Ferguson Missouri Police Officer Charged and Sued
Some of those who support Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson wonder why the Department of Justice came so quickly to Ferguson, Missouri after Wilson killed Michael Brown, including sending delegates to Michael’s funeral. It’s because of an accumulation of complaints filed with the DOJ that allege and demonstrate a pattern of violations of civil rights, such as the one involving Ferguson police officer Jaris Hayden.
Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson
On October 9, 2013, Ferguson police officer Jaris Hayden stopped a pregnant woman for a traffic violation. On November 12, 2014, the tables were turned and Hayden was arrested. He faces four felony charges, including sexual contact with a prisoner and acceding to corruption by a public servant. Hayden is free on a $10,000 bail.
DNA analysis confirmed pubic hair on the inmate from Ferguson police officer Jaris Hayden.
The victim who was pregnant, known by her initials J.W., has filed a suit in federal court seeking compensatory and punitive damages based on allegations that she was made to perform oral sex on, and was raped by Hayden.
The law suit alleges:
“The conduct of City of Ferguson law enforcement in engaging in repeated acts of violence and constitutional violations against the citizenry constitutes a pattern. The City has taken inadequate steps or no steps at all to control the violent acts of its law enforcement personnel.”
Read more at this link.
Posted on 11/17/2014, in Cops Gone Wild, Michael Brown - Ferguson and tagged arrested, Darren Wilson, DOJ, Ferguson, Ferguson police, Jaris Hayden, lawsuit, Michael Brown, rape. Bookmark the permalink. 81 Comments.
We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident 
Who can blame the citizens for being wary when the police are policing themselves?
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So true, there needs to be a separate Internal Affairs office with no affiliation to a police agency to investigate police complaints.
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Towerflower, ABSOLUTELY! But then, we have the “small town” problem where everyone who is anyone is related to or neighbors of everyone who is anyone.
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This is a joke right ?? We’re being punked……no doubt.
We’re not ?? Sooooooo, with all eyes on Ferguson, this dip shit is arrested for forcing himself on a pregnant woman because…………(insert criminal stupidity here)
So…….lets ask…….the NRA right wing gun nutZZ……I guess if she was armed, this wouldn’t have happened.
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Racer,
That’s a good one about she should have been armed. But, he was a cop and there would be yet another “justified” deadly shooting in response to rape. The DOJ needs to clean out that entire police department.
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Lorena Bobbitt would’ve fixed the *ast%rd! Similar incident of sexual assault in Rialto, Ca 2012 is what ignited the final straw of either disbanding Rialto PD or use body cams.
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LOL@Peni Re: Lorena Bobbitt. The Ferguson police department needs a disinfectant.
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Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
These facts continue to blow my mind!! SMH …
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Hey Horty! Violations against the body are devastating. I hope that the victim prevails on her lawsuit so she can pay for professional counseling.
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Agree …. I’m sure & hoping that you will keep us updated. What is wrong with Ferguson PD??
Jeez …
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Horty,
Absolute power in the hands of few who, if not but for the fact that they have such power, would not work in that community no matter the salary and benefits.
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And what can be done to stop that? These questions burn in my mind … there are no answers and there are no solutions.
It’s debased lack of any ethics and of what it right and wrong!!!
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Horty,
The only option given to people is to go to the civil court for redress. Eventually, the insurance companies that cover entities for liability will have to re-think their procedures — maybe require that individual police officers have to carry their own liability insurance, at their own expense, with a reduction in rates for each year they work without a complaint.
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The courts are soooo slow & backed up, right?
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Horty, the federal courts are not slow in moving on cases but rather, defendants can tie things up for years with continuances regarding discovery, motions to dismiss or motions for summary judgment, many of which make the rounds through the appellant system regardless of the party that prevails.
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Dang. When I saw this title in my Reader I was hoping it was about Darren Wilson being charged. But, still, good for this.
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Hey J.R. Sorry — I wish that he had been about Wilson. Maybe soon — maybe soon.
