Justice Department – Ferguson Police Department Routinely Violates Constitution and Federal Law.
USA Today reports;
“A Justice Department review has found that the troubled Ferguson Police Department engaged in a pattern of racially biased enforcement during suspect stops and used unreasonable force against a disproportionate number of African American suspects, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the findings.”
The results of the investigation were detailed in a meeting between Ferguson and Justice Department officials on Tuesday. The full report should be released by tomorrow.
The Black population in Ferguson is 67%. However, the Justice Department conducted an investigation that covered 3 years, and found that 85% of people involved in vehicle stops were Black; 90% who received tickets were Black, and 93% of those arrested were Black. Were they all guilty? No. The Justice Department found that police in Ferguson routinely made arrests without probable cause. Blacks were twice as likely to be searched during vehicle stops but less likely to be found in possession of contraband.
Huffington Post reports;
“The investigation also found evidence of racial bias by police officers and municipal court officials. One email circulated on an official Ferguson email system in November 2008 said President Barack Obama wouldn’t be president long, because “what black man holds a steady job for four years.”
It’s good news that these things have been brought to the open, but it is still sad that such oppressive things take place.
This is a developing story so please check the comment section for updates.
UPDATE:
The DOJ’s investigative report has now been added to the Document section on the right-side border of the blog.
Posted on 03/03/2015, in Cases, Cops Gone Wild, Department of Justice, Michael Brown - Ferguson and tagged discrimination, DOJ, federal, Ferguson, investigation, Thomas Jackson. Bookmark the permalink. 184 Comments.
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Yep.
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This was a no brainer!! Of course they are racist. We all knew this already. My my my the texts, e-mails and other evidence that shows just how racist will be endless.
Since Trayvon’s death, it is no longer assumed that if a White man shoots a person of color ‘there must’ve been a good reason’ .
Perhaps this is the positive change that will come from Michael Brown’s death. Police departments all over America are changing the way they do things. Seattle is taking a BIG stand. This is fantastic
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2015/0220/Seattle-police-union-s-ultimatum-Officers-need-to-accept-diversity-or-leave-video
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Mindyme, did you read about the email that joked about a Black woman having an abortion, and receiving a check from Crime Watchers? That type of bigotry is absolutely hateful. Not even future generations have a chance pursuing the American dream when there are people who can destroy their future with the stroke of a pen who are in positions of authority.
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A stain on the Ferguson police department. This is the year the White hoods come off.
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Yes, Mindy…..plus any remaining individuals who have the thinking of the Redshirts:
Excerpt from Wikipedia
In 1875, under the Mississippi Plan of the Democrats, a political dual-pronged battle to reverse the otherwise dominant Republican trend was waged. White paramilitary organizations such as the Red Shirts arose to serve as “the military arm of the Democratic Party.” Unlike the Ku Klux Klan (which was defunct by then), the Red Shirts operated openly, with members known in local areas; they sometimes invited newspaper coverage, and their goals were political.
They were well-armed, with private financing for the purchase of new weapons as they took on more power. The first step was to persuade the 10 to 15 percent of Scalawags (white Republicans) to vote with the Democratic party. Outright attacks and a combined fear of social, political and economic ostracism convinced carpetbaggers to switch parties or flee the state.
The second step of the Mississippi Plan was intimidation of the black populace. Planters, landlords and merchants used economic coercion against black sharecroppers with limited success. The Red Shirts more often used violence, including whippings and murders, and intimidation at the polls. White paramilitary groups, also called “rifle clubs,” frequently provoked riots at Republican rallies, shooting down dozens of blacks in the ensuing conflicts.
(Same thing happened in S.C. and elsewhere. Remember that the Republican party was the party of Lincoln that Blacks belonged to.)
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The Ku Klux Klan was very busy in Arizona and California as late as 1925. And of course are still doing their thing in various places around the country. They were passing out flyers in a small town in central AZ in the mid-1990s.
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A South Carolina U.S. senator was surrounded by “Redshirt” supporters in the late 1930’s as the election returns were coming in.
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from a N.C. page:
http://ncpedia.org/red-shirts
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This makes me so mad. “88 percent of documented use-of-force incidents were against African-Americans. The good old boy system of law. Of course.
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I am NOT Darren Wilson…………and I’m damn glad of it !!!
This is certainly about time a report tells the truth. I hope everyone who made any hateful / racist comment or issued an illegal ticket, or made an illegal arrest is named.
I’m thinking the chief and his PR guy are sweating a bit about now.
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Of course we expected this, I mean the Prosecutor raised money for Wilsons defense and allowed a woman who was mentally ill who lied to authorities in the past to testify as an eye witness.
The way they treated the Michael Brown shooting from start to finish you knew there was a racial element to ferguson.
I really hope the prosecutor losses his job
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That was such a slap in the face, and they didn’t even care that everyone knew it. The ‘witness’ who wasn’t even there that day and the prosecutor raising money for the defense. It was so blatant.
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It was so blatant.
This kind of boldness is increasing across the U.S.
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A New picture of Darren WIlson has emerged on Twitter and it shows him in a group of people.
The lady he is all nestled up with was a former court employee who was fired for blatant racism…
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And they needed an inquiry to determine that….
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I know right??
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Now let’s see if anything’s done about it. It’s not as if there’s any less corruption or any oversight through local government, etc.
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Exactly
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Lisa Bloom @LisaBloom · 3h 3 hours ago
Ferguson PD: given today’s scathing DOJ report on your racially biased policing, how about starting with an apology to the AfAm community?
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Remember how often the Ferguson protesters chanted:
Hey Hey Ho Ho
These racist cops have got to go!
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Millions across the world did too!
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Reblogged this on IdealisticRebel's Daily View of Favorites.
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Hey Barbara! Thanks for the reblog.
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Antonio French @AntonioFrench · 4h 4 hours ago
Ferguson is just one of 90 municipalities in St. Louis County. Others are just as bad. I hope the DOJ doesn’t feel that their work is done.
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And today Gabby Giffords and her husband took up another torch to stiffen checks for gun purchases. I say we need to support this. The NRA posted the same tired old story that most crimes are committed with stolen guns.
We can’t argue stolen guns get used in crimes………BUT !!
Fogens wasn’t
Duuuhhnnn’s wasn’t
Wilson’s wasn’t
Wafer’s wasn’t
Loehmans wasn’t
And God only knows how many others who were shot by “a law abiding citizen”
Need I say more.
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Racer,
I agree. Checks for gun purchases and more training is needed. Toddlers have shot and killed siblings, kids have killed moms, — all by accident. A felon having a gun in a motel and it goes off and kills a kid in the next room. A guy using a shotgun as a crutch and it goes off and kills a girl in another apartment. It seems that more people with guns to protect themselves during the commission of a crime have caused just as many or more deaths as criminals who use guns to conduct a crime, without ever firing it.
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Gun Violence Archives is a site that tracks and verifies gun incidents on a daily basis. 2,000 deaths have been recorded as of yesterday
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Chris King @chriskingstl · 2h 2 hours ago
Anybody else imagining the SNL skit version of those geniuses in Ferguson going over the DoJ report & preparing a response?
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Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
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Michael Skolnik retweeted
Charles Wade @akacharleswade · 8h 8 hours ago
I’m less interested in validation from the DOJ and more interested in action by the DOJ. What. Next?!
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retweeted
Whorus Grant @Rize4Eva
· 2h 2 hours ago
: They fired an officer for a racist email. BUT NOT FOR KILLING MIKE. Bye.
Hi Yahtzee, I was listening to James Knowles (mayor) just another Band-Aid fix speech. He didn’t take any questions.
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I missed his talk. He doesn’t sound too serious and up to doing serious work if he cannot even take questions.
I imagine that officer will just go to some neighboring PD since they have kept him/her anonymous.
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A must-read article at this link:
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/09/04/rdevro-hed-tk/
In Ferguson there are no public defenders for minor violations. Thomas Harvey is the executive director of “Arch City Defenders” who step in to defend and protect the under-served and poor defendants of minor violations.
Excerpt from article:
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Get your act together Ferguson PD! This is the 21st century not the bloody 19th/early 20th and back! It’s folks like you keeps dragging the rest of the world’ s arses into the past and give other officers a bad name!
