Criminal law, Society

Looting Breaks Out In Ferguson After Grand Jury Refuses Charges Against Wilson

Screen Shot 2014-11-25 at 7.45.44 AMScreen Shot 2014-11-25 at 7.45.10 AMYesterday, 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.

333 thoughts on “Looting Breaks Out In Ferguson After Grand Jury Refuses Charges Against Wilson”

  2. Watch the CNN footage. That was large bottles of booze being carried out of the stores, not food. The prime looting is appliance stores, but there were none in the area of the rioting. Watch the footage. Vodka and gin seemed to be the loot of choice. If I were a looter I would have gone for bourbon, but that’s just me.

    1. Nick – If I am going to loot, I am going to upgrade something in my house. I don’t drink so the booze is no help and it has to be portable. An 80″ flat screen weighs over 100 lbs so that is a no. 🙂 Not sure what I would take.

  3. Zedalis, I think we should all take a deep look within, especially this administration that has a very distorted view of reality. I do not think we should just focus on 2016, two years is a long time and can really cause a major harm to the country if people do not start acting differently. Instead of EO this president should have been anticipating the result of this verdict and giving speech before the verdict not after it when people are already in the streets.

    1. zedalis – looting is usually things you don’t need, like food or diapers. During Katrina, there were people going through stores getting food to live on, but technically they were not looting. Had they been helping themselves to the jewelry at the jewelry store, then yes, that is looting. One is survival, one is looting.

  5. People who are denouncing the riots are not glad that they happened.

    We were warning that the media, the Al Sharptons, and the uninformed were whipping up the crowd, and there were going to be riots, injuries, and property losses. That is a calamity for the community.

    It happened exactly as predicted.

    We need to LEARN from this experience not to judge events until we have access to all the information and evidence. Sure we can bandy about theories, but we should not take the leap to saying “murder” or we “know what happened” until we have access to all the facts.

    But now when people post images of the looting, or comment on the live coverage of the disaster unfolding before the citizens of Ferguson, now we are accused of salivating over “riot porn” whatever that is.

  6. Looting is the stealing of property during a riot. There can be, and often is, rioting w/o looting. I was always amazed @ how little many of my students knew. Same here w/ some commenters.

  7. ?? <<< "What if pinching the nose is not enough until 2016?"

    You should refrain from any action that involves state troopers and the Pennsylvania forests.

  9. Aridog:

    Great post.

    I know what you mean about adrenaline affecting your aim. I can shoot smiley faces while target shooting, but it’s really difficult to get a perfect first shot when a 4 foot rattler is coiled, striking at your feet.

    Your post about military training reminded me of a sign that my beloved Marine Uncle just sent to me:

    “This property is protected by an armed United States Marine who has a serious lack of negotiating skills, but is absolute hell in a gunfight.

    If you do not belong here, please leave.

    You have now been properly negotiated with.”

  10. What do you do when you see a president giving a lecture to the police when the mob is looting? What do you do when the MSM and the administration intentionally or unintentionally increased the risk of this mob action? What does one do when he thinks that this president and his administration are just not capable to govern in a way that increases harmony? What do you do when the MSM and certain groups of people cant see the obvious? What if pinching the nose is not enough until 2016?

  11. Looting seems to be a black thing. Hell, every demographic group have rioted. There are soccer riots around the world. Hockey fans in Vancouver rioted when they lost the Stanley Cup. But, looting seems to be black people looting stores in THEIR neighborhoods. They don’t go to the white neighborhoods and loot white stores. Self destructive, like so much of the inner city culture. Jason Whitlock calls it the “prison culture.”

  13. Karen, I take periodic breaks to read here between reading the grand jury testimony. I have seen nothing to date that makes me think Wilson should have been indicted. The white guilt comments here are a funny break.

  15. @Inga

    I saw your gravatar, but like I promised, I didn’t read your answer. But, thank you for explaining why you thought those pictures of looters were “racist.” I am sure that you gave a full and completely articulate response. And while I am just dying to read what you wrote, I will keep my word!

    Thank you!

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

  16. Someone’s got their freaky deaky link on. Are we in for a linkathon. LOL! White guilt is hilarious.

  19. If you don’t feed trolls, eventually they starve. Although, some do seem to have a large amount of stored resources, if I may be so delicate. The rebound effect will do that.

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