. I have a lot of thoughts on this issue and I'm still not really sure what I think, so my argument might not really be that cohesive or consistent.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

I respect your difference in opinion.

Update:
Several businesses are burning down, many more are being looted, and a group of hundreds of protesters are blocking an interstate. Emergency vehicles cannot reach the flames or the injured.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

As for the riots that are happening, I don't understand why anyone would do this. Pretend that Ferguson is your hometown and now you are destroying it. Guess what. You look to everyone like you are a badguy. Nobody will let you in their shop, you joined in on the chaos. This whole situation just sucks.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

As I said, rioting for the sake of rioting.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

Please give an example where this has happened.

I'm not trying to be a dick either, I really cannot think of a single example where this has happened, whereas vice versa is common.

The Brown family themselves have stated their disapproval of mindless rioting and the "violence begets violence" mentality, so I definitely agree with your last point, these people are only looking to riot for loot and hedonistic pleasures, not justice.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

a bunch of people raided a liquor store i hope the really good scotch made it into the hands of someone who will actually appreciate it

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

Please tell me what burning a building down and looting has to do with anything relating to this case? Shots being fired live in the background, cars being torched, police being assaulted and emergency response vehicles being blocked? Yes..totally justified.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

v well said