Time to set aside politics
Kelly Everitt

A night of bad choices

Posted Tuesday, December 23, 2014, at 1:44 PM
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  • To compare the Trayvon Martin incident to what happened in Ferguson makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Officer Wilson was a uniformed police officer in a clearly marked police cruiser. George Zimmerman was a wannabe cop with a hero complex, stalking Trayvon with an itchy trigger finger. The more of "him" we have around, the less safe any street will be, including those in Mountain Home.

    -- Posted by MrMister on Thu, Nov 27, 2014, at 7:00 PM
  • For those who have NEVER worn a badge, STOP IT with your Monday morning quarterbacking...Mr. Brown made a decision that faithful day to commit multiple crimes, (Robbed a store) then assault (beat down) a peace officer.

    If you have NEVER worn a badge or worked a beat as a Police Officer, you will NEVER know what they have to put up with on a day to day basis. It's shameful, how our society treats those who protect us from harm every single day.

    Officer Wilson felt that deadly force was warranted, because he felt his life was at risk and the life of others... If only Mr. Brown was a responsible member of the community and not a thug, then we would not be talking about this incident, because their wouldn't have been an incident.

    Yes, it is tragic, that a young man was killed, and that a community has been torn apart, and that race relations in this country have taken 10 steps backwards, but had Mr. Brown been raised in a stable, loving, and responsible household, maybe, just maybe this would have not happen.

    If have to look at the underlying issue, society and the environment where Mr. Brown and others like him are subjected to...a society that lessons or looks down on those in a blue uniform wearing a badge, an environment where their are drugs, lawlessness, gangs, and little or no parental guidance...an environment where anything goes, and "I'm gonna get what's mine, and screw the rest"...but the media doesn't talk about that, they only talk about a young black man, being shot and killed by a young white man..how tragic and how very shallow our society and media have become.

    It's a SAD day in our nation, but it's a daily occurrence, when those of us who become parents, don't actually parent at all, but only procure!

    What's the answer...more minority police officers, REALLY! How about working on fixing and curing the ills of our society, instead of putting another Band-Aid on bullet hole. REALITY CHECK...Whites have to co-exist with Blacks and vise versa, so if hiring ONLY minority officer is the answer, then your hiding from the bigger issue.

    Lastly, SHAME on the Ferguson Police Dept. for not standing by one of their officers. They threw Officer Wilson under the bus...they apologized for one of their police officer's doing their job, and then after their was no wrong doing and no indictment , they gave him no severance pay after he resigned from the force.

    How about if Officer Wilson was killed, would there be any national media coverage, I think NOT...just another cop killed in the line of duty in America everyday...no big deal, just another wife without a husband, another kid without a father, another team without a coach, nothing news worthy about that...SHAMEFUL!!!!

    -- Posted by DUMBFOUNDED IN IDAHO on Mon, Dec 1, 2014, at 10:04 AM
  • Kelly, the transcripts have been released.

    Just because the Grand Jury didn't indict doesn't mean that Wilson can't be charged at another time after a more thorough investigation is done. A Grand Jury not indicting just means there is not enough evidence at that time. Since there was no trial, double jeopardy doesn't apply.

    It is too bad that there was property damage during the protests, but if I was Black and living in Ferguson, I'd be protesting. They need to, in order to get national attention in order for the problems in Ferguson to be solved. These problems are much bigger than a burned down convenience store.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Mon, Dec 1, 2014, at 1:47 PM
  • Cool Breeze, I never said that the violence was justified. Put your reading glasses on.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Mon, Dec 1, 2014, at 3:27 PM
  • He could be charged with whatever an investigation came up with. You apparently haven't done any research into this. The link below has some information.

    Mike, you and your little friend of earlier blog days, Cool Breeze, are really anxious to turn my words about a protest being needed into me being an advocate for violence. That isn't what I said and I'm pretty sure that you know it. I guess it works for turning up a little selective umbrage, right?

    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/26/us/ferguson-grand-jury-weighed-mass-of-evidenc...

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Mon, Dec 1, 2014, at 5:28 PM
  • Cool Breeze, guess what? Protesting does not mean rioting or violence. You really need to buy yourself a dictionary rather than using "Spiro Agnew's Most Innocuous Quotes".

    And Mike, keep telling yourself that you don't need to do any research. That's why we don't listen to you.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Mon, Dec 1, 2014, at 9:38 PM
  • "It's the LEFT that burns and loots----each and every time." - Mike Bradbury

    Oh really? Do you have any facts to back that up? Have you just taken it upon yourself to decide that the people in Ferguson who were burning and looting are liberals? That is your usual hogwash, not supported by facts. You thunk it so that made it so.

    Ha, Ha, Ha.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Dec 2, 2014, at 9:11 AM
  • Obviously the system is broken. Protesting all over the place. That civil war Mike talked about a couple years ago is coming, however not what he thought it would be about. Michael Browns death wasn't just about his death.

    -- Posted by MsMarylin on Tue, Dec 2, 2014, at 11:17 AM
  • I think it will be like a war but with no shooting. There is too much disparity between the 1% and everyone else, and people working full time aren't able to support their families. And then we have the problem of the police arming themselves like soldiers.

    Ferguson is a blight but unfortunately it isn't the only racially troubled area in the United States. And Congress is not able to come up with compromise legislation like we have been doing for over 200 years.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Dec 2, 2014, at 3:17 PM
  • The anger in ferguson is not about ferguson.Ferguson is about a pattern that has remained in this country.As a black man I am tired of being labeled a thug to be gunned down on sight.It's about a justice system that is not fair,the inequity of how it works.YES WE HAD A GRAND JURY BUT NOT ONE THAT WORKED LIKE ANY OTHER GRAND JURY THAT ANYONE KNEW ABOUT,THE PROCESS WAS FLAWED.That is what it's about.There is no impartiality and therefore there is the frustration and mistrust.