Seriously, it takes such a huge amount of effort to make up for sins of the past and build a society/country on a foundation of equality and trust… then arseholes like these just dash it all in the blink of an eye. I think their should be higher educational standards and tougher measures of screening for PD candidates to keep undesirables out.
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And they seem to find no shame in being so backwards!!
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The shame is their own ineptitude in their societal roles.
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Hey Kev! You know, I cannot understand why people would want to work in a community where they would not want to live. That standard alone should screen-out candidates. People who live in the communities where they work are more unlikely to use abusive acts against its citizens.
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The problem with that is finding the right skill sets in people and/or the fact that there may not be enough jobs for everyone in the community due to population density. There are no easy answers to that, I think. All communities need educating properly and this isn’t being done. People should be able to work anywhere and transfer their education/skills/experience etc. I think is is probably a totally different issue to be honest.
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Kev,
Maybe I’m still caught in the 1960’s where those who sought professions did so to benefit their community, and even if they subsequently moved, they returned to the community of their roots to perform their work. That happened with law enforcement, physicians, teachers. Now, some police departments recruit from other states. There are no roots in the communities where many law enforcement officers work and thus, little to no understanding of the people, culture and even other resources.
To be more exact, if I chose to work in law enforcement, I would not want to work in a community where I have never lived and wouldn’t want to live. IMO, that indicates a bias towards the very people I am to serve and protect.
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Xena,
“To be more exact, if I chose to work in law enforcement, I would not want to work in a community where I have never lived and wouldn’t want to live. IMO, that indicates a bias towards the very people I am to serve and protect.”
While I agree with that statement in theory, the problem is that it would probably be an unrealistic goal. Using Ferguson as an example, how would you find a labor pool of applicants? It has been suggested that the standards for becoming an officer in that city be lowered to reflect the qualifications of the labor pool, but IMO that goes against the demand that officers meet higher standards. I bothers me tremendously that while the call went out to register new voters in the area found little response, we still hear people claim that it is the political leaders that are at fault, yet they opportunity to bring about change was for all intents ignored. I fail to understand how we can have our cake and eat it as well. How do we expect a law enforcement group to increase their standards of treatment of all people, while at the same time lowering the standards of those that gain the position? Do we force people who become officers in an this area to move to the area? We have a problem nation wide in the law enforcement business (yes business) in which we demand qualification that most off us could/would not meet, and then we do not understand that we (as citizens) hold some responsibility for the outcome. We demand change, yet many of us are unwilling to accept that the change must originate first with us as individuals accepting our responsibility for being part of the problem. Change that will fix this problem “MUST” first be balanced fairly for “All” individuals within in the community and not just for a select group, or it will ultimately fail…
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Mothman,
Now you remind me of the attitude of the generation coming up in the 1970’s where the common idea was if we want change, we must be that change. That is what I believe. Then, many entered politics and education so that the next generation understood their value. The realm of education is important because a child can be encouraged or oppressed in that institution.
I’ve spoken with people who didn’t bother to vote, and the general attitude was “They’re going to do what they want anyway.” Coming in second was that voting would only result in the lesser of two evil candidates.
It appears that it might take the current generation to get the up-and-coming generation in position, (mental and physical), to make positive changes. Oppression is a curse passed from generation to generation until a generation believes that it can be instrumental in making changes.
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“Using Ferguson as an example, how would you find a labor pool of applicants? It has been suggested that the standards for becoming an officer in that city be lowered to reflect the qualifications of the labor pool, but IMO that goes against the demand that officers meet higher standards”
Wait. What? And i’ll be frank (instead of Shannon LMAO) but I actually got pissed off by your post. I find it condescending and demeaning & a few other things I won’t mention about an entire city/group of ppl you don’t even know. but i’ve been reading your comments for at least 2 years& this is the 1st time i’ve ever felt this way so i’m trying extra hard to be as open minded & respectful as i possibly can,
so here goes:
What makes you think there’s a lack of qualified applicants in Ferguson? And WHO, suggests the ‘standards’ whld need to be lowered to ‘reflect’ the Ferguson’s labor pool? You? What standards do you think the residents don’t meet??!! really??
So you’re saying basically that Ferguson residents aren’t qualified to be police officers. So 1st WHAT do you think qualifies one to become a police officer, and 2nd WHY wouldn’t residents meet those qualifications?
It can’t be education because the personal police friends/acquaintances in Miami & fort Lauderdale were rarely college educated. If anything, very little college, 2 years or less, more like a certificate. here, new police officers are not even required a college degree, only completion of specific police training. but it may be similar to the military, if you join the police dept with a college degree you’re automatically bumped up a rank or 2 or something like that. so whether you’re rich or poor, black or white, I can’t think of any REASONABLE reason you’d think there’d be a problem finding qualified ppl in any town in the US.
For reference in Florida
There are four ways one can become a certified Law Enforcement Officer in the State of Florida:
Complete a basic recruit training program for Law Enforcement Officers
Be certified in the State of Florida as a Correctional Officer and Complete a Crossover program from Corrections to Law Enforcement.
Be certified in the State of Florida as a Correctional Probation Officer and Complete a Crossover program from Correctional Probation to Law Enforcement.
Be a certified Law Enforcement Officer in the United States and apply for the Equivalency of Training (EoT) program.
http://www.swfpsa.org/content.php?l=16
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shannoninmiami, (aka “frank”) You are correct in that I know very few people in the area, and my comment was based on news reports involving the question of why there were few minority officers in the city. It was also stated that even when the city advertised and local people applied they did not meet the qualifications that were set out, perhaps that was misrepresented by the city? If my memory serves me correctly, one of the suggestions made by the protesters to allow more people to qualify was to lower the standards to allow people with a criminal record that did not involve an act of force to qualify. That is how and why I asked the question. I have no doubt that there are people in the area who could qualify for the position, however for some reason they do not apply? Could it be the risk involved, or the pay, or the general conditions on the force? I don’t have the answer to that, do you? Then again, in todays environment of intense scrutiny of the police departments, one could actually have some question of why a person would want to subject them selves to the strain of the job, that pays very little for the risk involved.
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oh yeah i heard when they were saying there weren’t enough ‘qualified black applicants,’ but what else do you expect them to say?
but now based on the report by the DOJ we know, in a demented way it’s actually true! look at Wilson for example, he came from another department that was dissolved for racism & corruption, where’d he go? he got hired by racist corrupt Ferguson!
Truth is Ferguson PD isn’t up to the quality & standards required by the residents not the other way around.
yet, tho i know you actually don’t, it still sounds like you have this perception that ppl in Ferguson are a bunch of violent criminals and the ones w/o felonies will need to have their misdemeanors excused in order to qualify for the police department.
AND that’s exactly what the FPD & bigots what us to believe so we’ll be inclined to believe Mike Brown& Trayvon suddenly, w/o provocation tried to MURDER their respective murderers. and as such we shld all thank Wilson & Zimmerman for saving us less brave and/or unarmed folk from being victims of those murderous teenagers/demon/70s gansta w/4 arms.
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shannoninmiami,
“yet, tho i know you actually don’t, it still sounds like you have this perception that ppl in Ferguson are a bunch of violent criminals and the ones w/o felonies will need to have their misdemeanors excused in order to qualify for the police department.”
Ferguson residents are not all criminals and bad people, the vast majority of them are quite similar to what you would find in any city of that size, do they have an over abundance of bad people, IMO, no they do not. If I were to say that all people in any general area were bad would be almost as absurd as my saying that all Police Officers are bad, or all white people are racist. As far as having misdemeanors excused, if I am not mistaken under Missouri statutes any criminal record blocks you from being an law enforcement officer. That is the reason that it had been suggested that the standards be modified to allow many people that had been convicted of minor crimes (possibly unfairly?) be allowed to serve as Police Officers. The real question is how do we raise the standards at the same time as we lower them? Do we give one group of applicants different standards to allow them to serve at the same time that we raise the standards on another group causing them to become not qualified? How do we make the standard and requirement treat each and every applicant equally in all ways? Perhaps the standards need to be taken from the state and federal hands and put instead into the hands of the “actual” members of the community?
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Mothman and Shannon, I want to pipe in here on one issue; that of “criminal records.” It’s not actual “criminal records” but arrest records. That means that an arrest, even if dismissed by the State, or a finding of not guilty, remains unless it is expunged. Personnel of many employers and schools are not qualified to understand an “arrest record” and so they summarily reject applicants.
How many job applications ask if the applicant has ever been convicted of a felony, yet the applicant is rejected for being arrested for a misdemeanor that was dismissed? The answer is many.
Missouri does not permit the expungement or sealing of convictions, no matter how small or how long ago the conviction occurred. That means that a 19-year old arrested and convicted for shoplifting a pencil who 5 years later wants to apply for a position in law enforcement, cannot get that conviction expunged or sealed no matter his/her qualifications to join the force.
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Xena, Thank you for doing a much better job of explaining the problem than I was able to do. It should be interesting to watch them attempt to resolve the problem of raising the standards of law enforcement while at the same time lowering the standards used to qualify people for the position. I still am thinking that the best solution is to allow the community affected to establish the standards for qualification of the officers, but that also has pitfall, much as we have seen on far too many departments.
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Mothman,
IMO, there is a need for people to establish what they mean by “standards” when seeking to change who serves and protects them. Much of it is within the personalities of members of law enforcement. True, it’s not a popularity contest, and that MIGHT BE a reason why some are saying that the police need additional training.
On a personal basis, if I were making a hiring decision, any applicant who failed to meet requirements of a police department previously, would be interviewed more intensely. Most recently, we see where two officers, (the one who killed Tamir Rice and Darren Wilson), were on forces where they were let go. With Wilson, the entire police department was eliminated because of corruption. In such situation, it seems that good-guy officers would seek a position with another force before the proverbial ca-ca hits the fan.
When it comes to training on how to deal with people with mental illness, that should also include mental disabilities. I mean, if a person cannot recognize when a person is Down Syndrome like the three deputies who killed Ethan Saylor, then it’s not a lack of training but a sense of misusing power; excessive force.
Just thinking out loud here, but it might be a benefit for cities to pay an amount of money to county sheriff departments to hire more sheriffs to replace city cops. At least county sheriffs are elected, so if communities have a problem, they have more of a say and more power at the voting booth.
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You can’t beat the good ‘ol days Xena. I see where you’re coming from. A pity that times change and not always for the better. Blessings. 🙂
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Kev, I don’t have it all figured out, but there was a generation in the 60’s that was full of hope for all the right things. Then our heroes died. Entertainers died due to drugs; politicians and others were assassinated. Communities changed. People used to walk to the grocery store, church, and stores. We knew each other. Then came the malls and churches closed because of lack of membership. Now we have mega churches where people don’t know each other and stores where customers never speak with the butchers. Everything is pre-packaged.
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I think I understand exactly what you mean, Xena. I remember when growing up more people knew each other. shop owners knew your name. Today, I don’t feel like I know anyone… not even my neighbours. I’d gladly turn back the clock sometimes. There’s so much missing these day that used to be there… Kids playing out in the street, people saying, hi as they pass by, a little banter here and there with neighbours. It’s as if it’s all died away. Sad, but true.
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Kev, EXACTLY! Even police officers who “walked the beat” were known and knew people in the community.
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And respected… that alone, says a lot. 🙂
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Kev, if we think back and ask when did respect go by the way-side, and figured out all the reasons, will it help America today? That’s a question I am unable to answer.
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Doubtful… we’re dealing with a whole new generation that know of a different life and lifestyles to us. They cannot see, what they do not know. Even as we didn’t see the things of the generation before us, spoke similar to how we do today. 🙂
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Oops… there not their.
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MSNBC just announced that the DOJ will not bring charges against Darren Wilson
The DOJ has released the full report explaining why. As soon as I find the report, I’ll post it.
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Xena, While we might hail the DOJ decision to go after the city of Ferguson as a victory, in effect it is a hollow victory. It has been speculated for quite some time that the city would simply surrender its charter and cease to exist. Even if that does not happen the possibility of substantial change in the treatment of minorities and members of the less affluent part of the community will only be on the surface. We have failed as a nation to develop a means of elimination of racial discrimination, and unfortunately that prejudicial attitude is not owned totally by any one race, despite popular thoughts.
I, noted quite some time ago, making myself rather unpopular to many people, that Wilson would not be charged. Unless we see major changes in the way the laws that cover crimes such as Wilson was alleged to have committed, the problem will never go away. We must unite as a people to force our congress to pass, and the POTUS to sign laws that have fewer loop holes in them that allow this problem to occur. Until that happens we will see unchecked deaths continue to take place with no real consequences to the person that caused the death. The only real victory in the Ferguson ordeal is the strengthening of the GOP/TP and helped ensure the victory they saw in the last election. This problem will only be resolved thru the political process and until we actually “openly” unite it will continue…
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Mothman! Good to see you.
The pendulum swings both ways, unless it’s legislation specifically directed at members of law enforcement.
That is what happens when the only other direct witness is dead and cannot give their side of the story. We, as a people, must esteem others as human beings capable of all the shortcomings of other humans, regardless of the position they hold. It does not reduce the respect for the profession but places those individuals in position to be prosecuted the same as any other citizen.
I agree, and along with that, it is going to require that attorneys take an interest, draft Bills, and go through proper procedure to get them before the legislature or voters. Doing that is generally beyond the capabilities of the average citizen. We don’t need attorneys to wait until they decide to run for political office before pursuing their interests in legislation. We need for them to do that NOW.
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Xena, I am still here, just reached the point that I mainly read and do not write. I feel like the square peg being forced into a round hole, sometimes. If I had a magic wand we would live in a world where we each would be judged by the content of our character rather than by the color of our skin or the region we originated from, but I guess that is something that I will never see in my life time… The ruling class in this nation is yet to show any desire to relinquish control over the common man in this nation and until they have no other choice that is not going to happen. We will continue to be pawns in the manipulation of the racial equality for the benefit of a select few that hold the keys to the country… The delight in keeping us stirred up and at odds with each other and keeping us from truly uniting to place control of this nation into the hands of the population… Have a wonderful afternoon.. Time for me to return to my place of exile… 🙂
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Mothman,
When people in authority violate the constitutional rights of citizens based on prejudice or bigotry, it is by those actions that they stir up perceived pro and con positions. Addressing it to resolve the problem is not stirring up odds and actually, it has resulted in uniting many people from all walks of life and all colors.
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From CNN article today.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/politics/ferguson-darren-wilson-justice-department-report/
The report issued on the Ferguson police’s practices cites racist emails exchanged by city employees to show a culture that abetted discriminatory behavior.
“Our review of documents revealed many additional email communications that exhibited racial or ethnic bias, as well as other forms of bias. Our investigation has not revealed any indication that any officer or court clerk engaged in these communications was ever disciplined,” the report says.
Nor did they ever see cases of someone asking others to refrain from sending such emails or reported as inappropriate.
A March 2010 email mocked African Americans through speech familial stereotypes, using a story involving child support. One line from the email read: “I be so glad that dis be my last child support payment! Month after month, year after year, all dose payments!”
An April 2011 email depicted President Barack Obama as a chimpanzee.
A June 2011 email described a man seeking to obtain “welfare” for his dogs because they are “mixed in color, unemployed, last, can’t speak English and have no frigging clue who their Daddies are.”
An October 2011 email included a photo of a bare-chested group of dancing women apparently in Africa, with the caption, “Michelle Obama’s High School Reunion.”
A December 2011 email included jokes that are based on offensive stereotypes about Muslims.
According to the report, each of these email exchanges involved supervisors of the Ferguson patrol and court operations.
A Justice Department official told reporters that some of the emails were sent by people still involved in helping to negotiate a settlement with the Justice Department. The Justice Department declined to identify them.
City officials informed the Justice Department that “while many FPD supervisors have their email accounts on hard drives in the police department, most patrol officers use a form of webmail that does not retain messages once they are deleted.”
According to the report, members of the community recall officers using epithets in public:
In August 2014, an African-American man was having an argument when officers responded and the man was pulled out of his apartment. He responded “you don’t have a reason to lock me up” officer responded “N—–, I can find something to lock you up on”. Man responded ‘good luck with that’. Cop then slammed man’s face into a wall and when he fell said “don’t pass out motherf—–, because I’m not carrying you to my car.”
In July 2014, a man described walking with friends past a group of Ferguson officers who shouted racial epithets at them as they passed.