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The DOJ needs to address and investigate each and every complaint against the Ferguson police department. Obviously the FPD is not doing a good job with its internal investigations.
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Reblogged this on MrMilitantNegro™.
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This to me serves 2 purposes. 1. It’s good to see a LEO charged with a crime that one is accused of committing. Especially a sex crime against a pregnant female. That is extremely low. 2. This gives the illusion of law breaking police in Ferguson being dealt with,all the while giving Darren Wilson( I hope this doesn’t happen,but its being set up this way) a free pass for killing an unarmed person.
It’s interesting that Jaris Hayden is a Black LEO.
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Chuquest, Hayden could be polka-dotted in all the colors of the rainbow then some — if he is guilty of the allegations, he should be found guilty and serve his time behind bars. As far as Wilson, his destiny as a convict is in the hands of his comrades, like McCullough, (not withstanding the DOJ’s investigation). Hopefully, the DOJ will find evidence of conspiracy to violate civil rights in that entire Ferguson system.
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Xena,I want Hayden if he did this to be locked up on all charges. Too many LEOs whether police,corrections,get away with Crimes. Hayden being Black doesn’t give him a free pass form me. I just hope he doesn’t become the focus of awful and criminal activity if Ferguson police. I hope this clears things up ,if there was any misunderstanding.
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Chuquest,
Thanks for your kindness, but it is me who should apologize if there was any misunderstanding. The cyber-extortionists are at it again with malicious, fraudulent, “racist” allegations, which caused me to write in a defensive attitude just after receiving that info from a third-party, (because I don’t follow their crap and they use third-parties to let me know what they are saying).
To the best of my belief, and based on my experience, everyone who participates on this blog desires equal justice for all. Yes — I agree and also hope that this case doesn’t take focus from the criminal activity of the Ferguson police department. Had Miss Filth not started her distraction game, people would be pleased to know that a person who abused his authority to violate a human being has been arrested, and the victim is seeking redress in the courts. Race of the parties make no difference — the law has to apply to all.
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Whoops! While many people are busy thinking that yet another police officer is guilty of a major offense, no one bothered to check the facts out first… The arrested individual is/was not a police officer, he was a corrections officer in the city jail. While that information does not mean the individual is innocent nor does it mean that he should not have been charged with a crime, but what it does mean is that we should perhaps spend a little more time checking the story out before we start screaming for blood. I saw the tweet that this story came from and if I had simply accepted it as fact, I would have thought it was a police officer… Too many people tweeting that have an agenda and feed false information to inflame and incite people…
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2014/11/17/ferguson-police-officer-raped-woman-in-jail.html?ana=twt&%3Br=full&page=1
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Mothman,
I saw some cyberharassers try to make a big deal over Hayden’s title. (Indeed, I saw the same liar transform a job title in a court document to something else in her effort to defame.) It’s a distraction. The reporter did not distinguish that Hayden was a corrections officer, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is accused of raping the woman. It doesn’t change the fact that he has been charged, and it doesn’t change the fact that the he and the City of Ferguson are being sued.
I wrote the post based on the news report and I’m not about to be distracted from the facts that hold merit in the case. His job title could have been Chief fingerprinting officer for all I care.
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Xena, While I hope that you don’t consider my comments as one of a cyberharresser, IMO it is extremely important to realize that with all the current problems that the Law Enforcement Community is involved in, it is unfair to place this man into their ranks unfairly (to them), he is not law enforcement, he is not certified as a law enforcement officer. By correcting his title, I in no way distract from his having been charged and arrested. I am however surprised that no one has asked why it took over a year for that charge and arrest to be made! Would he have been charged had the Mike Brown murder not taken place causing national focus on the Ferguson Police Dept.?
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Mothman, I didn’t consider your comment as one of a cyberhasser. Rather, it is a Miss Filth who introduced that distraction and I know her motive. She supports Darren Wilson and thinks she can play a race gamed by arguing that Blacks will say Hayden was arrested because of his race. The Canadian Miss Filth is playing piggy-back with her “wait on the facts” mantra about Darren Wilson, trying to provoke argument that maybe Hayden was setup and is innocent, which in their minds, gives them ammunition to say that Wilson is also innocent but judged guilty because of the color of his skin.
I place Hayden in the ranks of LE because he had the authority and power to abuse same to commit the alleged crime. He processed the inmate and placed her in a cell. That is not a job performed by civilians.
Re:
Speculation but maybe by asking some realistic questions, we can reasonably presume the reason for why it took over a year. First, let’s set the stage on what we know. Remember the man who was tased to death by Ferguson officers? His family recently filed suit although the death occurred years ago. His family member said that no attorney in Missouri would take the case going against the Ferguson police department.
The questions are:
1. How long does it take for the average person to obtain private legal counsel to file such a suit?
2. You are a woman who was pregnant at the time of the incident. There are charges. You have to go to court. You might have to pay a fine. You have to give birth. How do you set your priorities?
3. The only evidence you have is pubic hair removed from the alleged offender. Do you know how to get it tested for DNA and if you know, can you afford the cost? You don’t dare turn it over to the Ferguson police department because you have no trust in them. Is this something you need to do before you obtain legal counsel, or something you wait on?
4. There are hospital reports. Do you know how to get the records? Is there a charge for the records? Do you venture out getting this yourself, or wait until you get legal counsel who knows the rules and procedures for verification/certification of documents so they can be used in court if necessary?
5. When you speak with a lawyer about it, does that lawyer have experience litigating such lawsuits, or will he or she need to conduct research first? Will they require a retainer? Who pays the filing fees for a federal cause of action? Municipalities cannot waive service of summons so there’s an additional cost to serve via the U.S. Marshall or private process service. Who pays that? If the client, how long will it take to accumulate the necessary money?
Hence, my speculation is that it took a year for the victim to have her child, find an attorney, and then find a DNA service, wait on the results while also getting the victim’s medical records. Even if the law firm pays the costs and service fees, it doesn’t mean that the firm just has that money sitting in a Trust account waiting on cases when clients cannot afford to pay costs.
Chances are that it was the attorney who followed procedures to get the pubic hair tested for DNA, get the DNA results to the prosecutor, who then took the matter before a grand jury that meets once a week before an arrest warrant was issued.
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Xena, The victim did go to the hospital after the alleged rape, and it was stated in one of the articles that that expense was paid by the “Missouri Crime Victim Fund”, with that in mind, one can only assume the Prosecutors Office was notified of the alleged rape. Why did they not charge this man at that time? Why was it only after she filed a legal action against the city in federal court did they investigate and make an arrest? Someone within the Prosecutors office needs to explain why no charges were immediately after the incident. A person should not need to file a law suit in order to receive justice…
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Mothman,
Don’t know. Maybe she had not turned over the evidence of the public hairs?
I totally agree.
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Um yeah, he would’ve been charged had Mike Brown not have national attention because she got a lawyer and the Feds stepped in some time before August and the Feds have more than few personnel with the ability to handle more than a few crimes at a time. and as far as I’m concerned a jailer is a police officer since he/she has the authority and control over a private person’s entire existence, could be considered worse in that aspect.
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I wonder how many White corrections officers were accused of similar misconduct and never investigated or charged.
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Mindyme,
Don’t know. If they are smart enough to rape without evidence of ejaculation, then victims have no evidence. In this case, the victim grabbed hold of some pubic hairs, put them in a baggy, and saved them.
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I’m glad she had the courage to speak up and report this.
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But this is a horrific story. I cant imagine that scenario. my god.
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Shannon, know what? It’s guys like him that make me wish that all of their victims were HIV positive. That is probably why he targeted her — she was visibly pregnant, so couldn’t get pregnant, and he probably assumed that since she was pregnant, that she was STD free.
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So the man who was innocent spent 25 years in prison, and the prosecutor/judge gets to spend a whole 10 days, 500 hrs of community service and loses his law license. He gets to retain his judicial pension. Looks as though he’s in his mid 60’s, so he can sit back and enjoy his retirement. Sounds fair, right?
