Yesterday, I ran a column discussing the curious sight of rioters and looters demanding “justice” when what they are really describing is mob justice in Ferguson, Missouri. I noted that the evidence did not support the initial claims of the shooting of Michael Brown and that demonstrations are not substitutes for demonstrated evidence in a criminal case. The response, however, to the declination of charges has been precisely what President Obama and the Brown family sought to avoid in their public comments. In perhaps the most symbolic incident, Ferguson Market and Liquor, the store that Michael Brown robbed before he was killed, was looted by people demanding “justice” for Brown.
A security camera captured Brown strong arming the store owner after stealing from the store:
Regardless of how one views the evidence of the shooting, the store owner was clearly strong armed by Brown and did nothing beyond being the victim of a reported crime. However, he now has a ransacked store and is somehow blamed for the killing.
The media filmed as people carted out stolen merchandise out of the store last night:
The discussion of the resulting looting and rioting often seemed a bit too enabling and relativistic. There is no rationale connection between ransacking stores and seeking justice, a point that President Obama made eloquently last night as did the Brown family (though reportedly with the exception of Brown’s stepfather). Indeed, some “meanings” drawn from the incident extended all the way to federalism principles.
While St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch detailed the evidence including testimony from African-American witnesses who refuted accounts of Michael Brown’s friend, Dorian Johnson, and onlookers Piaget Cranshaw and Tiffany Mitchell. He was not shot in his back and was initially shot in a struggle with Wilson in (or partially in) the police vehicle. Nevertheless, the verdict was denounced by various commentators, including MSNBC contributor Michelle Bernard who called Brown the latest “casualty” of what seems to be nationwide “war on black boys.” Bernard curiously blamed federalism and state rights for part of the problem, saying that people see this case and say “we don’t want to hear about states rights.” She also calls on the Justice Department to “get involved” and “intervene.”
However, the Justice Department has intervened and reportedly also found no basis for charges in the case under civil rights provisions. If those accounts are accurate, the declination of such charges may trigger no violence by those who define justice as not a guaranteed process but a guaranteed punishment.
Guess a condescending lecture is going on again on TV , can someone tell him this is not the time to rationalize the bad behavior by constantly talking about race!!
Anger is like a shower head where no holes are clogged hence it spits itself out in all different angles in different ways.
One should ask the Police forces and the National guard, why were not they defending the business while standing in from of them?
If that had been done, we would not have seen any fire and looting, perhaps, how unjustified it is. There is an old saying, that “it is easy to make an honest man into a thief when things are kept.unguarded”.
Comment threads need to have a closing time, just like a bar has a closing time. Left open too long, a comment stream devolves into nonsense and animus as the drunks down at the end of the bar shout insults and flail their arms trying to get attention.
It is long past the time for the bartender to yell “Last Call!”, then turn out the lights on this thread.
It’s interesting. I have heard opposing viewpoints. One, that the open assembly of National Guard and riot police instigate rioting, and on the other hand, that there were not enough armed responders.
I think I side with the latter – that this could have been handled better. We all know the calamity that riots and looting can do to a city. I wish that there were enough police and NG, and a long line of paddy wagons, jerking looters off the street with the goods still in their hands and deposing them in the waiting police vehicles. I also agree with earlier assessments on this and other threads that they should have revealed the verdict at 6:30 AM and given it time to trickle to the community. I still think there would have been trouble at night, but hopefully not as much.
Since that did not happen last night, perhaps it could tonight.
Of course, I’m not in law enforcement, and I don’t know the logistics.
@Inga
What are you talking about??? It was a parody of The Christmas Song, you know the one about Jack Frost roasting on an open fire, stuffing chestnuts up his nose. . .whatever.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
That last comment is not sarcastic, I’m very serious.
I read a report there were a large number of National Guard deployed last night in downtown St. Louis, protecting the corporate and white businesses!
Barkin, I just watched Nixon’s presser. When a reporter asked Nixon about the reports that Holder told him to have the National Guard stand down, Nixon lied. It was an incredibly easy read. His facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language SCREAMED lie as he forcefully denied the allegation. He needs lessons from Bubba if he wants to go further in politics.
