Iris lilies, how are things in your hood?

[gimmethesimplelife]

I just read that New Zealand is sending us human rights teams. http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner...fergu?s=mobile

Wow. What a message to send to the rest of the world - that the United States needs human rights teams sent to calm things down. Wow. Just wow. I am in awe, total awe, of how little common sense I have seen - overall - from the authorities in this case. Amazing. Next time I hear any news program speak of looting and violence somewhere like Caracas, I'll be shaking my head and thinking - we've got our own mess to clean up, why not make news by focusing on THAT? Rob

[Spartana]

It just seemed unnecessary, considering you can probably see entrance and exit wounds externally, and figure out the directions and proximity to the policeman.

They may also want to look at things like probable brain dysfunction caused by disease and/or drug use that may have caused him (Brown) to act irrationally. Given his size, he might have been a high school football player who suffered head trauma at some point. But mostly they will want to rule out things rather then look for things. Best to be thorough in a case like this.

[gimmethesimplelife]

They may also want to look at things like probable brain dysfunction caused by disease and/or drug use that may have caused him (Brown) to act irrationally. Given his size, he might have been a high school football player who suffered head trauma at some point. But mostly they will want to rule out things rather then look for things. Best to be thorough in a case like this.

Hey Spartana, are you still travelling? If so where are you checking in from? Just curious. Rob

[CathyA]

First of all.......we don't NEED Amnesty International to "help" us.
And why is everyone ignoring the fact that (yes......a young black male was shot....but we still haven't gotten all the FACTS yet), the police are dealing with some violent people who are throwing those home-made explosives, looting innocent people's stores, etc., etc.? I don't understand why even the media is trying to make this look bad for the police who are trying (at this point in time) to control the violence at this point.
And I suggest those members of Amnesty International maybe try living among some of people who are causing most of these problems......then we'll talk about love and peace. Why does it seem like everyone is supporting the criminals?? Yes, I know the kid was shot 6 times. But still, we don't know the facts yet.

[Spartana]

About the grappling for the gun - why not just taser then?

Taser aren't always effective. Things like heavy clothing can effect them, the barbs don't always make proper contact, and some people can just pull them out - and a big guy like Brown may have been able to do that. So if someone is grappling with you for your firearm, and possibly overpowering you, then going for your taser is probably the last thing you want to do. Protecting your firearm from being grabbed by an assailant means not only protecting yourself from possible harm, but protecting innocent bystanders from possibly being shot by the assailant as well.

[Spartana]

And we don't know if this thug - and I will call the deceased a thug - went after the cop's gun or not.

And we don't know that he didn't. Or that he did retreat and have his hands in the air when the cop shot him. So until forensic evidence about the gun wounds is done, we don't know anything and speculation on either side as to what happened, and why it happened as it did, is just that...speculation. The eye witnesses seem to be biased IMHO, although their statements are extremely important and, if what they say happened is backed by forensic evidence, then should shed a huge amount of light on the situation. Otherwise, unless the cop had a camera on him or his vehicle, or someone else did, then it's all up in the air.

[gimmethesimplelife]

First of all.......we don't NEED Amnesty International to "help" us.
And why is everyone ignoring the fact that (yes......a young black male was shot....but we still haven't gotten all the FACTS yet), the police are dealing with some violent people who are throwing those home-made explosives, looting innocent people's stores, etc., etc.? I don't understand why even the media is trying to make this look bad for the police who are trying (at this point in time) to control the violence at this point.
And I suggest those members of Amnesty International maybe try living among some of people who are causing most of these problems......then we'll talk about love and peace. Why does it seem like everyone is supporting the criminals?? Yes, I know the kid was shot 6 times. But still, we don't know the facts yet.

I'm not "supporting" the criminals per se. I understand that on BOTH sides there have been major mis steps and events showing a lack of common sense. I also am against rioting and looting - what possible good is going to come of rioting and looting, especially now since it will be posted online and go around the world in zero to sixty flat?

Having said that, in the America I know, one sides instinctively against the authorities. As I've posted before, I've seen police brutality and racial profiling at work before here in Phoenix and I just don't have faith or trust in the police or the courts. Lower income people tend to get hassled much more by police and also tend to be sentenced for longer periods of time than people of higher socioeconomic status. I'm not OK with either of these facts so of course knowing this and having seen it in action, could you honestly expect me to auto-side with the police?

I also think it's great that Amnesty International is arriving.....we seriously need as a country to get out of denial about race issues, inequality, race-based differences in police behavior and I think it's great that due to the Internet, this sorry spectacle will give the rest of the world a chance to see some of the rot in America.....It's time we were held accountable for it in the sense we ceased denying it, and it's time something was done about it. Long past due. Maybe this is another place where the Internet and social media can do some good - they can flatten denial to some degree.

I just read online that forensic evidence shows Micheal Brown did surrender before being fatally shot. Anyone interested google this or just go to yahoo.com news to read the story. If this is true.....heaven help us as a nation if the cop is let off scott free. Here I may be in the minority but I'm afraid outside this board? I'm not the only one who thinks this way.....At a very minimum I see heavy handedness and a lack of respect for basic human rights (just look at how journalists have been treated that were not part of protesting or looting or rioting) by the authorities involved to date. OTOH, I don't believe the looters and rioters are making their side look so great, either. Engaging in illegal behavior will not bring back Michael Brown and it may be used in court to get the cop off scott free - duh? Hello - the looters and rioters need to wake up and realize that if social change/laws being revisited and potentially changed is to happen - they need to not be giving excuses that can be used to keep the status quo. It's like DUH? Both sides need to wake up and smell the percolating beans (I had an aunt in Georgia, RIP, who used to say this). Rob

[CathyA]

In reading articles about why the blacks of Ferguson are reacting the way they are, is that there aren't any black policemen there. Why not? How many blacks have applied for jobs there and been turned down? Were they qualified and turned down? Why isn't anyone bringing up the issues of how difficult it might be for Caucasians to be in the middle of a culture that they're not that comfortable with? Or among a group of people (within that community) who are consistently causing trouble. All I'm saying is cops are only human and they have their tipping points too. They can reach saturation points where they just can't deal with one more thug.
And I think the media seeming to take the side of the protestors is demonstrating how totally unacceptable it is to say anything negative about a certain race of people.......even if they are acting in an unacceptable way.

[CathyA]

Rob........the looters don't give a rat's ass about social change or laws.

And we STILL don't have the facts yet.....no matter what Yahoo might be saying.

[gimmethesimplelife]

And we don't know that he didn't. Or that he did retreat and have his hands in the air when the cop shot him. So until forensic evidence about the gun wounds is done, we don't know anything and speculation on either side as to what happened, and why it happened as it did, is just that...speculation. The eye witnesses seem to be biased IMHO, although their statements are extremely important and, if what they say happened is backed by forensic evidence, then should shed a huge amount of light on the situation. Otherwise, unless the cop had a camera on him or his vehicle, or someone else did, then it's all up in the air.

Yahoo.com news is now reporting forensic evidence shows that Micheal Brown did surrender before being gunned to death. I have not seen any forensic determination if he went after the gun, though. So at the moment we don't know. Actions since the shooting sure don't make either side look all to savory to me, though.....It's like siding with the lesser of two evils at the moment. Rob