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Not only did an innocent man spend 25 years in prison, but the person who did commit the murder, later went on and murdered another woman.
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/ken-anderson-to-serve-10-days-in-jail/nbmsH/
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ARRGGGHHH! No wonder so many folks have no faith in our judicial system!
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The punishment is certainly not equal to the damages he caused, but at least it makes precedence — a small baby step that took 25 years to make. He should have been required to make restitution to the victim. Maybe that will come by way of a civil suit.
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One of my favorite parts of this very pointed article.
“Remember a Florida judge instructing a jury to focus only on the moment when George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin interacted, thus transforming a 17-year-old, unarmed kid into a big, scary black guy, while the grown man who stalked him through the neighborhood with a loaded gun becomes a victim.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ferguson-wasnt-black-rage-against-copsit-was-white-rage-against-progress/2014/08/29/3055e3f4-2d75-11e4-bb9b-997ae96fad33_story.html
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Love this article Shannoninmiami! And yes it is so true. Some White folks would rather live in a pre civil rights era than allow equal process and justice for people of color
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What I don’t understand is why so many people think Taaffe has now changed is tune by saying he thinks George racially profiled Trayvon. I look at it this way. Taaffe has always said that the eight previous breakins were committed by young African American Males. “It was a perfect storm”, “it is what it is”, “when you plant corn you get corn.” “So you are saying when George saw Trayvon, he assumed……”What I am saying is all the previous breakins we committed by those of the African American ID, and mine would have been the ninth, but George while out on his patrol noticed someone looking into my window and called the non emergency number. Two weeks later he was caught, and George ID him as the same person who was attempting to break in my home.
The story has always remained the same, what has changed is Taaffe is now admitting that this is racial profiling. I believe Taaffe has know this all along, and for whatever reason, his come to jesus moment, possibly George owed him money or was ignoring him, is now admitting it is what it is, racial profiling.
And about that phone call he can’t say 100% the it was George because it came from and undisclosed number…..”what, he couldn’t recognize his voice.” At least he’s not lying and saying he is 100% sure it is Georgie. And guess what George couldn’t even recognize his own voice, with a little big of prompting, “That’s you George”, George says that’s his voice.
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And guess what George couldn’t even recognize his own voice, with a little big of prompting, “That’s you George”, George says that’s his voice.
Yes.
When Serino said, “That’s you, George,” gz responded by saying, “That doesn’t sound like me.”
[I do think that gz in the voice analysis test perhaps reproduced his BARELY audible (counter) “Help me” that can be heard during Trayvon’s long, desperate cry for help. I think that gz’s “Help me” was a taunt at Trayvon during Trayvon’s cry for help. ]
When Serino played back Trayvon’s cry for help, not only was gz surprised that it had been recorded in Jenna’s 911 call, but he was also surprised that his “Help me” specimen he had done for the voice analysis test was NO WAY near Trayvon’s. His sample did NOT match that cry.
All of this should have been emphasized by the prosecution during the trial. The jury definitely should have been aware that gz HIMSELF said that the recorded cry for help did NOT sound like himself.
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The following (from above) is simply my speculation:
When Serino played back Trayvon’s cry for help, not only was gz surprised that it had been recorded in Jenna’s 911 call, but he was also surprised that his “Help me” specimen he had done for the voice analysis test was NO WAY near Trayvon’s. His sample did NOT match that cry.
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Antonio French @AntonioFrench · 1h 1 hour ago
It’s hard to keep people calm when officials use phrases like “state of emergency”, “precipice of pandemonium” & urge stocking up on water.
rolandsmartin @rolandsmartin 1h1 hour ago
.@repjohnlewis advice to folks protesting #Ferguson: Prepare yourself for the long haul. Change doesn’t happen in the short term #NewsOneNow
“Ferguson: governor ducks taking responsibility for policing protests”
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/18/ferguson-governor-avoids-taking-responsibility-for-policing-protests?CMP=share_btn_tw
Excerpt:
Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri on Monday refused to take personal responsibility for the policing of protests in Ferguson, hours after declaring a state of emergency and authorising the national guard to return to the city where an unarmed black 18-year-old was shot dead.