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https://twitter.com/WesleyLowery/status/573178946193387522
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DOJ report on the Michael Brown shooting:
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/department-of-justice-report-on-the-michael-brown-shooting/1436/
Department of Justice report on the Ferguson, Mo. Police Department:
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/department-of-justice-report-on-the-ferguson-mo-police-department/1435/
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Yahtzee,
We were posting at the same time. 🙂
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🙂
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Department of Justice report on Michael Brown killing.
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/department-of-justice-report-on-the-michael-brown-shooting/1436/
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Department of Justice report on the Ferguson, Mo. Police Department
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/department-of-justice-report-on-the-ferguson-mo-police-department/1435/
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Against the backdrop of mistreatment of the African American community, the Court clerk and judge granted favors to “their own” (relatives, friends, and other) in dismissing or “erasing” tickets (speeding, parking, etc.).
See pp. 74-5 of above report.
One instance:
In November 2011, a court clerk received a request from a friend to “fix a parking ticket” received by the friends’s coworker’s wife. After the ticket was faxed to the clerk, she replied: “It’s gone baby!”
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Yahtzeebutterfly, “Favors” happen quite often in small towns. It is not limited to the actions of court clerks. Agencies that receive funding for things such as assistance with utility bills are known in some small towns of distributing that funding to their family and friends before processing applications of those who really need the help.
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The report ends with detailed recommendations. And so…..???
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This is ONE reason why the following upsets me. In another small town, I know of a man convicted at trial of a felony. The man has a long arrest history of misdemeanors, but the sentencing person recommended probation and a fine. The fine is over $3,000.
To get out from paying the fine, the man claimed that his only income was as a beneficiary on his wife’s social security retirement. The court told him to pay what he could. He pays $5 a month. HOWEVER, the man also has about $2,000 in monthly income from rental property. Back in the 1980’s he took the sovereign citizen route and learned from one how to place property in Trusts to keep it unknown to creditors.
When an Assistant State’s Attorney was informed about the man’s income, he said that since the judge entered an order for the man to pay what he can, it was not worth their time to bring the defendant back to court. He then turned collection of the fine over to a collection agency.
https://twitter.com/AdamSerwer/status/573181344186028032
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U.S. Attorney General Holder is now on MSNBC holding a press conference.
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deray mckesson @deray · 37s 37 seconds ago
AG Holder notes that the DOJ “reserves it’s right” to use its power to ensure that corrective action is implemented in Ferguson ASAP.
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Press conference:
http://www.ksdk.com/videos/news/local/2015/01/29/3144211/
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Okay, so I am supposed to believe that an unarmed individual, running away from an armed policeman (who has shot at him), suddenly turns around and charges toward that policeman….that the individual charged toward a loaded gun.
I am not supposed to believe that a running-away individual, who has lost the “getaway race” and is fearful that he will be shot at more times, does not turn around and surrender.
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They are relying on the blood droppings behind Michael, and the speculative assumption that he was running, and not walking towards Wilson.
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Umm yeah. that’s right. guess cuz the cop says so & all the other evidence, oh wait, all the other evidence does NOT support Wilson’s story, but some of it can be interpreted to be consistent w/the cop’s story.
So altho Wilson has demonstrably lied about material facts like hearing about the ‘robbery’ & his apparently defective gun jamming several times & lies by omission like how he screamed out his window at taxpaying citizens to ‘get the fuck out of the road’, they expect us to believe the rest of this man’s 100% self-serving statements are totally credible! even when he says he felt like a 6yo child!
I was gonna say that the DOJ would’ve prosecuted had there been a dashcam video or recording from Wilson’s bodycam but we know how that goes.
meanwhile, no one in media mentions that the chief of police initially said they had dashcams for months (from a monetary grant for just this sort of thing), but in the same breath said they couldn’t afford to install them even with all the revenue from fees & fines.
As Maury would say : THAT’S A LIE
Isn’t it interesting that they were able to scrounge together enough money for the nice new SUVs & the extra things necessary to train with & maintain all the military weapons &gear but couldn’t get anyone to install their FREE cams.
basically, it sounds like they’re not prosecuting cops like Wilson becuz he does not admit to any misconduct whatsoever! he says he did every single thing right & Mike, the civilian, the teenager, did nothing right & since Mike’s not here to say otherwise (not that his word would mean anything), Wilson the grown man who feels like a 6yo, is so totally credible there’s no need for even a trial.
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I started reading the reasoning behind the DOJ deciding not to charge Police Officer Darren Wilson. While I keep hearing that this would have been a high hurdle, the analysis should at least be based on facts which are correct. I had to stop reading the report because I was becoming so angry. because a lot of the facts by which the report is based, is wrong. In the future there need to be independent investigators as well as special prosecutors assigned to this type of case.
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Ferguson faillout begins. One cop fired, two suspended for racist emails.
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/the-ferguson-fallout-begins-one-cop-fired-2-suspended-racist-emails?cid=sm_tw_msnbc
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It is not enough. Chief Thomas Jackson needs to go. He is the one who shared the convenient store video when he knew it had nothing to do with shooting. He was the one who oversaw a racially charged police department and the over militarization of his department. He was so proud of his military type PD when giving statements on TV.
The Mayor John Knowles doesn’t seem to get that fixing things here and there will not be sufficient. Changing the culture of an organization with serious systemic problems is a major task. The mayor needs to get this or be asked to leave.
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I agree 100%. And to think they could have avoided all of this national attention had they not covered up for Wilson.
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Usually one cops shows up. Seems as of late LOTS of cops show up and surround the victim while someone on the opposite side of the camera(s) kick and punch then SHOOT! This kind of fear is not good at all.
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I haven’t read the entire report but I did read where they’re suggesting that in lieu of pursuing disciplinary action against officials deemed in violation, ‘the pattern&practice investigation’ recommended “sweeping systemic reform…”
HUH??? If there’s been violations shouldn’t there be a sweeping pattern&practice of DISIPLINE to those offenders?? shouldn’t they be punished to the fullest extent of the law?? shouldn’t a police officer who’s held to a higher standard morally, ethically & legally, be disciplined even more harshly than an ordinary citizen?
what about all those citizens’ lives these ‘officials’ have disrupted w/physical abuse, extortion & emotional abuse? where’s the victim’s justice, their tangible redress for all these civil rights violations??
why do the ‘officials’ get to pursue ‘reform’ w/o being held criminally responsible for committing their crimes & illegal conduct??
If some mutherfuxer put his hands on me & put my face into the pavement with all their weight OR MADE THEIR DOG BITE ME, the very least I’d want is their ass in jail!
If I put my hands on them or told my dog to bite them they’d put me in jail & kill my dog.
Isn’t that the entire excuse Wimp Wilson gave for hitting an unarmed teenager w/5 bullets while chasing him almost 200ft so he could finish him off w/2 more in his head. Wilson the 6’4 220lb helpless 6yo manchild that saw not fear, not terror in the eyes of a kid as he was about to die, but an angry demon?!
nope, this whole thing is bullshit! I know some will win civil lawsuits but some won’t. and what about the ppl who’ve been dealing with years of stress, emotional trauma from being attacked & harassed by ‘officials?’ what about all the ppl who where witness to Mike Brown’s murder or the swat, shot guns, dogs & intimidation as a dead teenager lay on the ground for hours?
WHY AREN’T THESE ‘OFFICIALS’ BEING ARRESTED & PROSECUTED FOR CRIMES??
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Shannon,
That’s the strange thing about the DOJ when it comes to their power over states and municipalities. To punish based on the law, the DOJ must charge and prosecute. They seldom do that when the parties involved are elected or appointed local officials, so they leave that up to local authorities.
That foundation was something that the states demanded as states’ rights during the Civil War which some have described as a way for the states to cloak the ideologies of slavery.
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Basically, Doctor DOJ has x-rayed patient Ferguson, and is now saying to this patient, “Your have broken ribs, broken arms and legs, and broken fingers and toes. Go heal yourself. Bye now.”
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Or another way of putting it:
After finding out that foxes are eating the chickens, the DOJ has reported this and recommended that the foxes fix the situation.
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Yahtzeebutterfly,
It comes with a presumption that foxes can be transformed into some other creature who does not have the same appetite. Isn’t that what they discovered when the police department that Darren Wilson once worked for was closed, and then Wilson went to another department doing the same things?
