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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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As I said, rioting for the sake of rioting.

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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.

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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

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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.

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v well said

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I'm actually watching it.
So..yeah not imagining shit.:v

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The media footage must be sabotaged then, it's a conspiracy.



Edit:// I don't mean to be too cheeky but we have a serious situation and there are a lot of people out there making it worse and acting in a hypocritical manner by protesting violence with violence. I understand that many are protesting peacefully, but several others are not.

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From what I can gather,, a huge portion of the rioting is coming from people who aren't even from Ferguson and are just "rioting for the sake of rioting". The situation is pretty shitty any way you look at it though.

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Lol there was a black guy looting an auto parts store on CNN telling reporters to "Get the fuck out my face." as he carries out looted goods. They cut away real quick. Like REAL quick.

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Hey guys wanna know something funny?

They looted a FAMILY DOLLAR

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just tuning in now to live feeds, i don't get the family dollar joke

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Of all the places they could loot, they broke into a dollar store

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Why you running'? iPhone 6! iPhone 6. Where you get it?
Some *****....

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that's pretty jokes. At least break into the EB Games, or the apple store.

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Given the demographic that was doing the looting, I'd assume if you suggested the Apple Store they'd end up at a fruit stand

Ayy lmao

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Lmao


ayy

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

It's the Trayvon Martin story again.

Same story different people.

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They started rioting in Beverly Hills too from what I've read. Makes 0 sense to me.

As others have said, they're doing it just to do it or people are following others like blind sheep. It's sad that people don't realize that the decision was made based on facts, not conjecture and made up stories.

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8 hours later they're still having a grand good riot

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Damn, that's crazy how long they last.

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this made me laugh pretty hard

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I mean, people get pissed how there wasn't even a trial. That means that there wasn't even enough evidence to send it to trial, let alone convict him. This is a lot like the Trayvon Martin case, as people are getting pissed because these "young and defenseless boys" were actually doing something wrong.

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I don't understand people. The human race can be pretty awful. RIP the community.

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there's a reaction to racial tension underlying the whole thing as an excuse but the fact of the matter is most of the rioting is selfishly motivated
not even black people give a shit about black people

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no but assaulting a police officer does if the officer is in fear for his life, which the physical evidence points to. i suggest anyone who thinks this is unfair should go listen to what the prosecutor said when talking about the case.

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This.
I couldn't have said it better myself.

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The verdict was no surprise. When the police started to become militarized a year ago, I stated that they were preparing for what's happening right now, to counter protesters and keep control of the riots. The bubble in the US is close to being burst, so there are two paths that can happen over the next year (most likely 2 years)

1) The police/military will be armed to the teeth, such as more tanks for small cities (this already happened) and law enforcement will be able to contain rioters through oppression. (More cities as states of emergency)
2) The police/military will be armed to the teeth, such as more tanks for small cities (this already happened) and law enforcement will be able to contain rioters through oppression. However, this time there will be some 'outside act of terror' that will band the United States together as a nation to defeat an outside foe. This could be a new country that doesn't follow our economic interest, or a group of rebels inside the US. It will depend how the mainstream 'news' such as CNN/Fox spin it.


On a side note, if any of you are actually interested in reading what real news is, do not watch news inside of the United States. Watch BBC, or more importantly Al Jazeera (even though most of it's English videos are banned in the US)

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Actually, the only acceptable news that is unfiltered in the United States would actually be John Oliver. (The Daily Show is actually censored a lot)

Also, please watch this video to further understand what is going on, and exactly what I have been talking (and fighting against) about for the past year.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

@xiz

police power and individual liberties share a scale, and major events like this always shift them, based on if the public values safety and control over individual liberties. right now as you can tell people aren't happy with the police's power, so expect a shift that removes some of this power.

this has happened multiple times throughout US history and it will happen again. no need to sensationalize

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I disagree completely. Middle class whites have the power to ignore what is happening in the world. Individuals who are consistently oppressed do not have that luxury.

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wELL I DISAGREE WITH UR DISAGGREMENT

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ur all just products of your own self oppression anyway

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dude

the grand jury choosing to not idict the officer wasn't based on racism. it was based in facts and circumstances of the situation.

that being said, it doesn't mean racism doesn't exist, it's just that the country's biggest race baiters (al sharpton, jesse jackson, eric holder, obama) are willingly fanning the flames on this issue. and now we have people traveling to ferguson with the only intention to riot and destroy the neighborhood despite the verdict.

when i said no need to sensationalize to Xiz it was in regards to him predicting the police gaining dangerous amounts of power

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Well, it's not really a prediction... but more of a fact that has already happened. They already have dangerous amounts of power. It will only increase over time unless people actually stand up and do something about it.

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no it will actually lessen in wake of this. this happened after rodney king too

i guess i never mentioned it on FFR but criminal justice is the field i'm studying and going into so that's why i'm invested in this incident.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

^ That's why I am still talking to you. I enjoy picking your brain, since our views contrast.


How do you think it will lessen? Do you think crime will lessen over time, and the government will take back the tanks and bear-cats in small cities? And if so, what do you think caused the police to be able to get their hands on equipment such as this?