Asked after his announcement “does the buck ultimately stop with you when it comes to how any protests are policed?”, Nixon gave a faltering response lasting almost 90 seconds and declined to accept authority over potential unrest following an imminent grand jury decision.
Shaun King @ShaunKing · 9m 9 minutes ago
Lastly, @clairecmc, it’s easy for you to trust & wait on Bob McCulloch & @GovJayNixon because these men are YOUR FRIENDS. Clearly not ours.
Charles Wade @akacharleswade · 9h 9 hours ago
Here’s a thought: the National Guard was called in to ensure holiday shopping could continue. Think about it. #Ferguson
Officials said the National Guard would be stationed at shopping centers and government buildings. #Ferguson
So many of us were thinking that they just might try to hold the grand jury decision until after the holidays & closer to Jan. 7th
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Shaun King @ShaunKing · 51m 51 minutes ago
Such an Inspiring video on @NyleFort :
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Video Published on Nov 13, 2014 by Fusion
Nyle Fort recently focused his activism in Ferguson, where officer Darren Wilson killed Mike Brown, an unarmed black teenager, on Aug. 9. Fort was one of thousands of community leaders to descend on the small St. Louis suburb and lend his voice to the protest known as #FergusonOctober. It was an opportunity to deliver a very simple message to the world: “Black Lives Matter.”
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Painting of Michael Brown:
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deray mckesson @deray · 2h 2 hours ago
Why protest? To remind this country that though it was birthed on broken black bodies, we will not allow this to continue. #Ferguson
We waded in the water and sang out instructions on how to live. Music, in our blackness, was literally a way of life. #Blackness
We prayed to a God we barely knew simply because we had to keep our spirit intact in the face of pure evil. We survived. #Blackness
We still knew love, as our families were intentionally destroyed and as our children were sold as toys. We still found joy. #Blackness
See, the blackness I know has survived much more than the likes of Gov. Nixon and Bob McCulloch. We have stared down evil before. #Ferguson
With broad hips and full lips, we became the definers of cool. We birthed the hip in hip-hop. Even our failures are commodities. #Blackness
We have come so far. And yet here we are. Staring down 1,000 guards and the National Guard poised to engage. Here we are. America. #Ferguson
And the fact that we STILL know joy and love with so much institutional hate in our recent history is incredible. #Ferguson
See, “black don’t crack” is about more than our beauty. It is also about our spirit. We continuously face down evil and survive. #Ferguson
Jim Crow is no longer poll taxes and not being allowed to read/write. Jim Crow is now emergency orders and blank police reports. #Ferguson
Did I know Mike Brown? No. // Am I my brother’s keeper? No. // I am my brother. #Ferguson
We protest because our tears have not washed away injustice, because we will not allow our grief to swallow us. #Ferguson
We protest because, at this point, we may choke on our silence. Because we may suffocate in all of the unspoken pain and rage. #Ferguson
Tonight, I’ll be saying the old school “now I lay me down to sleep” prayer before I go to bed.
1,000 officers have been trained to respond to #Ferguson protestors. And a State of Emergency has already been declared. America. #Ferguson
We are a movement of many voices, of many leaders, of many choices. We do not always agree. But we fight as one. We protest. #Ferguson
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Topic: Kendrick Johnson investigation. New video and news.
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OMG!!! that kid who walks by KJ in the lunchroom went in there just to see KJ, he walks in front of him and then turns around and looks like he slaps KJ in the arm on the way out.
I’m not familiar w/many details of Kendrick’s murder but this is a very scary video.
the part where that one kid is pacing in front of the gym is interesting. he looks like he’s panicking at the end of the video, and he goes to get someone else who looks like they’re running into the gym to see what happened. omg!!
All the ppl at the school& police department involved, whoever edited the school video. omg the feds better come get them! we know there’s no statue of limitations on murder but I wonder if there’s one on conspiracy and/or obstruction for the ppl covering this up..