There are corrective measures for individuals within an organization, but when an entire organization is infected, it needs an extermination plan.
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Yes!!
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Exactly, it’s just like that.
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Wonderful analogy!
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Here is AG Holder’s news conference.
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Jueseppi B. just blogged that Michael Brown’s family is filing a wrongful death civil suit. Yes!! Maybe the correct facts will finally come about the Michael Brown’s death.
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Gronda, can you post the link here to your article?
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GOOD! At least something! At least he’ll be required to answer real questions & wont have the DA to protect him. he’s a punk coward used to having the badge & gun & authority to take a person’s life away from them if they had the nerve to ‘disrespect’ him. I can’t wait to see how he feels w/o all that protection now!
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Here is the link: Michael Brown’s Parents Announce Civil Lawsuit.
by Mr. Militant Negro
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Michael Brown’s Parents Announce Civil Lawsuit. | The …
theobamacrat.com/2015/…/michael-browns-parents-announce-civil-laws…
7 hours ago – Michael Brown’s Parents Announce Civil Lawsuit Published on Mar 5, 2015 Lawyers for the parents of an … Mr MilitantNegro™ Jueseppi B.
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Lisa Bloom @LisaBloom · 8h 8 hours ago
Rare for DOJ to review small(ish) town police and courts as it did in #FergusonReport.They did because of the protesters. Huge props to them
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Does anyone have a link to the audio of the dispatcher about Michael taking cigars without paying for them? Was the audio ever released?
I would like to hear it. What did the dispatcher just say? Did the dispatcher say there was a robbery with no details implying money was stolen or did the dispatcher say that cigars were stolen? Did the dispatcher say that Michael pushed the store owner on the way out or did the dispatcher say there was a “strong armed robbery” as the Chief put it?
I would like to see the clock time on the audio.
The police chief said that Wilson did not know about the store robbery and only confronted Michael because Michael was walking in the street. The DOJ report says differently. Why?
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I do not have the audio. This what I know for sure. There was his sergeant supervisor who came on the scene soon after the shooting. This same supervisor stated specifically during his trial testimony that Officer Daren Wilson did not know about the theft prior to the shooting and that the theft had nothing to do with the shooting. Any ref in the DOJ indicating otherwise is WRONG.
Here are what records I do have.
DISPATCH RECORDS:
Ferguson Police Department Event Report #14-12390 7140 Sick Case.
Location: Tower at 2491 St Cyr, 2 month old child that can’t breathe when she coughs.
11:45 Event opened by sending work area
11:48 ARRIVED ON SCENE
11:48 Set reminder for 300 seconds
11:48 ENROUTE TO SCENE
12:00 CLEAR UNIT
12:00 Complaint number “14-12390’ Assigned
12:00 Records Management Report Opened
12:00:07 Notes added (the address)
12 10:04 Reopen Incident
2014-029062
Copper creek Ct, Ferguson, Mo, Canfield Dr.
12:01:50 Open
12:02:22 Dispatch
12:02:22 Arrive on Scene
12:02:22 Arrival
Incident notes:
8/9 12:04 EMS Contacted
____________________________________________________
Track 369
OFFICER (21) 21, Put me on Canfield with two and send me another car.
____________________________________________________
Track 370
DISPATCHER 21, you’re out on Canfield?
____________________________________________________
Track 371
OFFICER (24) 24, I’m the closest.
DISPATCHER Clear. 24’s responding to your location on Canfield
_____________________________________________________
Track 372
OFFICER (25) 25, I’ll be going out on Canfield. (UI)
______________________________________________________
Track 373
(OFFICER) 22’s out.
______________________________________________________
Track 374
OFFICER (?) Where’s the other one?
_____________________________________________________
Track 375 This track is blank on dispatch records.
______________________________________________________
Track 376
DISPATCHER 10-4 Out on Canfield.
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Thank you so much for your detailed answer, Gronda. In my mind, I had been questioning the DOJ report on this. I had also vaguely remembered the supervisor’s statement about Wilson not knowing about the theft.
Yes, the civil suit will bring out the facts.
Again, thanks!
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Just for the record, the Sergeant supervisor who was the on duty superior on 8/9/14 and who was the first officer to debrief Officer Wilson about the shooting, provided grand jury testimony which specifically indicates that Officer Wilson had no knowledge of the convenient store theft. The data on this fact can be found in Volume V of the grand jury transcriptions, page 56. The following reflects what was discussed.
The prosecutor asked, “Did he talk about the stealing that occurred at Ferguson Market, that he was stopping these two to investigate that?”
The sergeant supervisor answered, “He said he did not have that call, that call I later found out was given to Officer xxxx.”
The prosecutor followed up, “Did he know about it, did he talk about the stealing?”
The sergeant supervisor responded, “He did not know anything about the stealing call.”
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Was this sergeant supervisor also the “Det.” in the detective interview with Wilson on August 10, 2014? Or are they two separate individuals?
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I can answer my own question. The the sgt. supervisor and the Det. are separate individuals.
From August 10:
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When I previously wrote that a lot of the facts are incorrect in the DOJ report, this is what I am talking about. This is why I am glad about the civil suit. I am just worried that the city may settle before all the true facts are exposed.
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“In Ferguson, Some Who Are Part of Problem Are Asked to Help Solve It”
Excerpt:
FERGUSON, Mo. — When Mayor James Knowles III announced Wednesday that one official had been fired and two others were under investigation in connection with racist emails, he said that the behavior was “in no way representative” of the city or its employees.
On Thursday, however, a city spokesman revealed that the fired official was not a low-level officer but the city’s top court clerk, Mary Ann Twitty. In a court system that the Justice Department found was rife with constitutional violations, Ms. Twitty wielded power nearly on par with a judge. The emails uncovered by the Justice Department included a cartoon portraying President Obama as a chimpanzee and a joke about giving a black woman a crime-prevention award for having an abortion.
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Yahtzeebutterfly, court clerks don’t generally have decision making authority, so hearing that Twitty wielded power nearly on par with a judge is very scary. How did she get that power? Someone closed their eyes and allowed it. Imagine working in retail where you change the costs of items for friends and relatives, and raise them for others. There is a supervisor and/or manager who suppose to recognize those things and put a stop to it. So, the problem with Twitty began with whomever placed her in that position. They should all be held accountable.
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I just finished a blog and published it:THE DOJ FACTS REGARDING THE SHOOTING OF MICHAEL BROWN ARE BASED ON MYTHS. It is the first posting under the name of Gronda Morin, if you Google this. I will not be around for this weekend to answer any questions but I hope it helps.
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Thanks, Gronda.
Here is the link for anyone else who’d like to read Gronda’s article:
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FRI MAR 06, 2015 AT 06:41 AM PST
Meet 3 Ferguson employees cited by DOJ for racism & corruption now in charge of cleaning up the city
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/06/1368959/-Meet-3-Ferguson-employees-cited-by-DOJ-for-racism-corruption-now-in-charge-of-cleaning-up-the-city
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ANNOUNCEMENT
The DOJ’s investigative report is now available under the Document section of this blog.
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https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/573946115273269248
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Shaun King @ShaunKing · 33m 33 minutes ago
After losing his Captain and Sergeant due to racism I’m told that Chief Thomas Jackson of the Ferguson PD is expected to resign soon.
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Chris King @chriskingstl
I’m told 1 of the 2 Ferguson cops who resigned over racist emails today was supervisor on scene Aug 9 who Wilson spoke to & was GJ witness.
William Mudd’s testimony to GJ starts at P12 here. First to hear Wilson’s story, resigned over racist emails today.
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1370494-grand-jury-volume-5.html …
Name redacted here, but GJ testimony of racist emailer & Darren Wilson supervisor William Mudd
https://cdn.fbsbx.com/hphotos-xfp1/v/t59.2708-21/10973856_10153116605475610_878739825_n.pdf/Mudd-Grand-Jury-Testimony.pdf?oh=03f0a0e20df2cb47cc5169f0e9ae94d9&oe=54FCBC3B&dl=1 …
William Mudd, Darren Wilson supervisor & GJ witness, emailed the joke about Crimestoppers paying a black woman to get an abortion.
That helps explain the treatment of the body and the public at the crime scene, the racist abortion jokester being responding supervisor.
“You know, respect towards the police nowadays is not like it used to be.” – racist joke emailer Sgt. Mudd before Darren Wilson grand jury
Racist emailer Sgt. Mudd stated he was forced to ask Wilson “stupid questions like how this (fatal shooting) could be prevented.”
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Chris King @chriskingstl · 47m 47 minutes ago
I hope Mudd’s grand jury testimony is dragged through the blood. I am determined to have a Friday night but tell me when Mudd stories pop!
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WOW!!! I’m just reading the 1st lady sergeant who spoke to Wilson at scene when he was sitting in SUV and says what he said when she asked him what happened, then sent him back to the station in her car.
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havent read this thread yet but must comment about this nonsense that the forensics and physical evidence show the hands up was not true….that is utter nonsense, the forensics show no such thing they show one for certain and likely 2 or 3 shots hit Brown from behind OR from the front ONLY if his hand was UP……the forearm shot for certain was from behind or from the front ONLY if his arm was raised……and NOTHING discredited the witnesses that saw his hands up…….this is why the DA did what he did putting people on the stand he KNEW were LYING in an effort to muddy the waters and claim the witnesses were ALL tainted.
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Excerpt from this link:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/article_91dd939f-9454-570d-9741-d98a637699bc.html
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WOW!!! Now that’s taking action!
BUT that word ‘resign’ keeps coming up too often! Isnt it true, if these ppl are resigning, esp these old ones like Mudd ( &his name is MUDD!) don’t they get to still keep their pensions or whatever it’s called, all that?? isn’t that basically like retiring just maybe with a little less benefits than they wanted or a little earlier than they’d prefer since they’re still making more money while working?
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Chris King @chriskingstl · 1h 1 hour ago
Very bummed out to realize the Sgt. William Mudd who finds black abortion jokes funny is this sad old guy
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_gj8pvUYAIyFVr.jpg:large
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It’s Saturday and the 50 year anniversary of the march in Selma. My day started off in peace and I was going between CNN and MSNBC so I can hear speakers about the march. Then, there was a loud knock on the front door. Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I declined their offer to talk, study, attend their “memorial service” etc. and eventually seeing that they were going to continue, I asked them that if I began speaking in tongues would they leave? They continued talking, so I began speaking in tongues and prayed the grace of God upon them — as they continued to talk. LOL! Then they began giving excuses for their behavior, so I began speaking in tongues again and that time, they made it down my driveway in a hurry.
Why can’t they accept “Thank you, but no. Have a good day”? They actually wanted me to tell them why I was not interested in their beliefs. They have chosen their own path and I don’t debate their beliefs.
If they are truly interested in helping the hurting, why not show it by their actions without first requiring that people qualify for their acceptance?
Anyway, I shall now get off that soap box, and back to the subjects at hand. 🙂
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You handled them well, Xena.
Here is a link to the live stream in Selma:
http://www.abc3340.com/story/28287846/selma-50-live-streaming-coverage-from-montgomery
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Thanks for the link Yahtzee. I didn’t want to be tied to the computer and watched it on MSNBC.
I don’t know if I handled the Jehovah’s Witnesses well or not because I can’t get them to consider having mutual respect. In this day, they should realize that coming to houses uninvited is not just an inconvenience but a disruption.
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OT: Another young man, Tony Robinson
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I ached as read the tweets that were being sent out last night about Tony Robinson being shot and killed…unarmed.
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This is really sad…. when will stop??????
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Officer Matthew Kenny who killed Tony, killed previously in 2007.
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Yeah…but I wish I could have watched your “speaking in tongues” performance. 🙂
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Actually Yahtzee, I was very sincere. I don’t play with that gift, and prayed for the grace and love of God to sweep over them and power of the Holy Spirit to indwell them. That is why it was weird for the woman to start defending herself during the interpretation. In other words, she didn’t even respect that I was praying. They don’t pray with anyone other than Jehovah’s Witnesses so she could have easily walked away right then, but she felt the need to argue.
I wonder what she and the man talked about on the way back to the Kingdom Hall? They don’t believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit still exist, so they probably thought I was demon possessed. If so, that’s good, and I hope they blacklisted my address so they don’t come back.
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you have some crazy JWs tho! they’re not like that here. maybe becuz Miami has too many crazys too! a couple of men came by awhile ago and I just told them no thanks. but I was also half naked and smoking a dub! LMAO
you may wanna use that technique next time X 🙂
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LOL@Shannon. It’s too cold here to walk around half-naked, and forgive my ignorance but, what’s a dub?
I know they are suppose to visit a certain number of households to meet their quota for field duty and that might be the real problem here because this is a very rural area and there are simply not enough households. Thus, the reason for persistently knocking on the doors of three houses because there aren’t more.
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Yeah, what is a dub?
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Yahtzee,
Sometimes I feel that there should be a time machine to take me back in time so I can learn things like slang, terms, acronyms and other stuff that is common now among the younger generation. Then I can return to the present being better informed. LOL.
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I did Google , “what is a dub?” and I found the answer.
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It does get warm here in Florida. When one lives alone, it would not be that unimaginable that one would walk around nude while doing something. One morning I was packing getting ready to put the luggage in my car. I had just gotten out of the shower but I decided to go take care of packing up my trunk. Without thinking because I acted out of habit, I opened up the garage door and ran to the trunk of my car before I realized that I had no clothes on and that any neighbor who saw me would have been in absolute shock. I thanked God immensely that no one was there to see anything. It happens!!!
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Gronda, that is funny.
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you squares need to step into 2015! dub is short for dubby!
but these crazy kids today tend to call them blunts. except blunts are wrapped with those tobacco leaves that I find interfere with the herb’s natural aroma & flavor of the herbalessence! LMAO
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LOL@Shannon. I remember “dubbie” from the Doobie Brothers, a singing group from the dark ages. LOL! Michael McDonald who song with them eventually went solo.
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Well, I do know what “square” means. Tee hee 🙂
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The character Sylvia Fine who was Fran’s Mom in “The Nanny,” in one episode, said the Jehovah Witnesses left quickly when she answered the door naked. I wouldn’t want to go that far, but it would be tempting.
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Hey Gronda. Nah, I wouldn’t answer the door naked. LOL! I realize that field service is important to them in achieving their salvation, and I am cordial until they become disrespectful. It bothers me that they are so disrespectful that people have to respond in powerful or funny ways to get them to walk away.
Then of course, they go to the Kingdom Hall to give their report and tell how hateful people were to them while omitting how they provoked such response.
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Ferguson grand juror pushes back in battle to discuss Darren Wilson case
Ferguson, Mo., police Officer Darren Wilson had reason to fear unarmed teen Michael Brown when he fatally shot him last August — it’s now the conclusion of both state and federal authorities.
But just two days after the Justice Department released findings of its probe, a grand juror from the St. Louis County investigation continues to advance a legal battle with prosecutor Robert McCulloch, perhaps calling into question Wilson’s innocence.
On Friday the unidentified juror filed a 21-page memorandum arguing why U.S. District Judge Rodney Sippel shouldn’t dismiss their lawsuit against McCulloch.
The juror — one of 12 to sit on the secret panel — alleges McCulloch publicly misrepresented that “all grand jurors believed that there was no support for any charges,” according to the federal lawsuit. The juror contends McCulloch’s team gave jurors instructions in a “muddled and untimely” manner and presented the evidence in a way that insinuated that the dead teen, not the officer, was the wrongdoer.
http://news.yahoo.com/ferguson-grand-juror-pushes-back-in-battle-to-discuss-darren-wilson-case-230013040.html
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Roderick, thanks for much for that update. IMO, that juror has a very high fence to climb because of statute for grand juries, but we can still hope.
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I am hoping that the issue that Prosecutor McCulloch having already breached the required confidentially rules of a grand jury by releasing all the transcripts and evidence reviewed by the jurors, will bar him from now invoking this rule. As long as the privacy and personal information of any juror without their explicit consent is not part of any future disclosures, I believe there is hope.
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Gronda, the statute sets forth that grand jurors cannot talk about what happened. It doesn’t prevent State’s Attorneys from talking about it. According to Missouri law, the names of grand jurors cannot either be released. That is probably why the attorney representing the juror cites freedom of speech. The judge will have to find that the statute violates the constitution. It’s a high hurdle for the juror.
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“Key grand jury witness resigns over black abortion joke: Darren Wilson’s supervisor exposed in DOJ report”
http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/article_5bdbef22-c4ed-11e4-b9e9-1b57f950f209.html
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Gronda (and everyone), have you seen Sgt. Mudd’s incident report? It was linked in the above article. It includes a list of the officers on the scene in addition to a comment that Darren Wilson was sitting in his police cruiser when Sgt. Mudd arrived on the scene.
Interesting that Sgt. Mudd’s name is filled in at the bottom of each page as the “Reporting Officer”, the “Approving Officer(I)”, and the “Approving Officer(II).
Here is the PDF link:
Click to access 54fb369b5a9ab.pdf.pdf
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GREAT FIND!!! This Officer Mudd is the same one who testified that Officer Wilson knew nothing about the theft at the time of the shooting at the grand jury. While Officer Mudd may have been fired for past racial emails, he refused to lie while under oath. Shannon is now reviewing all the grand jury hearing transcripts for any more finds. I am so worried that the true facts will never see the light of day. If those involved in the civil suit by Michael Brown’s family settle early, there is no incentive for the DOJ, the press to review the current accepted narrative on this case.
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Great for Shannon to be reading the GJ transcripts. I would be interest now (the way things are unfolding) to “read at” them as time allows.
(Side note…Sgt. Mudd was suspended and then resigned.)
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On page 3 of the lead det report 14-43984..Sergeant Mudd gives a thorough report of what Officer Wilson told him about the shooting and the convenient store theft is never mentioned.
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The additional problem is that I am convinced that the police and prosecutor deliberately muddied up the waters of this case with erroneous leaked information like the raising of Michael Brown’s hands held high in the air; the introduction of the convenient store video; that many were saying Michael Brown was not moving toward the officer and that there were no entry bullet wounds to the back of Michael Brown. In my mind, this is obstruction of justice. I believe this was strategized almost at the very beginning (within first couple of weeks). Now the lead St, Louis county detective has stated for the record that track 369 correlates with the dispatcher’s recorded time of 12:01:50. The arrival time of police is 12:02:22. Does this mean that everything happened within 32 seconds? This issue has not been adequately addressed by FBI, DOJ, the press. I actually took time to post comments while traveling on the NY times on their article on the decision not to file any charges against Michael Brown. I was far outnumbered by commenters stating that the DOJ report vindicates Officer Wilson. There have been those pundits commenting that those who were so highly critical of Officer Wilson, owe him an apology.
Track 369 OFFICER (21) 21, Put me on Canfield with two and send me another car.
2014-029062
Copper creek Ct, Ferguson, Mo, Canfield Dr.
12:01:50 Open
12:02:22 Dispatch
12:02:22 Arrive on Scene
12:02:22 Arrival
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I agree with your “they-muddied-the-waters” viewpoint, Gronda.
In his interview with the detective on Aug. 10, Wilson said that it seem like 30 seconds elapsed during the struggle at his cruiser. (A witness as I recall thought it was 10 seconds)
From Aug. 10 interview:
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When I think about this, on August 9, in Darren Wilson’s 1st statement to the St Louis County lead detective. He says According to the St. Louis County PD report #14-43984, page 13, “Well as I left the sick call, I had heard on the radio that there was a stealing in progress from the Ferguson market on West Florissant. I heard a brief description as I was driving out down Canfield westbound. I observed two Black males walking in the center of the roadway on the yellow center line.” He then states, “He stopped his patrol vehicle and allowed the subjects to approach, with his window down. He yells, “Hey guys, why don’t you walk on the sidewalk?” He details what happened next.” Dorian Johnson stated “We are almost to our destination. The statement was quickly followed by Michael Brown retorting, “The fuck with what you say.” Both subjects continued to walk past the patrol vehicle.
Then Police Officer Wilson states that he notified his dispatcher that he would be conducting a pedestrian check on Canfield Drive. According to his 8/10/14 police deposition, page 5, he recalls saying, “Frank 21, out with 2, send me another car” which is documented on track 369. Now because the lead detective places this track 369 with the dispatch time of 12:01:50 ( PD report #14-43984, page 162), then the 12:02:22 time is when other officers arrived. Consequently, Officer Wilson technically had 24 seconds to call Michael Brown, have an altercation which involved both hitting each other; Officer Brown shooting him while still inside his SUV, watching Michael Brown escaping and running towards the apts.; then he gets out of his vehicle in pursuit of Michael; yells at him to stop; Michael Brown turns around to be shot by Officer Wilson several times and this all happens within 24 seconds!!! This does not pass the common sense test.
One of the responding officers to the scene was the one who took the convenient store theft assignment and so he knew all about it. This is why Officer Wilson was able to refer having heard about this info on the radio as he was traveling after his last assignment in the later police interview on 8/9. This is also why I was surprised when I read the grand jury transcript, when Sergeant Mudd stated without reservation that Officer Wilson had no knowledge of the theft prior to the shooting.
I am now convinced that he had already killed Michael Brown by 12:02:22. CNN obtained access to an audio recording with glide technology from a Ferguson resident whose smartphone captured the 10 shots in the background and this evidence was turned over to the FBI. According to the ShotSpotter CEO who had his experts analyze sound data of the 10 shots fired at the behest of CNN, there were 6 shots fired; followed by a three second pause; and then the firing of four more shots with a total time lapse of 6.572 seconds. The glide technology that enabled the user to collect the gunshot sounds in the background established the time of this gunshot data capture at 12:02:14. The FBI has this sound data of the 10 gunshots and it was referred to in the grand jury transcript, Vol. 24, page 88; however there was no FBI analysis available at that time. A grand juror did ask whether the FBI had constructed an exact a time line, and the prosecutor said it had not.
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Fro clarification, I arrived at everything happening within 24 seconds based on the dispatch time of 12:01:50 with the track 369 and the glide technology placing the time of the shooting at 12:02;14.
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Great research work, Gronda!
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Gronda, per your comment:
“This Officer Mudd is the same one who testified that Officer Wilson knew nothing about the theft at the time of the shooting at the grand jury.”
I feel this is reflected in the detective’s August 10, 2014 interview of Wilson. Wilson makes no reference to the store theft as the reason for his pedestrian stop of Michael and Dorian.
Yet, in his Grand Jury testimony, Wilson said that the pedestrian stop…reversing his cruiser was all about his tying Michael and Dorian to the store theft by how they were dressed.
Here are these differing accounts by Wilson:
Detective interview of Wilson on August 10, 2014:
Notice that Wilson had only heard the first radio dispatch transmission describing a black male in a black T shirt.
(Remember radio time elapsed before they had the person calling from the store give more details as to how the two were dressed because the “black shirt” description was not enough.)
Wilson’s Grand Jury testimony is COMPLETELY different as to why he stopped Michael and Dorian:
Excerpt from Darren Wilson’s Grand Jury testimony:
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That is a great analysis. There were differing accounts that kept changing and he was not ask for any explanations. On 8/9 he went for police interview after 230 pm..(see main St. Louis County PD report 14-43984, page 12) he refers to theft when talking to the lead detective. Here are the words:
“Prior to the incident taking place, Police Officer, Darren Wilson had just completed an unrelated assignment of a sick case. After completing this assignment, he drove west on Canfield Drive. While driving, Police Officer Darren Wilson heard on his department radio, a broadcast of a stealing reported to have occurred at 9101 W Florissant Ave. During the broadcast, a suspect description was provided. The suspect was described as a Black male wearing a black t-shirt and brown shorts. The broadcaster identified that cigarillos were taken during the stealing.”
( This is total Speculation) To recall this level of detail, one of the first responding officers who had been assigned the theft case talked to him after Officer Wilson had already debriefed with Sergeant Mudd. So, now Officer Wilson had an excuse to use at the 8/9 police interview. However, on 8/10, there must have been a discussion as to whether Officer Wilson should or should not refer to the theft to give him probable cause for some of his actions. So, he did not refer to it. However, at the grand jury hearing he referred back to the theft even though Sergeant Mudd testified the Officer Wilson knew nothing about the theft prior to the shooting. There are so many holes in his story, that it is my dream to have him properly cross examined by a competent defense attorney.
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My speculation and analysis are way off. When I get tired, I get confused. Just ignore what I wrote.