    I do take issue with someone talking about how people are raised etc.What your parents are led to belive(by you)THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SCHOOL ,THAT YOU ARE RESPONDING TO THERE DESCIPLINE ETC IS SOMETHING YOU CANNOT SPEAK TO YOU ARE NOT LIVING IT AND HAVE NO IDEA.It bothers me that some can watch T.V. and make assumptions about people.With that said if the media would shine a light on some white enclaves in mississippi,apalachia,louisiana and some other places you would find the same behavior at the same levels.Problem is you wouldn't buy newspapers or watch T.V. IF IT HAD WHITES DOING THE SAME THING.I could take you to white neigbhorhoods in N.Y. WERE YOU HAVE A MIRROR IMAGE OF WHAT WAS LISTED AS A BLACK COMMUNITY FROM DRUGS TO LAWLESSNESS THERE ALL THE SAME.

    wAYNE HASNT POSTED ON HERE IN SO LONG ....STOP USING HIS NAME IN VAIN......AND YES I KNOW HIM.

    tHE LEFT MIGHT WELL BURN AND LOOT......I WOULD SAY ALL FRUSTRATED PEOPLE WILL BURN AND LOOT OR TAKE SOME OTHER DISGUSTING ACTION.I could have really got into this but why bother you wouldn't listen to any side but your own but here is my 2 cents..........so start the insults I espect nothing less.

    -- Posted by lamont on Tue, Dec 2, 2014, at 5:30 PM
  • This is a video starring some Ferguson kids that seems to be on topic, IMO.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQfg52m0-4o

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Dec 2, 2014, at 5:53 PM
  • Cool Breeze, in regards to your claim "The cop acted according to the law, lamont. So stated a grand jury" that is totally false.

    1. The grand jury failed to indict which is not the same as a "not guilty".

    2. The prosecutor gave the grand jury a Missouri law that had been overturned by the Supreme Court. The overturned Missouri law was that you could use deadly force if a suspect was running away. Weeks later, the prosecutor said, just fold up that law that I gave you because there is something incorrect in it. A juror said "should we disregard the law then?" and the prosecutor said some things are right about the law but not everything. Another prosecutor then spoke up that they weren't conducting law school. So the jury thought that Wilson was allowed to use deadly force because Brown was running.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Dec 2, 2014, at 8:32 PM
  • COOL BREEZE you put arguments to me that I didn't even broach.So take your arguments and do whats best for them.Dont try to put words in my mouth and the BUNK you talk is exactly that. You are a typical person who try's to turn what was said into what you would like to be said so that you would have a point to argue.NOT this time my points are taken from all the media reports combined and the consenses of the frustration on the why's and hows.If YOU HAD CHECKED YOU WOULD KNOW THAT I HAVE NEVER SAID BROWN was without fault in this matter.LIKE IT OR NOT RACE IS A FACTOR HERE AND I AM NOT PUTTING IT ABOVE ANYTHING.YOU just don't want to deal with it,you would like to believe I AM TREATED THE SAME AS.. WHEN I AM NOT. YOU don't even believe the facts and the figures presented by the police departments and the justice departments themselves.IT'S SIMPLE cool breeze JUSTICE IS NOT EQUAL,ARREST,PROSECUTIONS,SENTENCES,TREATMENT,these things happen as if there where 2 justice systems........is there? The facts say there appears to be.......but I KNOW YOU DONT BELIEVE THAT........AND NO FACTS AND FIGURES WILL CONVINCE YOU..........AND YOUR SO SMART THAT YOU KNOW BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE......INCLUDING THE JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT PROVIDED THE NUMBERS.

    -- Posted by lamont on Tue, Dec 2, 2014, at 9:11 PM
  • WHAT would be nice is that whoever reads what I write Not what they want to think I WROTE. THANKYOU............ HOW ARE YOU SAM ????? I AM GETTING BETTER EVERYDAY

    -- Posted by lamont on Tue, Dec 2, 2014, at 9:27 PM
  • COOL BREEZE YOU JUST PROVED MY POINT.......THANKYOU....... NAME CALLING AND ALL

    -- Posted by lamont on Tue, Dec 2, 2014, at 10:48 PM
  • I am good lamont. We want to come and watch your group play. We keep running into bad weather or the BSU game. I am glad that you are getting better.

    Cool Breeze, I really think that you need to understand the criminal justice system a little better. When a grand jury meets the prosecution NORMALLY provides evidence to show the grand jury that there was enough evidence for an indictment.

    In this case, the prosecution was clearly invested with showing all the evidence and slanting it towards the benefit of the policeman. In the long run they may not have done Wilson a favor.

    A grand jury failing to indict, does not mean that Wilson won't be charged. IT IS NOT A FINDING OF INNOCENCE. Double jeopardy doesn't apply.

    Politics will determine if Wilson will be brought to trial either through a Special Prosecutor, or as part of a Civil Rights case. I have a feeling that the people of Ferguson will not let this drop until justice is done.

    Good for them, and good for others in the United States who are protesting for justice in this case.

    Also you should watch the video that I posted. It proves a lot of insight into racial prejudice that even children realize.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Dec 2, 2014, at 10:57 PM
  • Oh great! Cool Breeze has found another black person to scold the black people that Cool Breeze hates, in fact the article is titled "Black Sheriff SLAMS Al Sharpton, DESTROYS Ferguson Race Rioters (VIDEO)".

    Is this something like the 10th time that you've found a black person to trash the black people that you hate, Cool Breeze? Do you really think that makes it look like it isn't about race for you? Well, you are wrong.