But this is sick psycho racist power, corruption & connections Mississippi burning murder mystery movie type shit!
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“How Ferguson showed us the truth about police” (video with outstanding artwork)
Published on Nov 18, 2014 by Fusion
On August 9th, Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot a black teenager named Mike Brown. Since then, the city has been protesting. The police did not react well.<
Artwork done by Molly Crabapple
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Anyone who hasn’t followed Mike Brown’s murder &protesters should see this! It explains Ferguson and police &political corruption in 4minitutes! Perfect!
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I luv this one, nice!
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Shannon and Peni,
Tonight I am feeling such a deep sadness over all of the injustices I have learned about just in the last two years.
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so heartbreaking…
I so want to see a better world…..when, oh when will it come?
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I am so sad seeing the powers that be in Missouri (and so many in the media) creating a fear campaign against the PEACEFUL protestors. Where is the love??
Where is the thoughtful understanding?? Where is the justice??
Here are some tweets from Natalie Jackson:
Natalie Jackson @NatJackEsq ·
A State of Emergency is an EXTREME measure which suspends citizens rights. Media shld ask WHAT MAKES THIS NECESSARY TODAY? #Ferguson @cnn
Loud, large, unrelenting, aggravating, agitating PROTESTING isn’t rioting or looting nor is it CIVIL UNREST. #PrematureStateOfEmergency
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Yahtzeebutterfly,
It’s propaganda by bigotvoyants. Remember those “riots” we were told would happen if Zimmerman was acquitted? They didn’t happen.
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It can be overwhelming at times. Just think, this is how AA and other minorities have to live/feel our whole lives. Feelings of powerlessness/defeat, yet we put one foot in front of the other and endure and try to make our world a better place to exist.
This movement is tired of the status quo.
Hang in there.
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Thanks for this.
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Eventually, the light overcomes darkness.
http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Kendrick-Johnsons-Parents-Raise-Questions-About-Who-Was-At-Lowndes-High-The-Day-Their-Son-Died-And-When-283115921.html
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“Press Release: MISSOURI LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS DEMANDS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PLAN FROM CITY OF FERGUSON”
November 17, 2014
http://themissouritimes.com/14860/press-release-missouri-legislative-black-caucus-demands-restorative-justice-plan-city-ferguson/
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“Opinion: Bringing attention to persistent injustice”
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/bringing-attention-to-persistent-injustice/article_93530bd4-8e54-5c0f-b100-dd114f7f0fd3.html
7 hours ago • by Johnetta Elzie, DeRay McKesson and Brittany Packnett
This article is so important that I am going to quote it in its entirety.
Xena, if you would have preferred for me not to have quoted all of it, you may erase the quotation and just leave the link. Thanks.
Here is the article:
Over the last 103 days, many pundits, outside observers and outright opponents have co-opted our intentions and ignored our purpose, manipulating our cause to fit agendas that are not our own. Now, having been given the unique opportunity to provide clarity, we want to be unequivocally clear about who we are, why we’re here and why we can’t wait.
WHO WE ARE
We are Americans, exercising the democratic voice gifted us by birthright. We have not brought unrest as it has been called, but rather have brought attention to persistent injustice — and that attention causes discomfort. The status quo is comfortable for those privileged not to live our reality, making the discomfort of awareness necessary. This is the epitome of the free American democracy that Patrick Henry proclaimed, that Frederick Douglass professed, that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. practiced.
We are peaceful. We discipline ourselves and remain resolutely confident in the righteousness of our cause, even in the face of weapons of war. We ensure that actions remain peaceful, purposeful, and focused on our message, not on chaos. That we must continually remind and convince the public of our peaceful stance is disheartening. We are so often irresponsibly labeled as thugs by those who would — consciously or not — use our peaceful protests to revive the myth of the violent black savage.
We are activists, young and old, new and experienced, committed to justice for all people. We believe a change in the culture of law enforcement that leaves unarmed children dead is long overdue. We believe that this is a movement that requires allies from all communities, since all communities should proclaim the humanity of all children.
