DOJ v Ferguson

     I listened to Eric Holder's DOJ Findings on Ferguson press conference. I listened from the perspective of someone living just a few miles away and one who's seen some of the same abuses firsthand.

     My wife got caught up in one of Ferguson's neighbor's aggressive traffic enforcements. In Missouri, city police can write tickets on Interstates going through their city, and the burg's cop got my wife.  She swears she wasn't speeding... much. And I believe... well, I... I take the Fifth. She also got tagged for other violations. It was exactly like Holder depicted.

     She was ordered to appear in the city's court, a seedy little justice mill in an old bar. It was in a really sketchy area, so I was dragged along as the sacrificial meat shield. With about 90-110 other defendants, we waited while the judge described her town's particular version of jurisprudence. To paraphrase mightily: You're probably guilty. You could ask for a trail, but it would be expensive, inconvenient, and most likely futile. It would be so much easier if you threw your wallet on the mercy of the court. Justice takes cash, checks, American Express, Visa or Master Card, and easy payments at reasonable rates can be arranged. See the cashier in the back.   

     It was all as Holder described. More than 95% of the defendants were African-American. The condemned awaited their fate with surly resignation. Justice was curt, perfunctory and cynical. The defendants were separated from their money as efficiently as a pig from it's blood in a slaughterhouse.

     It was exactly as Holder described: an abusive, grasping, uncaring, racist system.

     Except, it wasn't. Not completely.  

     The judge was African-American. All but one of the many court officers and workers were minorities. The police commander was Black. The police security team was entirely Black. Furthermore, the city itself boasts an African-American Mayor and a totally Black City Council.  

     Abusive? Yes. Money Hungry? Certainly. Racist? Are you serious?

     Holder made much of Ferguson's unjust city justice system. In this I believe he's correct. However, to damn all of Ferguson as racist - based on behaviors that can be shown as being anything but, is fundamentally incorrect.  I haven't read the 110 page report yet, but it's seeming reliance on simple, unnormalized statistics and unsupported conclusions is troubling. Given the history of Holder and the Obama administrations willingness to play on race, this may be just another instance of their  elaborate racialist posturing. 
 

Ferguson Follies

It now looks like the Ferguson/ Michael Brown crisis is largely behind us. Thankfully, we’re mostly past the press conferences, the racial hucksters, the street theater, oh so concerned officials and the overly earnest activists. We’re over the continuous coverage, the breathless reporterettes, bored Nation Guard troops, morons in Guy Fawkes masks, violence-addicted thugs, opportunistic looters, their fellow opportunistic politicians, oily lawyers, and family members of every stripe.   

Thankfully, the Ferguson riot was no more than a mere shadow of the ‘60s Days of Rage or the Rodney King riots. One possible death as opposed to hundreds, a few buildings burned instead of thousands,  a hundred arrested instead of many thousands. Ferguson was nowhere near as bad as it was implied.

We’ve been fooled. 

The “movement” was self-contradictory from the start. Within weeks, Michael Brown could be seen as closer to a garden variety thug than an angelic teenage victim. As a result, this issue seemed to never have gotten any lasting traction within the greater African-American community. The protest had to be outsourced to the professional agitators of Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, New York and DC. The media continued their drumbeat of misconceptions, fear -- and outrageous lies. Meanwhile, millions of ordinary citizens, much more alike than not, continued to happily interact. We -- I -- defamed Black Americans by believing they would stoop to violence over this issue.  

When the Grand Jury findings were finally revealed – it was largely a non-issue: a play-date for the unstable, politicians, and cameras. There never were the overwhelming numbers of protestors that we were led to expect. The most publicized confrontation featured an estimated 250 protestors – and 250 media. Within hours, normal life resumed as reality reasserted itself.

Leaving a lot of us feeling a bit foolish. Leaving me feeling like a bit of an idiot.

There’s a lesson here, an important one: there’s profit in wedge politics; in dividing the whole against one another. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the New Black Panthers, Lesley McSpadden, Senator Chappelle-Nadal, Jay Nixon, Barack Obama, et al, and their sycophantic media all cynically, dishonorably furthered their own interests by dancing on Michael Brown’s grave. They traded in division and fears for their own ends.