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criminal justice apprentice vs documentary guy

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This entire thing is dumb and everyone knows it.

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ok cool

it will lessen because the majority of the public is expressing disdain for their power, and politicians and elected judges will address this and write/interpret laws to limit police power to remain popular. this will how it will be until another catastrophic event that scares people into wanting more policing power again. this like i said earlier, police power vs. individual liberty shifts back and forth constantly

the equipment will probably stay where it's at but i dont know too much about that besides that it exists.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

Moral of the Story: Ferguson is a warzone between the people and "Police" a.k.a Military.

Waiting for a bigger riot to tell you the truth, the conflict between facts and spoken word is only going to get worse at this point. Nobody is trying to solve the problem besides detaining the people and not batting an eye at the "police" force.

Two Cents given, no refunds.

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Trial by media culture is getting really annoying at this point.

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I'm worried this won't happen. I am afraid that yes, laws will be drafted and presented however not much will be done to pass them because the general public will loose interest, due to a different and unrelated catastrophic event that might occur in the future.

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im on a car trip right now i can respond again in like 8 hours

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Honestly people are misconstruing the fact that there wasn't even enough evidence to put the officer to trial. This isn't like the O.J. Simpson trial (where everything says guilty, but their found not guilty). There wasn't even enough evidence. This man had so little evidence against him it wasn't justifiable to have a trial.

As for the whole is racism at part in the decision, I would say no. The only reason why race is an issue is because the media, and people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are fueling this belief that never would have existed in this case without them.

However...
The only reason this case was ever on the news in the first place is because it was white on black crime. Funny part though, is that Dillon Taylor of Utah (Who was white and hispanic) was killed by a black cop. This situation is the exact opposite of the Trayvon Martin case (Zimmerman was white and Hispanic), yet the national media has said jack shit about it. The media realizes that by making the Michael Brown case popular it will lead to better ratings than the Dillon Taylor case. So they bring in people like Al Sharpton to fuel the fire, create unrest within the affected group of people, and get these said people to tune into their broadcasts on the issue, that never should have been about race in the first place.

If the media was truly unbiased an actual news title would look like this:
"A local cop kills a man" (lol gr8 tile right?)

Anyway, the Ferguson story is a perfect example how the media has everyone wrapped around their fingers. Without the media, I guarantee nobody would be this apeshit over the issue.

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I made a statement and backed it up with my opinions. However this makes me a bad person? I thought the point of this thread was to offer your personal viewpoint of the issue. Guess not

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

This seems awfully familiar to the riots in London and other parts of England in 2011, except in that case the riots started before the trial occurred, not after. (Actually be politically correct they started because of violence towards a protest, at least I think they did)

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

Again my point. Michael Brown is not this perfect defenseless "boy" the media makes him to be. He was an 18 year old adult who was 6'4'' and 300 pounds. But the media doesn't get people tuning in by being unbiased. If you want a better understanding of what I'm trying to say, watch this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffiIvkeO89g (Don't know how to imbed Youtube videos don't ask why)

It further emphasizes my point on how the media tries to make everything different than what they are just so they can just get more money.

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There never was a trial. There wasn't enough evidence against him to warrant a trial.

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Arguing with Deadly is the equivalent to trying to argue with your dining-room table.

Everyone has an opinion, and they are entitled to it. Unless your opinion helps cause oppression or suffering amongst others, then you are wrong. In this case, Deadly is wrong.

Also Deadly, I hope you realize the YouTube video you linked is nothing more then what appears to be a high school kid who has no degree, career or title to his name where his opinions are completely irrelevant. If you are trolling, you are doing a very good job at it because there is no way that you can seriously have those opinions while referencing that type of video.

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you can embed stuff from youtube by using tags with the video ID ffiIvkeO89g inside of it.

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The point of the video was to explain how the news fabricates the truth and doesn't actually say it how it is. My point is that they've never done this when talking about black on white crime. I mean, I doubt most people here have heard the Dillon Taylor story. Dillon's exactly like how Michael Brown's is: he looked like he was looking for trouble and both officers actions are justified.
My opinion wasn't based on my view of black and white crime (Or what the two of you had thought), my opinion was on how the media only uses white on black crime, because it's more marketable to a wider range of audiences than by having news on black on white crimes.

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Thanks by the way.

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Exactly where did you get that I said he deserved to die? I stated he wasn't a defenseless little child that the media makes him out to be.

And my opinion is that the media is just stirring the pot. The media should be unbiased and provide both viewpoints, which they haven't done for the officer.

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

well lets be honest this actually is the real world we live in regardless of how relevant it is to the particular matter at hand

and lets take this honesty even further: none of your opinions matter and none of you will ever have any discernible impact on the situation or the relevant social issues

so lmao

Re: Riots in Ferguson, Missouri
 

eeeeeeeeeeeeeh, $0.02.

I'll be frank: I don't like the word "marketable" being used there.

Anyway, the reason why white on black crime is brought up is because it is a consequence of a bigger issue that is far from being solved, and this incident is a trigger to bring this issue on the national table.