How does vandalism and looting accomplish anything???

[Wishing on a star]

OMG.....
But, hey.... rioting, looting, gunfire, etc... I mean, who would have expected anything different from these people. Just like committing blatant perjury just to further their agenda. You can't hide the obvious here....

I would have had the Governor and the State National Guard, and everyone else request that this decision be announced earlier in the day. There should have been a full curfew issued. NOBODY on the streets after sundown. Period.

It is really beyond my comprehension how the authorities let this go down this way and be so completely out of control. Seriously, unbelievable.

Let these people destroy, and burn, and shoot-up, their own community, and each other.
Let them have at it.
I mean, is this not to be 'expected'.

That one poor store, first it is robbed, now it has been looted and destroyed. Just turns my stomach.
Just think about that poor store-owner.... Very disturbing.

( PS: I agree about the Masks, too.)


There should be a LOT of arrests made... from Perjury, Violence, Arson, Theft/Looting Vandalism, etc....

Let's just see if there is even ONE arrest made here.

 

[JanaDee]

OMG..... But, hey.... rioting, looting, gunfire, etc... I mean, who would have expected anything different from these people. Just like committing blatant perjury just to further their agenda. You can't hide the obvious here.... I would have had the Governor and the State National Guard, and everyone else request that this decision be announced. There would have been a full curfew issues. NOBODY on the streets after sundown. Period. It is really beyond my comprehension how the authorities let this go down this way and be so completely out of control. Seriously, unbelievable. Let them destroy, and burn, and shoot-up, their own community, and each other. Let them have at it. ( PS: I agree about the Masks, too.) There should be a LOT of arrests made... from Perjury, Violence, Arson, Vandalism, etc.... Let's just see if there is even ONE arrest made here.

29 people have already been arrested.

 

[threecrazykids]

Local news is recording faces & license plates of all the looters at one store. I hope every one of them gets the maximum punishment.

I agree, but I am going to venture to bet that very few people are going to face any charges from all of this which just makes me irate. These are INNOCENT people who own these businesses. People who have NOTHING to do with this grand jury's decision whatsoever. People whose businesses were slowly being cleaned up from the riots that took place months ago...only to be burned to the ground.

The people committing these crimes don't CARE about Michael Brown. They aren't doing this for the purpose of "honoring" Brown, they are doing it BECAUSE THEY CAN. They looked at this as ANOTHER opportunity to loot, destroy, etc. in the name of Brown. They don't give 2 bleeps about Michael Brown - they would have rioted regardless of the decision.

If they truly cared about the Brown family and honoring his name, they'd be standing outside the Brown's home praying for THEIR peace and comfort - not using his death as a means of personal gain.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Can the storeowner sue the Brown Family (or his estate) for the the theft which lead to the loss of their store? It was basically cleared out last night.

I don't see how they could say that the Brown Family had any direct link to that.... They actually went very public with their appeal for peaceful demonstration... no more violence, looting, etc...

And, the thing is, I would imagine that any insurance would not cover this kind of thing.

I would hate to have to think that they are just more victims here, with absolutely no recourse.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Well, unfortunately the major of black citizens fit into that mold, especially in the St Louis area. For them to go above and beyond would require them to completely go against their community and culture to better themselves and to be productive citizens of the United States.

Most of this violence comes from the black on black violence and that has to stop. If they are not willing to step up to the plate and do right, this problem will never get solved.

I firmly believe the police are not the issue here.

So,in your view most blacks in St Louis are criminals, and they are not productive citizens. The abovebolded statement has heavy racist overtones.

What percentage of crime is black on black? What percentage is white on white?

There are major problems with the police dept in Ferguson. There will be changes. They will take time to implement, but the standard in Ferguson has to change. There were major issues with how this was handled from the beginning, through the entire process, including the grand jury. The process hasn't been fair to Mike Brown or to Darren Wilson.

Many protesters are peaceful and not breaking the law. The ones breaking the law should be held accountable, but I do not think we should group them all together.

I haven't had time to review the evidence looked at by the grand jury to see if I would agree with their decision. Today is a busy day for me, so I won't have time to go through it until maybe tonight or tomorrow.

As far as Brown's family is concerned, they are asking for peace and for change. They want all police officers to wear cameras, which would be a good thing, for the police and for citizens.

The Brown family may decide to sue in federal court. There are still 2 federal investigations regarding the shooting and Ferguson. Those investigations will go on for a while.

 

[Wishing on a star]

The people committing these crimes .... they are doing it BECAUSE THEY CAN. They looked at this as ANOTHER opportunity to loot, destroy, etc.