Ferguson shows that we, as a city, state, and nation, are better than that.  We have our differences, we’re human after all, but in the main, we’re a integrated, just, striving, happy people. Much, much more alike than different.  And we shouldn’t let the hucksters and the wedgers tell us any different.  

Work remains to be done. There never should have been the immediate, pervasive assumption that the police assasinated an innocent. Something is obviously wrong. But as a society, we should be aware of just how far and how fast we've come. In societal terms, America's recognition of the error of racism and its largely successful correction has been completely unprecedented in human history.
 
Today, perhaps now more than any other time, we can see just how much we should be thankful for.  

Happy Thanksgiving. To all of us.

Grand Jury Findings Summary

Everyone who wants to understand why the St Louis Grand Jury did not indite Officer Darren Wilson must listen to Prosecutor Bob McCullough's deft summary. 

(heroimage.dimg)

Understanding Grand Jury Ruling Michael Brown's Death

Listen with an open mind. Pass the link around.

Highly recommended.  

HT: PBS

Waffle House Life

Took the wife out to a Waffle House breakfast. She's never had the pleasure. It was the usual good time: fast, friendly service, tasty food, unique atmosphere, and amenable fellow patrons. Americana at its finest.

Mid waffle, my wife asked me to look around. There were about 50 people packed into the little coffee shop: a broad range of ages, demographics, colors, native languages, etc. All pleasantly rubbing elbows with one another. A melting pot, with syrup.

This is the real St Louis, the real America.

We shouldn't forget that.

Situation: Ferguson

Be careful what you wish for: The wife and I wanted to put the Grate State of California behind us. So, last year we moved her to Missouri while I renovated and sold our home in LA. We leased a nice house, with a big fenced-in yard for the pups, in a quiet 'burb of NW St Louis.

Ten miles from Ferguson. 

Frack.

There's no doubt that the situation here is very tense. The Michael Brown shooting has been the activist's cause célèbre for the three months since that August day. Professional agitators such as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, President Obama, the new Black Panthers, etc. are working hard to keep the incident in the national consciousness. Most of the mainstream media seems to be bent on keeping the country's eyeballs on this issue, often resorting to sensationalism and questionable reportage.

It's much the same here in St Louis - but even more so. The news is full of Ferguson: protestors are the top stories almost nightly. They’re earnest, involved – and angry. They’re continuously marching, protesting, training, holding press conferences, conducting street theater- all greedily sucked in by the news cameras. The possibility of violence is unstated, but there nonetheless.  

See if this doesn't chill your spine: Ferguson Action

City and state officials make occasion appearances. Their talk is all on their preparations and their support the First Amendment Rights of the protestors. The hidden, heavy hand of political correctness weighs on their words and actions. Signs of preparation can be found. Additional poice presence, training, additional expenditures, etc. The Feds are in evidence: seventy Homeland Security vehicles were photographed in a hotel parking structure. (At four per vehicle, that's 280 agents.) 

Average Joe is the one with little media attention. They're the ones that'll take the brunt of any disruption. Their businesses, homes and loved ones are being literally put under the gun – for something they do not think they’ve done. I’ve seen fear, but even more frustration with the activists apparently willing to resort to random violence to get their ends. A lot aren’t afraid to call this terrorism - and demand it be treated as such. Many are responding by purchasing their first gun, and many are seeing young blacks buying concealable handguns.

In spite of all their concerns, the citizens are being told to go about their business. Then, oh-so politically correct MO Gov. Jay Nixon declares a state of emergency and calls in the National Guard. (BTW: ol’ Jay is incredibly inarticulate when someone is not putting words in his mouth. His incompetence would be laughable if it weren’t for the critical nature of these times.) The stress levels appreciably jumped, and then jumped again when the FBI said to expect violence.

Everyone’s on edge waiting for the Grand Jury’s decision.  

I remain cautiously hopeful: the months the officials have spent preparing will probably limit the violence in Ferguson. However, it’s very likely that other spots will erupt around the city – and the nation.  EVERYONE, regardless of their location, should look to their preps in the next days. 

We’ve been warned.

I’m going to stay with my prediction of an indictment of Officer Wilson: based entirely on the last two shots that entered Michael Brown’s head from above. It will be far too easy for the GJ to question the timing of those shots – and refer the issue to a court of law. There, I believe a jury with all the evidence, presented by both sides, *should* acquit Wilson. What happens then…   

In St Louis

I'm  now on the ground in St Louis , MO. The wife and I have escaped California - and landed our fat right in the fire of Ferguson, Missouri. 

There's no doubt that the situation hear is tense. The news is full of angry protestors, worried citizens, and preparing authorities. The Grand Jury findings are expected any day. 

I'm still getting a feel for the situation. And I'm working 14 hour days to bring order out of the chaos of the move. And KAOS is winning. Blogging will continue to be light, despite Archer's excellent efforts. However... be sure to keep checking back. I've got a couple of important posts  coming soon. 

And watch your six. 

Countdown: Ferguson?

The hacktavist group Anonymous is claiming to have obtained government electronic documents and files related to the Michael Brown shooting and Ferguson, MO.

IJR: Anonymous Claims It Has Hacked Into Govt. Info on Officer Wilson That May Lead to Ferguson Riots

Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson
(5NEWSOnline)

The information that has been release is hardly surprising: it has all been speculated about before. However, there is a new wrinkle, Anonymous has put a date sure to the release of the Grand Jury findings: On or about Monday, November 10, 2014.

What is different about the Anonymous leak is its definitive tone. They state that Officer Wilson will not be indicted, and the police and jails are preparing for widespread civil unrest. Governor Nixon has alerted the National Guard.

I'm not sure I completely believe Anonymous. Okay, I don't. The above information is presented with that caveat in mind. Still, we urge everyone to be mindful of the possibilities in the first two weeks of November, and prepare accordingly.

HT: IJR and Stacy Penland

Storm Signs: Ferguson

(flicker.com)

I’ve done some blue water sailing. Years ago, I was off Baja California savoring my morning instant coffee, when I noted a long, oily swell hiding beneath the calm Pacific. It was coming from the NNW, down from the Arctic seas, running crosswise to the normal westerly wind chop. Throughout the beautiful Mexican day that swell built. The next day, the blue sky above was filled with wispy white cirrostratus, bent and torn by the winds clashing miles overhead. By nightfall, the intruding swell was quite apparent. The third day dawned an angry, sullen red.

(theatlantic.com)

The crew had been pushing the boat hard for several days, heeding the storm signs. Late on the third day, our boat blew into San Diego Harbor, just hours ahead of the wicked, fast moving Alaskan storm. We hung off the quarantine buoy, safe and warm and dry; as gale force winds thundered and that now mountainous swell pounded the California coast.

I fear that experience is a good analogy for Ferguson.

This last week was a pivotal one for Ferguson. The leaked official autopsy report largely supported Officer Darren Wilson’s version of what happened that August afternoon. Seven or eight independent witnesses are also said to have agreed with the policeman. It now appears that Michael Brown was first shot within the police car, ran away, turned, then was shot again and killed rushing Wilson. It was found Brown had consumed a significant amount of marijuana in the hour before his death, likely to the detriment of his judgement. From a neutral perspective, it now looks like Michael Brown was the aggressor and Officer Wilson acted in lawful self-defense.

Al Sharpton
(Business Insider)

Tensions have not diminished; the new facts seem to have only escalated them. Unfortunately, Ferguson hasn’t been about Michael Brown for a long time, if ever. This situation is in the hands of activists and the agitators, anarchists, angry, disaffected, bored, violent, or just plain crazy. Add to the mix the professional racialists in their five thousand dollar suits, other looters and opportunists, pandering politicians, and the media, greedy for controversy, eyeballs and ad revenue.  All these have created a situation primed to explode. Any opportunity could serve, or it could be the expected mid-November release of the Grand Jury findings.    

(slate.com)

There are far too many desiring the burning, the violence, and the destruction of order. The racialist, politicians and media continue to agitate. My wife tells me of the brittle peace holding the various St Louis factions apart. The hunger for destruction is not limited to the St Louis area, nor to any race. Strata of disaffection exist throughout the United States. I feel the same tensions here in Los Angeles/ Long Beach: the posturing on the street corners, the micro-aggressions on the roadway, the aggressive surliness of some in the stores. There seems to be a swell of discontent everywhere.

(girlsjustwannahaveguns.com)

There are storm signs aplenty. We have been warned.