WHY WE ARE HERE
And make no mistake: Our cause is a call for basic human decency. All children deserve to live their lives in a way that allows them to fully achieve their potential. So we protest, we march and we stand because that opportunity was violently taken from Mike.
We are here to demand that human life has profound value, no matter its trappings, skin color, ZIP code or gender. We are here to focus the spotlight on the unnecessary loss of human life. Stories about assumed chaos after the return of the grand jury’s decision ignore the primary and central fact: an unarmed child was killed far, far too young.
We implore those that scorn and dismiss our protest to walk in our shoes. In too many communities, unarmed black youth, particularly males, are stripped of life and liberty by police officers. Many, far too many, of those unarmed children. And in our peaceful grief, we were met with weaponry meant only for times of war, and invective accusing Mike and our movement of thuggery that justified the violence.
The disruption we have therefore intentionally created reflects the disruption of life we will no longer tolerate. So, if we disrupt the status quo now, know that is an intentional choice. We seek to nonviolently mirror this violent, intolerable disruption of life in our communities. If this were your constant reality, we believe you would make the same choice.
WHY WE CAN’T WAIT
In the days since Mike was shot dead, Kajieme Powell and VonDerrit Myers Jr. were killed, too. A host of peaceful protesters were unjustly arrested. Life, liberty and voice have continually been stripped away.
And as we march toward justice for all lives lost, we also potentially march into danger. While we stockpile signs, we are told that others, who are sworn to protect and serve us, instead mean us harm and are stockpiling guns. Already, heavy-handed police responses to peaceful protests make us justifiably worried about what is to come. Though we are peaceful, we fear for our safety. We fear for our lives.
But while we move toward the unknown, we cannot allow fear to dissolve our movement. We cannot wait for justice, since, too often, delay actually means denial. We must see a sustainable community-oriented shift in the policing of our neighborhoods. We must see the truthful reporting of our cause by responsible institutions. We cannot wait for another life to be lost, for more blood to be shed, for more lines of division to be drawn further and deeper across this city before we change course.
The night they sang a requiem for our fallen brother, our allies asked us which side we are on.
We are on the human side. We hope you stand with us.
“Johnetta Elzie, 25, of St. Louis, has been documenting the events in Ferguson on Twitter: @nettaaaaaaaa. She is co-editor of the #Ferguson protester newsletter.
“DeRay McKesson, 29, is senior director of human capital with Minneapolis Public Schools and is a Teach For America alum. He has been documenting the events of Ferguson via Twitter (@deray) and is the founder and co-editor of the protester newsletter.
“Brittany Packnett, 30, is executive director of Teach For America in St. Louis. She has been named to the Ferguson Commission.
Five others contributed to this commentary.”
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Sharpton: Ferguson Situation Is ‘Very Tense’
Excerpt:
Al Sharpton: “I also think that a lot of the young activists that have been marching and keeping things going have been very responsible and pointedly NON-VIOLENT, and we must support them.”
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“Grand jury decision on Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson could come Friday”
http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/19/justice/ferguson-grand-jury-ruling/index.html
Excerpt:
Ferguson, Missouri (CNN) — The grand jury hearing evidence on the Michael Brown shooting is preparing to meet Friday for what might be its final session, and a decision on whether to charge Officer Darren Wilson could come the same day, law enforcement officials briefed on the plans said.
St. Louis County prosecutors are preparing to present more evidence to the grand jury before starting deliberations, and a decision on an indictment is expected soon after, the law enforcement officials said.
If a decision comes Friday, prosecutors are expected to provide law enforcement with 48 hours notice before making a public announcement, possibly on Sunday.The current plans could still change and prosecutors could shift the planned grand jury session, the officials said.
Prosecutor Robert McCulloch has said he plans to make public all evidence and testimony presented to the grand jury, but there is growing concern from some on how to deal with the identities of people who have testified, the sources say.