OK, sooo I have been busy creating a piece of art!
https://birtherthinktank.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/ferguson.jpg
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
What I find is a good way to diffuse a thread that is beginning to ignite is to lighten the banter w/ stories and humor. If someone is intent on being incendiary, that doesn’t work. But, distraction is a good way to deal w/ people and pets who are exhibiting negative behavior.
Governor Nixon will never be able to run for the House or Senate after this complete failure. It would have been easy to put State cops and national guard in front of every one of the stores looted and burned. They could aim and shoot when necessary. But noooooo. He could not offend those who think it evil to impede protesters who just wanna do a little looting.
Karen, Sore feet was a common complaint, along w/ no tippers.
Squeeky, Haz came up w/ a good PC euphemism for looting yesterday, but I forget it. Two of my black buddies are into Cognac, that’s popular. I gave one guy a Mickey’s one time. Mickey’s is a malt liquor. He liked it and I told him it’s just a better quality Colt or Country Club, which is popular in Wi. w/ old black guys because it’s made by Pabst.
Nick – I’ll bet the hairdressers had to anesthetize the pain in their feet from standing all day!
Zed:
What do you want? Should we try Officer Wilson even though a GJ found insufficient evidence to indict him? Is that justice, changing the entire legal system because the deceased was black? Is oversight by the DOJ not enough? Is a police officer automatically guilty of murder if he shoots a black person?
Let’s pretend for a moment that a black cop shot an unarmed 6’4″ 290 lb white guy. And a mob started calling for that black cop’s death. (“How do we want him? Dead!”) And the DOJ came down to see if they could charge him. And the president said that he identified with the white victim. And mobs started forming in the streets threatening violence unless he was indicted, regardless of the evidence. And a bounty of $5,000 went out for the black cop’s home address, with $1000 for any relative’s address.
If we switched the race of the victim and the shooter, would this be OK?
Please be honest.
Oh my, the “tenor of his comments” is not to your liking. And you’re the one who gets to determine what is acceptable speech on this blog? Too funny!
Elaine – I get to determine how I perceive his comments and their tone.
Paul:
How does the African American community keep believing that Obama has its best interests at heart when black youth unemployment was at 26% last time I checked, and he just gave 5 million illegal aliens the right to work here?
I strenuously disagree with amnesty. We should fix the inefficiencies in our immigration system. For instance I would really like to see visa holders no longer have to go back to their home countries to renew. It was very disruptive at work when I saw it happen. And we should fix the border security, because it’s all meaningless if we are surrounded by a sieve.
But how does amnesty make all those suckers feel who spent years going through the system legally?
Karen – If I came here legally I would be spitting mad. And if I were a black teenager I would start aligning myself with the Republican Party. Those 5 million illegals just took my job.
Trooper, I guess nobody much likes vodka/gin and water, thusly the pristine water cooler. When I bartended there was a horribly alcoholic woman who would come into the supper club bar I worked. She would drink triple rail vodka and water. It took a couple quick ones for her to lose the shakes. I also always had to have OJ handy for a brandy old fashioned diabetic. He would often start to go into shock. I would pour a rocks glass full of OJ as soon as he sat down and have it ready near him. Ed was a great guy and tipper. The vodka water didn’t tip. Women are shitty tippers, unless they have worked for tips, like waitresses and bartenders. Then, they’re great tippers. Thursdays are very busy days for hairdressers in Wi. The blue hairs get coiffed on Thursday to be ready for Friday night fish fry. At 9pm a bunch of hairdressers would come in and pound drinks after a long day. They were also good tippers, and bawdy as hell. I never knew hairdressers before that. I like them.
@NickS
I am waiting for das PC PolizeiFrau here to condemn the use of the word, “looting”, as a racist code word. They will insist that we use instead, “reparated the gin from the liquor store”, or “de facto profit shared the case of Colt 44 Malt Liquor from the corporate middleman.” Something bizarre for sure.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter