How does vandalism and looting accomplish anything???

[CPT Tripss]

But you would agree, I think, that the success rate isn't 100% with other other such prosecutions either? Sometimes the "bad guys" get off, sometimes the evidence doesn't support the charge... and sometimes the "bad guys" are really innocent.

I would argue that by his declaration that he perceives, as an African-American man, a perpetual "open season" on "us" that indeed he feels that such killing are, and can be, committed at will with impunity.

Convictions in felony cases overall are darn close to 100% . . . acquittals are down in the low single digits. Acquittals in these high profile LEO cases is a lot higher.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

I agree. But I'm afraid today's society has become very intolerant of differing opinions.

I totally agree! The intolerance from some groups is disgusting. It is kind of funny because some of these groups claim they are tolerant when they are not. Interesting times.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

But you have to understand that it's a very effective tactic to neutralize your opponent's side of the issue. By labeling it "hatred", you impeach the other person's opinion as being beyond any rational consideration. And if you can get others to agree with the label, then it's just all the more effective at shutting down any debate and you "win" by default as having the only rational position.

Racist is another word that is always thrown out there too much!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Convictions in felony cases overall are darn close to 100% . . . acquittals are down in the low single digits. Acquittals in these high profile LEO cases is a lot higher.

These cases are pretty complicated compared to a more cut & dried "victim/perp" situation. Very often, you have a career criminal (not in THIS case) getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar, there's resisting arrest involved, sometimes assault on the officer(s), and then finally the cops go too far.

It's hard to get a conviction when the victim isn't a good person and the "perp" was just doing his job until things went sideways on him.

 

[Geoff_M]

oj

Speaking of this topic and the subject of celebrity trials. I remember an interesting interview with Spike Lee in Rolling Stone in the early 90's. In addressing his views that the American justice system was rigged against African-Americans, Lee held up the recently completed rape trials of boxer Mike Tyson (convicted) and Kennedy heir William Kennedy Smith (acquitted). He said that the take-away lesson from the two outcomes was that The System would believe the word of a white man, but not a black man (both men claimed their sexual encounters were consensual). Lee however, was then left uttering profanities when the RS interviewer pointed out as a follow-up that if both outcomes were reserved, Lee could have then asserted the same injustice by saying that "The System would believe the word of a white woman, but not a black woman." Again, it goes to perception.

 

[Geoff_M]

Convictions in felony cases overall are darn close to 100% . . . acquittals are down in the low single digits. Acquittals in these high profile LEO cases is a lot higher.

Well, then you think Pitts could have chosen his examples a lot better if it's a high-profile target-rich environment. While it's one thing to claim a lot of them "get away with it", it's another thing entirely to imply that they always get away with it and the outcome of any given case is a certainty.

 

[bimshire]

It accomplishes nothing for them as they don't really have a cause. All it does for me is cement my thought that it can't be easy to be a police officer in certain areas where animals are just looking for an excuse to act out.

If the PIGS would "protect and serve" then the "animals" would not be acting out.

 

[bimshire]

But you have to understand that it's a very effective tactic to neutralize your opponent's side of the issue. By labeling it "hatred", you impeach the other person's opinion as being beyond any rational consideration. And if you can get others to agree with the label, then it's just all the more effective at shutting down any debate and you "win" by default as having the only rational position.

I agree with this. People should stop overusing terms like racism and anti-Semitism because the intention is to shutdown criticism and rational discussion.

 

[bimshire]

I did not read the whole thread so I'm not sure if someone posted this info already. I did some research and found out that Ferguson has a population of approx. 21,000. It is 70 percent black. There are 53 officers on the police force. Fifty are white but only 3 are black. Food for thought especially since there is a history of police brutality in the St. Louis county.

 

[RadioNate]

I did not read the whole thread so I'm not sure if someone posted this info already. I did some research and found out that Ferguson has a population of approx. 21,000. It is 70 percent black. There are 53 officers on the police force. Fifty are white but only 3 are black. Food for thought especially since there is a history of police brutality in the St. Louis county.

What is currently happening in Ferguson does not bode well for combating the image of police brutality. The reporting on twitter is outstanding but horrifying. The only reason the police issue a complete media blackout is that they don't want people to see what is happening.

Working reporters detained & arrested. They are being year gassed & shot with bean bags for doing their job. This is 2014 in America & horrifying.

 

[sukhakuli]

The Washington Post is going to sue the crap out of the Ferguson PD for arresting their reporter. As they should, the press has a right to report the news. http://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...359-11e4-86ca-6f03cbd15c1a_story.html?hpid=z1 The FBI needs to get off their butts and take over here because it is obvious the local police are turning this neighborhood in to a war zone and escalating the violence. It's like the 1960's in the south all over again.

The behavior of the PD here is beyond ridiculous, and really making them look very, very guilty. But I can't say I'm surprised. I grew up in those neighborhoods, and so did my parents, and St Louis doesn't have a history of treating their poor very well. My dad was pulled over twice a day every day as he went to and from his job because he was poor and working in a wealthy neighborhood. St Louis even sprayed chemical weapons in their own poor neighborhoods: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/0...-louis-neighborhoods-during-cold-war-raising/ My family lived in those neighborhoods, and almost all of the ones who were there then died of cancer at a young age. As a kid, I remember how they would close the bridge to East St Louis every year during the VP Fair for "construction" when they really just wanted to keep them out of the city during the fair. East St Louis is predominately black and poor. It just goes on and on there, and this point, the federal government needs to step in and take over.

 

[Flamingeaux]

If the PIGS would "protect and serve" then the "animals" would not be acting out.

I'm not sure if I am having a Sheldon moment but if you saying that it is the police's actions that cause criminals to misbehave - you sir are an idiot.

 

[brunette8706]

I'm not sure if I am having a Sheldon moment but if you saying that it is the police's actions that cause criminals to misbehave - you sir are an idiot.

 

[pat fan]

I'm not sure if I am having a Sheldon moment but if you saying that it is the police's actions that cause criminals to misbehave - you sir are an idiot.

This thread (surprisingly) has stayed pretty true to point. Please don't start with name calling. I don't agree with the PP's assertion either, but that doesn't mean he/she is an idiot.

 

[brunette8706]

You do know Al Sharpton speaks out on black on black crime daily right? There is plenty of outrage, you just aren't looking for it so you don't see it.

Al Sharpton is one of the biggest race baiters alive. Oh he's there in the forefront with protests. He has done absolutely nothing for low income African Americans. He's all talk no action. Nothing has changed in regards to crime in big cities. Try googling Twana Brawley.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I'm not sure if I am having a Sheldon moment but if you saying that it is the police's actions that cause criminals to misbehave - you sir are an idiot.

totally unnecessary. Read the above posts about expressing differing opinions. You should be able to disagree with someone without calling them an idiot.

 

[brunette8706]

This thread (surprisingly) has stayed pretty true to point. Please don't start with name calling. I don't agree with the PP's assertion either, but that doesn't mean he/she is an idiot.

Wasn't he responding to the poster that called the police "Pigs"? Sheesh.

 

[pat fan]

Wasn't he responding to the poster that called the police "Pigs"? Sheesh.

Yup, which I said I didn't agree with either Sorry if that wasn't clear. Working on 1 cup of joe, guess I better pour another!

90% of police want to protect and serve, 10% want to punish & enslave. Unfortunately the trend seems to be going to militarizing our police and that is never a good thing. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. That said, again, we need to wait for an investigation. This is just getting crazy out of hand. If I lived there I would be heading out of town to anywhere else for an extended visit til people got their minds back.

 

[brunette8706]

Yup, which I said I didn't agree with either Sorry if that wasn't clear. Working on 1 cup of joe, guess I better pour another!

90% of police want to protect and serve, 10% want to punish & enslave. Unfortunately the trend seems to be going to militarizing our police and that is never a good thing. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. That said, again, we need to wait for an investigation. This is just getting crazy out of hand. If I lived there I would be heading out of town to anywhere else for an extended visit til people got their minds back.

Hi. Well I certainly agree with your assessment. There has alway been rogue cops. But you"re correct most police want to protect and serve.

 

[pooh4evr]

How should the police respond? There continues to be protests, threats and "unrest" every night. Throwing rocks, bricks, molitov (sp) cocktails is not a peacful protest. Most of the people being arrested are not from Ferguson or even STL. Ferguson is a small peaceful (normally) working class city full of families and people who want this to stop. The police were called by the McDonalds the reporters were in, to get them out of the restaurant, they had been there all day using the Wifi. The reporters wouldn't leave when they were asked. The local media has been out on W. Florissant every night reporting on what is happening, so no media blackout here anyway. Ferguson is not in charge of the investigation, they handed it over to the county police at the beginning, and the FBI has been there since Sunday as well. Finally a second witness has come forward backing up the story of a struggle in the police car, and a shot going off in the car during the struggle. The hacker group Anonymous has taken over the City of Ferguson's phones, computers, traffic cameras and everything else it can get to and has been releasing info on city leaders, police officers and their families. They have been posting pictures and address of homes - actually the wrong info in some cases and those people have had to be evacuated from their homes. It is awful from so many angles. People can't go to work, the start of the school year has been delayed, and a couple of nights the violence (looting) has spread to other parts of St Louis County. I hope there is peace soon and the area is given time to come together and heal.