100% Agreed...
Very VERY sad, but true.

 

[ICF]

Looting and rioting serves no purpose except to line the pockets of those doing the looting.

Those people are just hurting the neighbors and other locals that own or work at these businesses that are being torn apart and often burned down.

People in that town are losing their way to make a living and being harmed by the actions of the idiots misbehaving.

It doesnt nothing to bring about change in the city or country and really just makes things worse.

 

[rszdtrvl]

OMG.....
But, hey.... rioting, looting, gunfire, etc... I mean, who would have expected anything different from these people. Just like committing blatant perjury just to further their agenda. You can't hide the obvious here....

I would have had the Governor and the State National Guard, and everyone else request that this decision be announced earlier in the day. There should have been a full curfew issued. NOBODY on the streets after sundown. Period.

It is really beyond my comprehension how the authorities let this go down this way and be so completely out of control. Seriously, unbelievable.

Let these people destroy, and burn, and shoot-up, their own community, and each other.
Let them have at it.
I mean, is this not to be 'expected'.

That one poor store, first it is robbed, now it has been looted and destroyed. Just turns my stomach.
Just think about that poor store-owner.... Very disturbing.

( PS: I agree about the Masks, too.)


There should be a LOT of arrests made... from Perjury, Violence, Arson, Theft/Looting Vandalism, etc....

Let's just see if there is even ONE arrest made here.

Agreed. And the mask thing that was mentioned - I agree with that too, and even told DH last night that there is NO NEED for ANYONE to have on a mask of any kind, much less a gas mask. I told him that those people need to quit being "baby kitties" and show their faces.

And I believe that a curfew should have been put into place, and ANYONE who violated the curfew and was there to cause trouble should have to be put in jail/prison for one year.

Ridiculous? Maybe. But it is showing a "this WILL NOT" be tolerated attitude.

I am a law follower. Unfortunately, others think that law is exempt to them.

 

[rickybobby]

It is stil just unbelievable to me that the black community has rallied around MICHAEL BROWN. There is no doubt in the minds of most that this guy was an extremely aggressive lawbreaker, who held the authorities in total contempt. Also obvious that he was the aggressor with the officer. Does the footage of the theft in the store mean nothing? The officer in question had NO record of previous problems in the community.
I can see NOTHING beyone the fact Brown was black and the officer was white that makes this a case that should have demanded even a grand jury vote.

 

[Art 1]

The way to handle looting is the way Mayor Daley handled it 1968. Shoot to kill any arsonist and shoot to maim for cripple any looters on sight. Settled things down very quickly.

 

[rszdtrvl]

The way to handle looting is the way Mayor Daley handled it 1968. Shoot to kill any arsonist and shoot to maim for cripple any looters on sight. Settled things down very quickly.

I think that if we had stricter, longer punishments for crimes committed that there would be less crime.

 

[Art 1]

I think that if we had stricter, longer punishments for crimes committed that there would be less crime.

Maybe, people still murder though with the death penalty. It's hard to catch looters and people walking around with Molotov cocktails, but it's easy to shot them.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I think that if we had stricter, longer punishments for crimes committed that there would be less crime.

Unfortunately inmates only serve about half of their sentence and many get out sooner than that.

 

[Kae]

And I am guessing that the business that recieved the most damage will not reopen. So sad to the owners & the employees of those businesses.

I hope the media is proud of themselves.

Kae

 

[SAMCRO]

And I am guessing that the business that recieved the most damage will not reopen. So sad to the owners & the employees of those businesses.

I hope the media is proud of themselves.

Kae

I really don't blame the media. Everyone out in the streets made a decision to be there and those that turned violent made that decision as well. At the end of the day it's up to each person to make a decision of what is "right" or "wrong" - aka Personal Responbility.

The rioters will undoubtly blame someone else for their bad decisions, and expect someone else to pay to rebuild the town they just trashed.

 

[NotUrsula]

The protesters hiding behind the masks should be arrested on the spot. The masks with the devil like features are a symbol of a professional unrest group that travels the world to participate in unlawful activity.

Whether or not a "professional unrest group" exists, those are Guy Fawkes masks. The features are not meant to be "devil-like" -- they actually LOOK like Guy Fawkes, who was a thin man with pale skin and dark hair and eyes, who wore facial hair that was very typical of French aristocratic fashion of the early 17th century. Such masks have been the traditional British symbol of resistance to government oppression since the British "Gunpowder Plot" of 1606. Guy Fawkes Night is November 5th, so those masks are kind of easy to come by at this time of year.

What makes the wearing of them a bit sinister in this case is that those wearing them are also mostly wearing scarves, hoods and gloves in an effort to completely eradicate any way to identify the color of their skin and the style of their hair; a useful thing to do if you don't want anyone to be able to identify you except by height.

There is nothing inherently wrong with protesting while wearing a Guy Fawke's mask; there is symbolism in that. What is problematic is wearing it while you are stepping through what used to be the plate glass window of a Walgreens with your arms full of pharmaceuticals and Vodka bottles. There is a difference between simple protest and lawless destruction of property.

I live here; this all affects me directly, and I DO NOT want martial law here. That is overkill and will only make things worse in the long run.

 

[rickybobby]

Sorry, but I disagree completely. The masks give the wearer the opportunity to act out without the repercussion of identification. If you want to peacefully march/protest, do so and you will not be accosted, without anything to hide your identity. And martial law might absolutely be what is needed here. No-one on the streets after dark until clear heads prevail. You WILL be stopped if you are out after dark, and better have a vaild reason to be out.

 

[JanaDee]

I really don't blame the media. Everyone out in the streets made a decision to be there and those that turned violent made that decision as well. At the end of the day it's up to each person to make a decision of what is "right" or "wrong" - aka Personal Responbility.

The rioters will undoubtly blame someone else for their bad decisions, and expect someone else to pay to rebuild the town they just trashed.

 

[Disneychick75]

29 people have already been arrested.

Just heard on the radio that the arrests are up to 80.

And I am guessing that the business that recieved the most damage will not reopen. So sad to the owners & the employees of those businesses.

I hope the media is proud of themselves.

Kae

I started reading through the piles of grand jury testimony last night and if any people are to blame, it's the first 3 eyewitnesses who made the media rounds in the beginning. They out and out lied. It was a stupid thing for them to do. Did they think just because they said these things that there was no way to refute them? A couple said they saw everything but when questioned by the FBI, it was, well maybe I just repeated what I heard other people say. Michael Brown was shot in the back until the autopsy proved he wasn't. Wilson stood over the body unloading his pistol. All lies

Whether or not a "professional unrest group" exists, those are Guy Fawkes masks. The features are not meant to be "devil-like" -- they actually LOOK like Guy Fawkes, who was a thin man with pale skin and dark hair and eyes, who wore facial hair that was very typical of French aristocratic fashion of the early 17th century. Such masks have been the traditional British symbol of resistance to government oppression since the British "Gunpowder Plot" of 1606. Guy Fawkes Night is November 5th, so those masks are kind of easy to come by at this time of year.

What makes the wearing of them a bit sinister in this case is that those wearing them are also mostly wearing scarves, hoods and gloves in an effort to completely eradicate any way to identify the color of their skin and the style of their hair; a useful thing to do if you don't want anyone to be able to identify you except by height.

There is nothing inherently wrong with protesting while wearing a Guy Fawke's mask; there is symbolism in that. What is problematic is wearing it while you are stepping through what used to be the plate glass window of a Walgreens with your arms full of pharmaceuticals and Vodka bottles. There is a difference between simple protest and lawless destruction of property.

I live here; this all affects me directly, and I DO NOT want martial law here. That is overkill and will only make things worse in the long run.

The masks are popular because of Anonymous. I doubt many people involved in the riots or not know who Guy Fawkes was.
There appear to be 3 groups:
1. People honestly upset by Michael Browns death.
2. People using the tragedy as an excuse to loot.
3. Outsiders affiliated with terrorist organizations causing mayhem and possibly recruiting members.

If martial law is declared, there's no one blame but the trouble makers and maybe the officials who took policing over from the Ferguson police dept. FPD was tough on the protesters in the beginning and then people decided they were too tough. I guess rioters feelings were hurt. Mayor Slay even issued a statement saying "limited disruption" was ok. That was like giving a kid a candy bar and saying they could only take 1 bite.

 

[roobug]

I don't see how they could say that the Brown Family had any direct link to that.... They actually went very public with their appeal for peaceful demonstration... no more violence, looting, etc...

And, the thing is, I would imagine that any insurance would not cover this kind of thing.

I would hate to have to think that they are just more victims here, with absolutely no recourse.

Actually The Brown family through their lawyer did say they wanted peaceful demonstration however his step-father told the already rieled crowd to "Burn this ***** down" He yelled it and said it many times. Yes he was upset because Brown's mom was so upset but that was a direct call for violent protesting.