    And lest I forget, politicalinsider.com is an extreme right wing web site, not a news organization and is known as a clickbait site. I'm sure that Cool Breeze doesn't know what that means since he uses those sites a lot so I'm posting a link below which describes what that is.

    http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/11/clickbait-what-is/38254...

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 10:47 AM
  • THANKYOU SAM.......HATE IS ABSOLUTLY RIGHT.The reasons for a ferguson is being protested by black, whites, Hispanic, Asians all over this country but the sheriff has his own thoughts and that's good it is what makes the debate.But for some he will be the gospel and we can keep right on with shooting black men at will and calling it and accident or some other exscuse when not justified.The protocol and the training will be called into question after this 12yr olds shooting.The tape is pretty damming the time frames are very quick.And the question still is would a 12 yr old white kid have been killed.The grand jury should be back on the choke hold in n.y. this week that will be interesting.

    Personally I think people are asking for fairness under the law and the same legal processes everyone else gets.Which didn't happen in ferguson.I would be very interested to know what happened to the officer that told the man to get his I.D. THE GUY TOLD THE OFFICER WERE IT WAS AND THEN WENT AFTER IT AND THE COP SHOT HIM.I LIKE TO KNOW how they justify that one.HE WAS LUCKY HE WASNT KILLED.

    SAM WE WILL BE AT THE BARDENAY DOWNTOWN ON NEW YEARS EVE.tHE OWNER DONATES THE ENTIRE NIGHTS PROCEEDS TO THE HOMLESS. There is no cover charge. we will be there for the 9 the yr Kevin Settles the owner, is one great guy.

    You have a good one.IT was good to see someone else pick up on hate.

    -- Posted by lamont on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 11:20 AM
  • I agree about fairness and the grand jury was not a fair proceeding except for Wilson who got a lot of breaks with no difficult questions asked of him.

    We love Bardenays. We have a wedding coming up, and that is soooooo expensive, I am finding out so we are trying to save money where we can but that is New Years Eve, so I think that we can splurge. We will try to make it.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 11:47 AM
  • Cool Breeze your claims are ridiculous. The title of the article was "Black Sheriff SLAMS Al Sharpton, DESTROYS Ferguson Race Rioters (VIDEO)".

    It turns out that this is one sheriff out of 3,080, according to the National Sheriff's association as of 2012. He is a sheriff in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Other than being one of many sheriff's what makes him a spokesman? Well, according to your extreme right wing web site the fact that he just happens to be black has some significance.

    So get off your high horse and admit the fact that you like to bring out a token Black person and use them to blast the Black people that you hate, those with actual power.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 11:59 AM
  • The shooting of Michael Brown occurred August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Brown, an 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, 28, a white Ferguson police officer. The disputed circumstances of the shooting and the resultant protests and civil unrest received considerable attention in the U.S. and abroad, and have sparked debate about law enforcement's relationship with African Americans and police use of force doctrine.

    Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson were walking down the middle of the street, when Wilson drove up and told them to move to the sidewalk. An altercation ensued with Brown and Wilson struggling through the window of the police vehicle until Wilson's gun was fired. Brown and Johnson then fled in different directions, with Wilson in pursuit of Brown, firing several more times. In the entire altercation, Wilson fired a total of twelve rounds; Brown was hit by seven or eight (all from the front) and the last was probably the fatal shot. Witness reports differ as to whether and when Brown had his hands raised, and whether he was moving toward Wilson when the final shots were fired.

    The shooting sparked unrest in Ferguson, in part due to the belief among many that Brown was surrendering, as well as longstanding racial tensions between the majority-black Ferguson community and the majority-white city government and police. Protests, both peaceful and violent, along with vandalism and looting, continued for more than a week, resulting in night curfews. The response of area police agencies in dealing with the protests received significant criticism from the media and politicians. There were concerns over insensitivity, tactics and a militarized response. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered local police organizations to cede much of their authority to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Mainly peaceful protests continued for several weeks.

    A few days after the shooting, the Ferguson Police Department released a video of events at a nearby convenience store that occurred only minutes before the shooting. It shows Brown taking cigarillos and shoving a store employee who tried to prevent him from leaving. The timing of the video release received criticism from some media, the Brown family, and some public officials, who viewed the release as an attempt to impeach Brown. Others said the video was informative as to Brown's state of mind, with the shooting incident coming so shortly after the robbery.

    The events surrounding the shooting were investigated by a county grand jury. In a press conference on November 24, 2014, Robert P. McCulloch, the Prosecuting Attorney for St. Louis County, Missouri, announced that the jury had decided not to indict Darren Wilson for his actions. Some legal analysts raised concerns over McCulloch's unorthodox approach, asserting that this process could have influenced the grand jury to decide not to indict. Some commentators pointed out that it was "not unusual in a police-involved shooting case for a prosecutor to lay out all the evidence and not ask a grand jury for a specific criminal charge", while others highlighted significant differences between a typical grand jury proceeding in Missouri and Wilson's case

    -- Posted by MsMarylin on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 12:11 PM
  • THANKS MS M........COOL BREEZE..AS THE TIME HAS WENT ON you should have noticed and payed attention to your own rehetoric....you hate liberals,democrates,blacks,woman,hispanics,anyone who have minds of there ow., You rant and rave as if you are the only one with and opinion.You go out of your way to insult anyone who does not agree with your right wing way of seeing things.PEOPLE DONT CARE THAT YOU DISAGREE IT'S HOW YOU DO IT.THE PROCESS IN FERGUSON AFFECTS OUR LIVES. BECAUSE IF THE PROCESS CAN BE CIRCUMVENTED THERE, NOTHING STOPS IT FROM HAPPENING HERE OR ANYWHERE ELSE.

    I COULD be above the fray and say the system works but that would be a lie,it also would be dangerous because I could be next.You see I was assaulted on the road right here by a police officer for no reason 3yrs ago.Now let me ask you cool breeze has that ever happened to you ??? NOW the officers personal prejudice comes into play but so does the systems.So again if the system is not credible then you will have a ferguson.I DONT know why that is hard to understand.

    Now before this goes any further don't try to tell me about victim mentality or any of the other things that you consider part of your agenda.FUNNY THING ABOUT ATTACKING PEOPLE ON A PERSONAL LEVEL YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE THE PERSON YOU THINK YOU ARE AND BE SURE YOU KNOW WHO AND WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.I could care less that you of all people are ashamed of me and that I disgust you etc that kind of paternalistic garbage is exactly what makes ferguson and other cases like it so viable.Attitudes like yours perpetuate ferguson and the same things you say you dislike.You seem to dislike most and that usually starts with yourself.Attack all you want at my age and my accomplishments people such as yourself don't mean much to me.

    Mike and myself don't agree on much politically but we do respect each other as people and therefore we can talk,you on the other hand.

    Sam yes weddings are spendy if your in boise drop in, if not I UNDERSTAND.we will catch up be safe.

    -- Posted by lamont on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 1:02 PM
  • The grand jury in New York today failed to indict the policeman who put a choke hold on a black man and killed him.

    In regards to Ferguson, here is a quote from Frank Serpico. This quote seems to apply in New York City as well. It seems to be clear, that when the police are involved, prosecutors are not attempting to get an indictment, and maybe this is more the case if the victim is a minority.

    "The fact is that police have never been accountable. In my day, and I'm sure it's true today, they used to say a district attorney could indict a ham sandwich if he really wanted to. But they didn't get that in Ferguson. So what erupted in Ferguson is not just about Ferguson. This thing has been a long time coming."

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/11/the-great-police-violence-cover-u...

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 2:08 PM
  • Too bad, Cool Breeze, that you have no idea what you are talking about and have nothing to cite that backs you up. Are you getting desperate?

    Most of the rest of us are talking about the town of Ferguson and the related issues.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 2:28 PM
  • COOL BREEZE......I GOT STOPED FOR NO REASON WHICH WAS PROVEN AND THEN GOT SHOVED AROUND FOR NO REASON WHICH WAS PROVEN.SO DONT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS YOU DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT. REVENGE again an assumption that satisfy's your sense of what I want not the reality of what I want. That is for the system to work,not for a rigged system to work but the system as it is.There were3 blacks on the grand jury with a town population of over 70% black. The gran jury just based on that was not fair.But I am more interested in how evidence was presented and the gran jury process that was not followed.And even conservatives are questioning the process.AS FAR AS BROWNS FATHER IS CONCERNED HE WAS DEAD WRONG PERIOD.I DONT CARE WHAT HIS EMOTIONS WERE RUNNING, HE HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO HIS COMMUNITY AND HE LET THEM DOWN.

    You cool breeze do not know what goes on in my mind or anyone elses no matter the color I would suggest to you that you stop trying to tell me or anyone what they want or what they think instead try asking.BEFORE YOU TRY TO PAINT ME AS SOMETHING I AM NOT(ignorant) you need to look in the mirror otherwise you wouldn't be attempting to put words in my mouth that are not in my heart.You want those words to justify YOUR REHTORIC AND feelings not mine.You are very insulting and disrespectfull to anyone who is not of your right wing ideaology with me it takes on a very high level of bigotry.I do consider your last sentence a threat one that as a minority I hear a lot.You need to remember the days of the klan and intimadation through violence are over we will fight back so don't threaten me subtly or otherwise.Had to tell a black guy that not long ago for the same reason he will not destroy what I HELPED TO BUILD.......!!!!!! I HOPE YOU HEAR ME I AM GETTING TIRED OF YOUR INSULTS.

    -- Posted by lamont on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 3:25 PM
  • You must be becoming hysterical Cool Breeze. You said "What would you have done if a white guy twice your size was assaulting you, a cop?" Since you are referring to the size of Michael Brown vs. Darren Wilson that brings up something astounding. So Darren Wilson is 6 feet 4 inches tall. In that case Michael Brown would be 12 feet 8 inches tall. Eeeeek! No wonder Wilson said that he thought that he was a monster! Ha Ha Ha.

    Here are some more facts for you, cut and pasted word for word from Huffington. I left off the quotes for readability and numbered the myths and facts. Fact 4 refutes your false claim that black people voted not to indict. 9 of 12 juries must vote to indict in order for an indictment to occur so as many as 8 jurors could have voted for an indictment and there would be no indictment. There has been no information provided on whether black people voted for an indictment. You were ASSUMING that the vote had to be unanimous. Do you know what they say about those who assume? Gee, why do you suppose McCullough didn't disclose how many jurors voted to indict?

    Myth 1: The grand jury declared Darren Wilson innocent, or, relatedly, the grand jury "acquitted" Darren Wilson.

    Fact 1: Grand juries don't decide whether someone is innocent or guilty. Nor do they "acquit" people, as do juries in criminal trials. Grand juries simply decide whether there is probable cause to indict someone for a crime.

    Myth 2: The grand jury found that Darren Wilson's shooting of Mike Brown was justified.

    Fact 2: Aside from determining whether there is probable cause to indict someone for a crime, grand juries don't make any factual determinations. Saying that there is no probable cause to indict someone -- what the jury said here -- is different from saying that the shooting was justified.

    Myth 3: The grand jury found Darren Wilson not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Fact 3: In a criminal trial, a prosecutor needs to prove that a defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in order to convict him. But the reasonable doubt standard has no bearing on grand jury proceedings. Rather, as I have mentioned, the standard that grand juries use is probable cause. Probable cause is a low standard. I have heard some judges describe probable cause as about 10% certainty, while other commentators hesitate to quantify it but agree that it is quite low. And Sol Wachter's now much-quoted statement that "by and large" prosecutors could influence juries to "indict a ham sandwich" offers a more colloquial understanding of probable cause.

    Myth 4: The grand jury was unanimous.

    Fact 4: Robert McCullough, the St. Louis County prosecutor, explicitly stated that he would not disclose whether the grand jury was unanimous (at about 25:40 in the video). Under Missouri State Code § 540.260, nine of the twelve jurors need to agree in order to indict someone for a crime. Since there was no indictment, all we know is that there were not nine votes to indict Darren Wilson on any given charge. Indeed, there could have been eight votes to indict him on one or more of the charges. Or the decision not to indict could have been unanimous. But we don't know. And given that Missouri State Code § 540.310 prohibits grand jurors from disclosing any individual juror's vote, we likely never will.

    Myth 5: This was a normal grand jury proceeding.

    Fact 5: This grand jury proceeding was unusual in a number of ways. Others have already discussed the abnormalities in considerable detail, but they include the decision to present the jury with all the evidence, as well as the decision to present that evidence without recommending whether the grand jury indict on particular charges. In a typical grand jury proceeding, the prosecutor would present enough evidence to establish probable cause of the crimes the grand jury was considering, and would then recommend to the jurors that they indict on particular charges.

    Myth 6: It's normal for a defendant to testify in front of a grand jury.

    Fact 6: It's actually rare for a defendant to testify in front of a grand jury. It's not unheard of, and the practice varies from one jurisdiction to another. But in most instances people who are known targets of a grand jury investigation don't want to risk testifying in front of a jury. Moreover, there is no absolute right for a defendant to testify in front of a jury that is investigating him. So Robert McCullough, the prosecutor, gave Darren Wilson an opportunity that McCullough was not constitutionally or statutorily required to provide.

    Myth 7: Robert McCullough presented the evidence to the jury.

    Fact 7: Two assistant prosecutors, Kathi Alizadeh and Sheila Whirley, presented the evidence to the grand jury. McCullough oversaw the proceedings but was not in the jury room on a daily basis.

    Myth 8: Double jeopardy prevents Darren Wilson from being charged in the future with a crime relating to his shooting of Michael Brown.

    Fact 8: A non-indictment by a grand jury doesn't trigger double jeopardy. Another grand jury could be convened to hear the evidence. Indeed, one criminal law expert has called for precisely that to happen, although so far Governor Jay Nixon has said he will not appoint a special prosecutor to present evidence to a new grand jury. Moreover, Wilson could also be charged with a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 242, which makes it a crime for government officers to deprive citizens of constitutional rights. As other commentators have observed, this is relatively unlikely, but it's certainly not precluded by double jeopardy.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 3:32 PM
  • Cool Breeze, that was a pretty long winded way to say that you have no valid arguments to support the fact that you were wrong.

    1. Michael Brown was not twice as big as Darren Wilson. Good try on the 3 inches taller too but still wrong. Both Michael Brown and Darren Wilson were 6 feet 4 inches tall.

    2. You said "By the way, there were black people on that grand jury that voted against any charges, too. There are two problems with this. (1) There was no vote against charges, (2) There were votes on charges and it has not been released how many jurors voted to indict and on which charge. You don't know how many people, and of what race, voted to indict. It could be as many as 8 people and as few as 0 people.

    It is really difficult trying to talk sense with someone that can't stick to the facts and struggles with basic logic. I hope that you keep your promise.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 5:38 PM
  • Cool Breeze, I almost forgot.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcYsO890YJY

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 5:40 PM
  • BASIC WHAT IS BEING SAID BY COOL BREEZE IS........IT'S OK FOR YOU TO BE KILLED,YOU HAVE NO WORTH ANYHOW........THANKYOU WE GOT THAT FROM YOUR POST A LONG TIME AGO......tHE POINT I make is you act as if only your conclusion are right.WRONG !!!!!!!I can say that without the insults.......you ought to try it...again you know nothing about me so you shouldn't be making assumptions and therefore comparisons.....you want people to agree with you if they don't you start the insults plus.If you would listen you might hear some things were there is agreement.

    The other thing is history is good only to insure that the mistakes made are not repeated.Transgression is that what you call it??I DONT CARE ABOUT THE FACT THAT I CANT CHANGE WHAT HAPPENED. I CAN ONLY USE HISTORY AS A REFERENCE TO MOVE FORWARD.I HAVE RECIEVED NO SPECIAL PREVELEDGES,TOOK THE SAME TEST CLIMBED THE SAME OBSTACLES OVERCAME BARRIERS AS THEY WERE PLACED AND STILL SUCCEDED.I AM SURE THAT ****** SOME PEOPLE OFF BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I DONT CARE.I HAVE EARNED EVERYTHING I HAVE. NOBODY GAVE ME ANYTHING AND I DONT CARE WETHER YOU BELIEVE THAT OR NOT.Unless you are my age or older I LIVED WHAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE HISTORY, ALL OF IT'S GOOD AND THE BAD.FROM THE TUSKEGEE AIRMAN MY UNCLES FOUGHT WITH TO MY TIME IN NAMM TO WHATS HAPPENING TODAY I paid my dues and will not stand to be mistreated......that bothers you.Tough !!!!! I am part of that history so how about you taking your ignorance of that history and enlighten yourself.I DONT WANT TO RUB YOUR NOSE IN ANYTHING BUT I DO THINK YOU WANT ME TO BE SUBSERVIANT TO YOUR IDEAOLOGY.

    -- Posted by lamont on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 6:05 PM
  • Another recent killing, this time of a 12 year old black child (Tamir Rice), where the police told a story that sounded like they did the right thing but when you watch the video, it's clear that a child was murdered.

    This is really sad and very revealing about why the police need body cameras.

    http://www.vox.com/2014/12/3/7326243/tamir-rice-police-contradictions

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 7:38 PM
  • The video is pretty damming.There is some other info which questions this officers fittnes for police duty. He was let go from another force.I don't cut and paste so you will have to look for the info.This officer will get away with this also,THEY WILL SETTLE WITH THE FAMILY OUT OF COURT. AGAIN THE ISSUE, WAS THIS THE ONLY WAY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF ????????? and is the media playing to the racial part of this?? I DO KNOW THERE ARE TO MANY THAT'S FOR SURE.EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS ONE FOR THEM SELVES BEFORE THEY COMMENT.

    -- Posted by lamont on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 7:53 PM
  • CB didn't you claim that Brown was twice the size of Wilson and then 3 inches taller. Pick a lie and stick to it please. I am getting dizzy from your changing stories.

    -- Posted by Geordey on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 9:41 PM
  • I believe both sam and myself was talking about the 12 yr old being shot.Other than the fact that there both black there is no connection between the two.Otherwise what are you talking about?

    HI GEORDEY HOW ARE YOU DOING ???? HOPE YOUR WELL.

    -- Posted by lamont on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 9:57 PM
  • I am good. How are you Lamont?

    -- Posted by Geordey on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 10:21 PM
  • MIKE I HEAR YOU......I understand the nature of the job I also have a lot of empathy for the numbers that get killed in the line of duty.You and I WENT TO WAR we did what we had to do to come home.I know some officers feel they are at war but the people of this country are civilians who pay there salary's for protection.I don't think any of us want to think we need protection from them.The way things are going right now a lot of minority communities feel exactly that way.The violence in a lot of minority communites is inexscusable however we don't all live or come from those community's nor do we have those attitudes.When you are judged before you can even defend yourself the system is broke.When that judgment becomes getting killed( by accident)I don't think you can demand respect.Has it gotten to be one sided I think yes it has !!!!! No officer should have to fear for his/her life in order to keep order.Ambushes of police officers are almost always gang related we are not talking about that. We are talking about average joe blow citizen.Just as there are good and bad people there are good and bad cops.I think what people want is honest law abiding officers who treat them with respect and they will get respect in return and vice versa.For me the officer who gives respect gets it but that's me.

    The protocals need to be reviewed,the attitudes on both sides need to be checked at the door.The supervisor need to be actively supervising and held accountable just like you and I were.THIS CHOKE HOLD DEATH SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED AND THE SUPERVISOR SHOULD BE PUNISHED HE WAS RIGHT THERE..... THE PROTOCAL SAY'S YOU WILL NOT USE THAT HOLD.........BECAUSE OF PREVIOUS DEATHS.This is getting to be a comedy or errors the problem is the errors have a finality to it.

    I am not sure more money will make them anymore responsible they have a promotion and longevity system similar to ours.I think you have to respect yourself the job and the people your tasked with protecting.Just like us.The people have to do the same otherwise you get what you have right now.This is a cause and effect and it will take both sides to stop it otherwise it will escalate which none of us want.......I WILL SPEAK FOR THERE FAMILY'S ANYTIME.

    -- Posted by lamont on Wed, Dec 3, 2014, at 10:39 PM
  • Cool Breeze are you still trying to push your false information that Michael Brown was a behemoth compared to Darren Wilson?

    "Wilson is 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds; Brown was the same height and weighed nearly 300 pounds."

    http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/25/us/darren-wilson-interview/

    To "weigh nearly twice what Wilson did" Brown would have to weigh 420 pounds. EEEEEKKK again. So both men are the same height, and Brown is apparently way out of shape, plus Wilson has a gun. How scary!

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Thu, Dec 4, 2014, at 8:45 AM
  • Mike........had a a cop tell me they do get bored and make mountains out of mole hills,So that is not out of the realm of possibility I hope that is the exception and not the norm.

    What is with you right wingers and Sharpton.he has the same mouth that Limbaugh has I dont hear you guys on RUSHE'S BUTT or is that because he is saying what you want to hear....you have your advocates and we have ours what is the darn problem???? rush IS RUDE AND LIES QUITE A BIT IS THAT ANY DIFFERENT THAN SHARPTON.AND YOU HAVE PLENTY OF THEM....MARK LEVIN,SAVAGE,COULTER, WHAT WOULD make you think we enjoy those folks.There rhetoric at times is as bad or worst than George wallac and just or worst as demeaning.He has at time embraced law enforcement especially those officers attempting to do community work so lets get it straight.

    THERE ARE A LOT OF REASON FOR POLICE ACTIONS AND I SINCERLY BELIEVE THEY HAVE A HARD JOB.That doesn't give them a license to act outside of the protocals.And officer just said he accidentally dischared his weapon into a staircase and killed a man.I would like to believe him but I BACK UP TO IF YOU ARE THAT SCARED YOU NEED TO FIND ANOTHER LINE OF WORK.

    Anyhow I am sure MOST have good intentions and I am also sure that some of the knuckleheads out there really test there resolve.......WELL GOT TO RUN HAVE A GOOD ONE

    -- Posted by lamont on Thu, Dec 4, 2014, at 10:57 AM
  • Why does someone have to be killed over a pack of cigarettes? Why isn't a body removed from the street in a timely way instead of laying out in the street for 4 hours? Why do prosecutors hold Grand Juries? Why not an outside source who has no connection with the Police Department?

    -- Posted by MsMarylin on Thu, Dec 4, 2014, at 10:57 AM
  • Mike, I believe that some policemen are jerks. A few years ago, when we had just lived in our house for a few months our dog got out of the yard and ran over to another dog that was on a leash held by a five year old.

    The two dogs made a lot of noise towards each other but no blood was spilled. The child was scared, and the child's aunt started kicking our dog to separate the dogs. She then held our dog.

    I brought our dog into the house, and we decided to not let our dog into the yard until we had found out and fixed how the dog got out.

    To make a long story short two policemen showed up at our house to have animal control take our dog for being "vicious dog at large". The neighbors thought he was a pittbull, which he was not.

    One of the policemen was quiet and polite, the other was a real jerk. He asked me no questions about what had happened but claimed that our dog had bitten someone.

    I was told the next day that our dog would have a hearing in a couple of months and until then would stay locked up at Animal Control. I hired an attorney and I contacted the Director of the Humane Society. I also hired a fence company to make the fence inescapable including concrete along the fence to prevent digging under.

    The Humane Society director let us come and get our dog. Weeks passed and then we got the tapes from the police officers investigation that night.

    The policeman who was the real jerk started his tape with "I (expletive deleted) hate dogs." The officers then interviewed the neighbors who told him that our dog was a pittbull. The woman that had held our dog was asked about what happened and she gave her account. She had a scratch on her knee and the policeman asked if the dog had bitten her and she said no that was from kneeling on the ground holding the dog. The policeman then tried to convince her that it looked like a dog bite to him and she said no, she had not been bitten.

    Then the policemen found my son as he was leaving the house to go to the store. The jerk policeman asked him if he was the owner of the dog and he said, well, it was a family dog. I am the head of the family, BTW. He asked him if he was a pittbull and my son said no and told him what breed of dog that our dog was. A few questions later he again asked my son if our dog was a pittbull and he said no. Then he gave my son the citation and my son expressed surprise on why he was getting a citation. The policeman said, well you said it was your dog. My son said no it was a family dog. The policeman insisted that he said it was his dog. My son didn't argue further.

    Then the policeman told my 18 year old, high school student, that if he didn't want things to get ugly he needed to go into the house and bring the dog out. My son then went in the house and told me what happened. While he got ready to bring the dog out I went outside to talk to the policemen. The jerk policeman was rude. He told me that our dog had bitten a woman. I said that our dog wouldn't do that. He did ask me if our dog was a pittbull and I said no, telling him the breed of the dog. The policeman asked if he was a purebred and I said yes and has papers.

    He wrote up a police report with his account which referenced the dog about a dozen times as the "vicious dog" and claimed that the woman had been bitten.

    Now you may be wondering why I know what was really said between my son and the police and the neighbors and the police. It is because both policemen were wearing a tape. When we finally got them, the lawyer laughed and said "they don't have a case, the woman told them twice that she hadn't been bitten." I had the lawyer change the person charged to me and change the charge to "dog at large" instead of "vicious dog at large" and I would pay the fine. The prosecutor agreed to that after hearing about the tape.

    We are white and live in a middle class neighborhood. If we were treated poorly and lied about by a policeman what do you think happens in a black, low income neighborhood?

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Thu, Dec 4, 2014, at 11:03 AM
  • Very good questions MS Marylin.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Thu, Dec 4, 2014, at 11:04 AM
  • THAT IS MY POINT SAM.......THANKYOU !!!!!!!!

    -- Posted by lamont on Thu, Dec 4, 2014, at 1:19 PM
  • I read something interesting. In the aftermath of the grand jury failing to indict Wilson, Civil Rights groups still hope to make some progress on the Ferguson tragedy.

    1. More guarantees on the rights of people to peacefully protest.

    2. Getting rid of the police using racial profiling to stop people.

    3. Fairness in the structures and operation of local government i.e. an almost all white police force policing an almost all black community and the same communities local government officials also being mostly white. Also, not relying on fines as a major source of income in the community.

    4. A national police gun violence database - gathering statistics on police shooting people.

    5. Laws regarding the use of force by police.

    http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/11/24/what-civil-rights-groups-will-pus...

    I'm thinking that this leaves out something important. Because of the working relationship between the prosecutor and the police, there needs to be a special prosecutor with no ties to the police to put those cases before a grand jury.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Thu, Dec 4, 2014, at 5:48 PM
  • YOU MISSED THE POINT mike AND WENT TO SOMETHING ELSE.....he SPEAKS OUT ABOUT THE RACIAL WRONGS AS HE SEE'S THEM,HE DISCOURAGES VIOLENCE. My impression is you don't want him to say anything about the wrongs just go with it,that is not going to get it to change.Heck we had to have disturbances in the military for them to change.You cant say that we were not patient.Desegragated in april 1948 I WAS STILL DEALING WITH IT IN 1961.There are times I WISH AL WOULD SHUT UP OR TAKE ANOTHER TACK BUT IT DOESNT CHANGE THE FACT THAT HE DOES PROTEST THE WRONGS,and yes he makes mistakes he is human.

    SAM.....THERE WAS 450 SOMETHING people killed by police last year.I don't know how many were investigated.There will be a change now, this is not going to go away and the reason is, it affects everybody regardless of your race.I like your suggestions.......later

    -- Posted by lamont on Thu, Dec 4, 2014, at 6:14 PM
  • Mike, your list of crimes, while long, lacks substance. The Republicans have been investigating everything that they can possibly think of, but alas, they are not able to come up with anything to make a case that a crime really occurred. They've also finally had to admit that there was no wrong-doing in regards to Benghazi.

    Republicans did this to Clinton too. This fools some people, unfortunately.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Fri, Dec 5, 2014, at 6:51 AM
  • Please stay on specific topic or move your political views to the specified avenue for off topic comments.