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Antonio French retweeted
Robert Cohen @kodacohen · 4h 4 hours ago
Woman living above #MikeBrown memorial moves from Canfield Green apts in advance of grand jury decision in #Ferguson
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Shaun King retweeted
Maxwell @local_maxima · 7m 7 minutes ago
The officer who killed #VonDerritMyers is named Jason H. Flannery.
#Ferguson
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lawyer-identifies-st-louis-officer-who-killed-vonderrit-myers-jr/article_47600cab-5fdb-53d4-bb11-9ced3090263a.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed …
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Shaun King @ShaunKing · 23m 23 minutes ago
Officer Jason Flannery, who killed VonDerrit Myers, sued for racial discrimination:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-ca8-05-01650/pdf/USCOURTS-ca8-05-01650-0.pdf …
Via @sarahkendzior
Shaun King retweeted
Sarah Kendzior @sarahkendzior · 21m 21 minutes ago
Took me about two minutes to find that Jason Flanery lawsuit alleging racism. Wonder why @stltoday didn’t include it in write-up. #STL
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Shaun King retweeted
Sarah Kendzior @sarahkendzior · 42m 42 minutes ago
Now hearing there may be two Officer Jason Flanerys, roughly the same age, each accused of acts of racism. Only in #STL…
Shaun King retweeted
Sarah Kendzior @sarahkendzior · 22m 22 minutes ago
Officer Jason Flanery who was accused of racial profiling seems not to be Officer Jason Flanery who killed Myers and posted racist invective
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You know, the revealing of this officer’s name by the lawyer for Vonderrit’s family seems very odd to me. And, the timing seems odd also.
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What seems odd about it? Do you think that the attorney has known for awhile?
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The article seem to say that he had known for some time because
“The officer’s name is listed on an evidence envelope that was inadvertently included with Myers’ body when it was delivered to the funeral home, said Jermaine Wooten, one of the family’s lawyers.
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Actually, it was the family that release the name.
The lawyer said the Myers family released the name out of frustration that the department did not…
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Chris King @chriskingstl · 9h 9 hours ago
We decided the Jason Flanery story – given to us and the P-D last night – could wait out of respect for public safety. Why now?
Chris King @chriskingstl · 9h 9 hours ago
The lawyers’ document dump on Flanery that we got included pictures of his wife and her name. At least the P-D didn’t include that.
I’d post the documents from the lawyers to demystify another spoon-fed @stltoday “exclusive” but for the dumb cop’s wife pictured in them.
Last night I was tweeting about news directors being bouncers who sometimes need to keep a story out, for now. Now you know why.
Does “P-D” stand for “Post Dispatch”?
Chris King is “managing editor of St. Louis American.”
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John H. Clarke explains past reactions re: boycott/protest peaceful vs violent
the first minute 8 seconds says a mouthful.
http://t.co/CIJiSS5UJq
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I am looking forward to watching this video, Peni.
Thanks for posting it!
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Shaun King @ShaunKing · 12m 12 minutes ago
OK. Ready. The next tweet is the most important tweet I’ve ever shared on the murder of Mike Brown. Please RETWEET it like crazy.
Shaun King
@ShaunKing
BREAKING VIDEO.
Police Lied. Mike Brown was killed 148 feet away from Darren Wilson’s SUV.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/20/1346374/-BREAKING-VIDEO-Police-Lied-Mike-Brown-was-killed-148-feet-away-from-Darren-Wilson-s-SUV …
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131 feet, 1 inch (Distance between the fire hydrant and where Mike Brown died)
+ 17 feet (distance between the fire hydrant and the driver’s side door of Darren Wilson’s SUV)
= 148 feet.
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From the article:
http://images.dailykos.com/images/109041/large/Photo1.jpg?1412350336
“Our starting point, which is 17 feet behind the driver’s side window of Darren Wilson’s SUV is this yellow fire hydrant next to the storm drain.”
http://images.dailykos.com/images/116840/large/michael_brown_family_scene600_2.jpg?1416513738
“Our end point is 2943 Canfield. Notice the building number in the back of this photo below where Mike Brown’s father and family members are standing over the exact location where Mike Brown was murdered.”
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