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Gronda, regarding your comment:
However, at the grand jury hearing he referred back to the theft even though Sergeant Mudd testified the Officer Wilson knew nothing about the theft prior to the shooting.
Exactly…and look how Wilson counters Sgt. Mudd’s police report and testimony:
Sgt. Mudd’s’ police report. (Report Date) 08/09/2014 1201
Yet, in his Grand Jury testimony, Wilson indicates that he never sat in his cruiser after he shot and killed Michael:
From Wilson’s Grand Jury testimony
Pages 235-6
Then Wilson testifies in such a way as to indicate that he did not say much to Sgt. Mudd and that Sgt. Mudd was distracted by the crowd. (I speculate that this is to undermine the credibility of Sgt. Mudd’s assertion that Wilson pedestrian stop was not related to the store theft.
Pages 252-3:
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You are right on…Sergeant Mudd was fired because of his racist emails but let’s face it, it could not be just 3 who participated in this type of activity. This was acceptable discourse within the department. That is why the public relations officer, Timothy Zoll discounted the importance of Michael Brown’s memorial when he talked to a Washington Post reporter sometime late 2014. Yet Sergeant Mudd was one of the first to be fired. I wonder if there wasn’t some pay back going on? Sergeant Mudd would not lie for Officer Wilson. You know Officer Wilson is not telling the truth.
Definitely Chief Thomas Jackson has to go!!!
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A demonstrator holds a “Stop Debtors Prison” sign outside the police department entrance of the Pine Lawn Municipal Court Building on March 5, 2015 in Pine Lawn, Missouri.. The group of about 20 demonstrators were protesting the 20,000 outstanding arrest warrants issued last year in a town with 3,400 residents:
from
http://colorlines.com/archives/2015/03/fine-friendly_ferguson_judge_owes_170k_in_back_taxes.html
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“Ferguson Became Symbol, but Bias Knows No Border”
Excerpt:
there are cities around St. Louis with far greater racial disparities in traffic stops than Ferguson, and cities with court systems that appear even more predatory than the Justice Department says Ferguson’s is.
According to a report from Better Together, a nonprofit group, Ferguson does not even rank among the top 20 municipalities in St. Louis County in the percentage of its budget drawn from court fines and fees. The small city of Edmundson, five miles away, brings in nearly $600 a year in court fines for every resident, more than six times the amount in Ferguson.
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Ben Crump is GOING AFTER DOJ!!
I think.
I don’t know if the video will show up here but here Crump says the DOJ is sanitizing the killing of unarmed people of color!! Just like we were talking about, protest the DOJ!!!
http://www.cbsnews.com/common/video/cbsnews_video.swf
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Video of Crump today at Selma
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Try this link.
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/benjamin-crump-we-cant-have-the-doj-sanitizing-shootings/
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Shannon, it was a good interview, but I don’t think attorney Crump is going to go after the DOJ. What he said about the “high bar” makes sense. Unless the perps speak their minds, the DOJ cannot read their minds. But then too, we heard Zimmerman refer to Trayvon in the plural, profiling him as a group of Blacks accused of committing crimes in the gated community, but the DOJ did not file charges. By the way, while Zimmerman referred to Blacks committing crimes in that gated community, LE found that only one person committed them.
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yeah you’re right. It’s wishful thinking.
from what I’ve read of DOJ report & little of holder’s comments in his presser, It pisses me off how dismissive they were of these ppl who had to watch this kid get shot down and see how they treated his body, how they treated him in media & then how authorities treated them, the witnesses who really put themselves at risk by speaking what they saw.
there’s at least 2 mysterious murders of ppl connected to witnesses & then the DOJ uses language like ‘no credibility’ & basically dismisses perfectly reasonable mistakes and differences in witness statements. yet the DOJ has no problem quoting various (many hearsay & subjective) accounts of the racist Ferguson officials as if it’s the gospel.
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Shannon, like in most organizations and agencies, the top person signs off on reports that were conducted and drafted/written by someone else. Also like in most organizations and agencies, the top person takes the word of staff, trusting them. Based on the experience of many everyday citizens, information never goes beyond the gate-keepers who answer the phones. To put it short, there is staff in the DOJ who is biased and cares not for the mission of the DOJ.
When reading the report about the investigation of the Mike Brown killing, compared to AG Holder’s news conference, it gives me the impression that his conclusion regarding Ferguson is not in agreement with the same “high bar” principles used by the DOJ to not charge Darren Wilson.
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At the top of the first page of the Grand Jury volume entitled “Radio Traffic” is the following that includes the letters “SL” which I think means “Saint Louis”.
Radio Traffic
08/09/2014
282A-SL-5377988
Does this just mean that someone in the SL department transcribed it because the investigation had been turned over to Saint Louis?
According to the link that I will post below, the clock time of the Ferguson dispatch recordings were off….Could this be why the SL radio traffic recording was used…to get the time accurate?
Click to access 763ed8e5024ed44c9991ceb9020d0eab.pdf
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YES. Both the city of Ferguson PD and the St Louis County police can keep track of times of dispatch calls, assignments etc. The Ferguson times were off by over 19 minutes and so. the St Louis County lead detective had to account for this.
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Gronda,
Nowhere in the Dispatch communications between officers and the dispatcher does anyone say ANYTHING about a suspect wearing a BLACK shirt.
Yet, Wilson says this in the August 10th interview:
The only time a black article of clothing was mentioned was when an officer said that he saw a black individual with a backpack wearing a white shirt and black PANTS:
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Right on and another great find. There are so many inconsistencies in his story because his version of events is a fairy tale. The injustice of all this is in the victim not being properly defended. Officer Wilson has gotten away in the general public’s mind with his fabrication.
Shannoninmiami wrote that she is sending this type of data to Attorney Crump.
you’ve made so many important points and it’s SO ORGANIZED it’s crazy! LMAO
I’m going to send Crump your blog because everyone notices something a little different you know? of course he’s doing his own investigating, but because we’re lay ppl, you know, like jurors are, i think any lawyer should want to know what you’re thinking & what you’ve found inconsistent and incredible. the questions you have cld be a proverbial smoking gun in a way.
She can add any other inconsistencies posted on this blog.
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Chris King @chriskingstl · Mar 7
Our web editor read my Mudd story & said she has never heard a black person say “fuck off” as Mudd said Wilson said Michael Brown Jr. said.
Chris King @chriskingstl · Mar 7
Come to think of it, I haven’t either. Wilson & Mudd credited Mike Brown w white man style disrespect.>/em>
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I made similar commentary on what George Zimmerman claimed Trayvon Martin said. This is a White male’s version of what they think a Black hoodlum would say. Obviously they are not in the business of creating dialogue based on reality for a TV show. When Officer Darren Wilson said the Michael Brown stated these words, “you are too much of a pussy to shoot me,” you know that this is not what any young person would say. Again. Officer Wilson’s tale is a fairy tale.
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simple sense(cant use common anymore because it clearly isnt) = wilson had already shot Brown so there is ZERO chance he said you wont shoot me since he already HAD SHOWN he indeed would shoot him.
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Bill I would like to bring your excellent comment from above down here because I feel it deserves repetition”
By the way, Wilson claimed that it was at his cruiser that Michael Brown said,“you are too much of a pussy to shoot me.”
Gronda, I agree with you when you say about these words that Wilson was trying to pin on Michael:
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Bill, I didn’t grab your whole comment in disagreement with the DOJ finding when I copied and pasted. Here is your whole comment:
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KSDK NewsChannel 5 @ksdknews · 47m 47 minutes ago
BREAKING: Judge Ronald Brockmeyer has resigned as Ferguson municipal court judge; all cases reassigned to the county circuit court
Antonio French @AntonioFrench · 34m 34 minutes ago
Missouri Supreme Court assigns new judge to Ferguson Municipal court cases
</http://go.fox2now.com/1BkulwQ via @FOX2now
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“Missouri Supreme Court takes over cases in Ferguson; judge resigns”
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/missouri-supreme-court-takes-over-cases-in-ferguson-judge-resigns/article_7442c873-a1a1-581f-b4b4-20f93972d91e.html
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City Manager, John Shaw resigned tonight.
http://m.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/ferguson-city-manager-john-shaw-resigns/article_f9032f58-412b-5526-854e-1e5634caeee7.html?mobile_touch=true
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