It’s time to prepare, to look to you and your’s safety. I’ll readily acknowledge that things are not perfect and there are many areas still to be improved. However, if someone expects me to pay with my life or the lives of my loved ones for their perceived slights, for something I have not done -- we will have words.  

I’m imploring our readers to:

•  Lock your car and home doors
•  Keep a full tank of gas in all your vehicles
•  Avoid areas or events where large groups of youths gather 
• Pay attention: to news radio, social media, sirens, helicopters, smoke
•  Keep your head on a swivel
•  Have three days’ worth of supplies on hand. Once you have that, add four more days. When you have a week’s worth of supplies where you can live without going outside your locked doors, add another week. Then another.
•  And look to your personal protection. The 2^nd Amendment was written with these times in mind. Fortunately ammo, magazines, and training are currently readily available and for a good price. I can personally attest to the calming influence of a full magazine as the world burns around you.

(usbacklash.org)

Best of luck – I fear we will all need it.

Other links of interest:

http://www.prageruniversity.com/Political-Science/Who-Are-the-Racists-Conservatives-or-Liberals.html#.VEVIyPl4qUQ

http://chrishernandezauthor.com/2014/08/24/a-dose-of-reality-for-ferguson-missouri/

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-kass-met-0822-20140822-column.html

Ferguson: Two Months Later

It looks like the situation in Ferguson, MO has stabilized – and that’s not good. Two months after Michael Brown’s death, it still feels like the city is balanced upon a knife edge, waiting only for a touch to fall into chaos.

(nationalmemo.com)

As our readers may know, I have a very personal interest in the unrest: my wife lives about 10 miles from Ferguson and she works much closer. I’ll be joining her there as soon as the Cali house closes. I’ve spent weeks listening to her info and reading; trying to understand, analyze and predict the situation from 1832 miles away. Her nerves are a bit frazzled, but thankfully, she’s as safe as anyone in the area. During that period, I developed a number of impressions which I’d like to share. Be assured, these observations can and must change as additional information becomes available.   

Michael Brown
(Family Photo/ Facebook)

Midday August 9, 2014, eighteen year old Michael Brown was shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Michael Brown was black, Wilson is white. Beyond those few facts, the info available to the public is largely incomplete, one-sided, hearsay, self-serving, unclear or contradictory. The police are naturally reluctant and many times legally prevented from releasing information about the ongoing investigation. What little official info released, such as the past histories of the officer and the deceased, is carefully parsed. Into that void, factoids, spin, speculation and outright misinformation flows.    

The St Louis County Police Department assumed control of the investigation and their finding are being presented before the Grand Jury. Results are expected to be unsealed about mid-November. Wielding the might of the FBI, Eric Holder’s Department of Justice is conducting a multi-pronged investigation for possible civil rights violations by Wilson and the Ferguson Police Department as a whole.

Al Sharpton and Mike Brown's Body
(atlantadailyworld.com)

It’s abundantly clear that Ferguson is no longer about Michael Brown. The parameters of the case have been ignored or spun along the preexisting state and national racial fault lines. Activists of both sides have assumed control of the spotlight. Witness the funeral of Michael Brown twisted into a bloody-shirt rally. Race huckster Al Sharpton gave a speech over Brown's coffin that was all but an incitement to riot. Incredibly, Sharpton, with all of his racialist baggage, was an Obama Administration official representative at the funeral. The president even wrung his hands over Ferguson in a decidedly strange moment before the UN. There can be no doubt about which side Obama is backing.

Protesting at the St Louis Cardinals Game
(Mariah Stewart - The Huffington Post)

Outside activists continue to press their own Ferguson-camouflaged agendas. After the riot could no longer be extended, they immediately started pushing to replace the St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney for what could be seen as a deficiency of melanin.  Recently, several vocal supporters interrupted a performance of the St Louis Symphony. A small group protested outside the St Louis/ Dodger playoff chanting “Justice For Mike Brown” and were countered by some foul-mouthed fans chanting “Let’s Go Darren”: a bad show all around. Violence seems to be the goal of the few: a shooting of a Ferguson cop resulted in a night long confrontation in front of the Community Center, orchestrated by 5 to 10 angry activists.

Obama Discussing Ferguson
Before the UN
(Richard Drew, AP)

The leitmotif is by no means restricted to the small time agitators. The media has been relentless in promoting its version of the tragedy, emphasizing the provocative unarmed teen vs white cop meme. Eric Holder and Obama have similarly been active in attempting to overtly shape popular opinion.

If I had to guess what will happen - based on what little is known - I think Officer Wilson will be indicted for excessive force: for the last two shots that went into Michael Brown’s head from above. It will be far too easy for the GJ to refer the questions around those two shots for resolution by trail. Then, unlike today's ongoing media barrage, a jury will be presented with the totality of facts and explanations and theories from both sides. Officer Wilson will have to hope for an unbiased,  intelligent, wise and above all, brave jury. And just like the first Rodney King and George Zimmerman trials, despite all the efforts of the activists and the media, I feel the cop will be acquitted.

     
What happens then?… I have only fears. 

(Mike Ramirez - IBD)

Ferguson, MO in the News Again

More Ferguson craziness:

Saturday evening, a Ferguson (the racially wracked suburb of St Louis, MO) police officer was shot chasing two robbery suspects.

Police: Ferguson Officer Shot; 2 Suspects Wanted

(InsideAnon News Network with AnonOps)

The police descended on the area searching for the shooter and his accomplice. A small, but very vocal crowd to gathered around the Ferguson Community Center. This being the 21st Century, "Anonymous" used a starlight scope to webcast the confrontation. (Caution: the language is definitely NSFW.) There seemed to be five to ten agitators bent on violence. Fortunately, their angry calls went unheeded.

My wife reported there were many sirens en route to North St Louis County/ Ferguson.     


Shots fired at off-duty officer on I-70; suspects on the loose

Very close to Ferguson, and about the same time as the protests were winding down, an off-duty St Louis policeman was shot at on a North St Louis County freeway. Apparently unprovoked, the attack left the officer slightly wounded from flying glass. Their was no return fire at the carload of three African-Americans. No arrests have been made.


Violent night in St. Louis leaves one dead, nine others wounded

It was apparently business-as-usual on the St Louis eastside: two drive-bys and a fatal shooting/ critical wounding in a bar parking lot. Overall the night tallied nine wounded and one dead. Community organizers seem to have completely ignored these assaults, even though they were probably black on black crimes.

HT: St Louis Dispatch, Fox 2 St Louis

Michael Brown and Deputy Brandon Love

Much of the frustration -- and anger – that comes from the reportage of Michael Brown's death stems from the media's constant use of the "unarmed" meme. As if a powerfully built, 300 pound, 6'-4" man could be powerless. The media's motivations are suspect since they've repeated the same meme for weeks despite the emergence of contradictory information. Over and over they slyly imply that the officer wrongly shot a helpless man. For those who've honestly thought it through, the implications cannot make any sense. But then, I've had a personal lesson to help counteract the media's cynical obsession.

Deputy Bernard Love
and his wife Nicole

On the night of August 15, a week after Michael Brown's encounter with Officer Wilson, Lakewood Sheriff’s Deputy Bernard Love was critically injured by a suspected domestic abuser. The suspect knocked the Deputy to the ground and repeatedly stomped his head. Only the actions of a courageous bystander saved Bernard Love from death.

The suspect was unarmed…

…and probably not anywhere near the size of Michael Brown. Deputy Love is a big man; he looks significantly bigger than Officer Wilson. Yet, Bernard Love was only a single footfall from death... by an unarmed man.   

And… it’s personal: I live in the town Deputy Love serves. We tend to highly value our LEOs and their service. Deputy Bernard Love was initially told that he would probably never walk again; he's doing his damnedest to prove his doctors wrong. Love faces a host of other problems, none greater than the loss of a vibrant future. He has a lovely wife and growing family; all respected members of this community. And... it’s very personal; as a member of the Neighborhood Watch, I’ve dealt with Deputy Love before. Today, this outstanding gentleman lies in a hospital, struggling to recover a semblance of the life that was stolen by an unarmed thug. Yes... it’s personal.    

So, to any opportunistic member of the media that reflexively sneers at Officer Wilson and his use of a firearm, come to Lakewood, California. There you may see the horrific damage that the unarmed can do to an armed man. 

You lying bastards.   

HT: Long Beach Press Telegram, Lakewood Sheriff's Facebook page, and Rob Morse, of the Polite Society Podcast and Slow Facts Blog.