    -- Posted by Brenda Fincher Publisher MHNews on Fri, Dec 5, 2014, at 10:42 AM
  • On the topic of this blog, let me offer this comment. The nominee to be the next Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, has a good reputation apparently among both conservatives and liberals in the handling of crime in general, and of handling police crime such as have been recently suggested has occurred in:

    1. Ferguson

    2. New York

    3. Cleveland.

    She is currently responsible for the Federal investigation for the choke hold killing of a black man by police in New York.

    She won't have the history that Eric Holder has, and may be able to pull off more federal actions when the local or state governments are by their actions or inaction allowing police crime to continue. The Michael Brown case needs, IMO, to have a federal investigation too.

    http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/loretta-lynch-eric-garner-113342.html?hp=c...

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Fri, Dec 5, 2014, at 12:32 PM
  • Coolbreeze

    The case concerning the man that died because of a choke hold put upon him by a cop is an entirely different situation than the Michael Brown/Darren Wilson situation.

    They are pretty much the same, senseless killings of a black man over something that would of been a misdemeanor. Officer Wilson shot off 12 rounds at Michael Brown for what a pack of cigarillos.

    Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson were walking down the middle of the street, when Wilson drove up and told them to move to the sidewalk. An altercation ensued with Brown and Wilson struggling through the window of the police vehicle until Wilson's gun was fired. Brown and Johnson then fled in different directions, with Wilson in pursuit of Brown, firing several more times. In the entire altercation, Wilson fired a total of twelve rounds; Brown was hit by seven or eight (all from the front) and the last was probably the fatal shot. Witness reports differ as to whether and when Brown had his hands raised, and whether he was moving toward Wilson when the final shots were fired.

    -- Posted by MsMarylin on Fri, Dec 5, 2014, at 12:55 PM
  • And the same situation for the 12 year old boy that was shot within 2 seconds of the police driving up.

    The interesting thing that I think is also a pattern is that the police in all three cases over-exaggerated, probably subconsciously, the threat that the black boy, teenager, and man posed because of a deep seated prejudice where they saw black people as more frightening than they are.

    1. Wilson thought an overweight teenager who was the same height as him was a "monster" and feared for his life or so he said. The police let his body lay in the street for hours.

    2. In New York several police combined pulled the black man down and sat on him applying a choke hold to his neck and pressing down on his chest despite the fact that the man was saying "I can't breathe." When he was passed out and possibly dead none of them attempted to resuscitate him. They poked him like he was a dead animal.

    3. The 12 year old boy playing with a pellet pistol was seen as a 20 year old man, and he was clearly a boy not a man.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Fri, Dec 5, 2014, at 1:52 PM
  • Cool breez.......you are right the 2 cases are totally different.The problem being that why people are upset is the same. THE SENSE OF NO TRUST IN THE SYSTEM.I wont even comment on the GARNER grand jury that speaks for itself.The feeling that the system does not work for you or you are singled out by the system will create the atmosphere we have right now.The shame is this has been going on for years PRES CLINTON SPOKE ON IT DURING HIS TERMS AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

    IT will not change unless everyone understands it could happen to them and it does but the media selectively reports and that is part of the problem also. ANYHOW I ALSO FEEL THIS ONE AND THE ONE IN CLEVELAND WILL GALVANIZE THE COUNTRY TO SAY ENOUGH.

    -- Posted by lamont on Fri, Dec 5, 2014, at 2:30 PM
  • Does this mean that now you will actually read the transcripts and other evidence provided on the Ferguson case Cool Breeze? Because I'm thinking that other people are reading the evidence and you are reading World News Daily and other extreme right wing sites.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Fri, Dec 5, 2014, at 6:44 PM
  • What I have that is "insightful, factual, or pertinent to add" that is related to the topic of the blog is that you, yourself, should read the facts regarding the Ferguson case before haughtily advising others to. You appear to be getting your information from extreme right wing web sites that frequently lie and/or exaggerate, and leave important information out.

    The evidence can be found here.

    http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/11/us/ferguson-grand-jury-docs/

    Note that in the Michael Brawn autopsy report, the coroner ruled the death as a "homicide". The definition of homicide is "the deliberate and unlawful killing of one person by another; murder.".

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sat, Dec 6, 2014, at 9:55 AM
  • To add clarity to my above comment. The legal definition of homicide is this.

    "Homicide

    The killing of one human being by another human being.

    Although the term homicide is sometimes used synonymously with murder, homicide is broader in scope than murder. Murder is a form of criminal homicide; other forms of homicide might not constitute criminal acts. These homicides are regarded as justified or excusable. For example, individuals may, in a necessary act of Self-Defense, kill a person who threatens them with death or serious injury, or they may be commanded or authorized by law to kill a person who is a member of an enemy force or who has committed a serious crime. Typically, the circumstances surrounding a killing determine whether it is criminal. The intent of the killer usually determines whether a criminal homicide is classified as murder or Manslaughter and at what degree."

    http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/homicide

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sat, Dec 6, 2014, at 10:01 AM
  • SAM ....MS M........IT'S NOT WORTH ARGUING WITH HIM ABOUT IT....If you read his blogs it gives the impression that whatever the cop did was OK, AND THAT THE RESPONSE WAS NOT.THE RESPONSE HAS TAKEN ON A NATIONAL TONE FOR GOOD REASON.

    The N.Y.P.D. just shot a cop they thought was a criminal.The cop just happened to be black and yes he is dead.I GUESE IF YOU ARE A MALE, BLACK AND STAND AT LEAST 6 FT, YOU ARE A CRIMINAL,AND A THREAT SO YOU MUST BE SHOT ON SIGHT.

    But for some that is ok, and the fact that I live with that threat is ok.NOT one thought to how that impacts my life OR THAT IT'S WRONG.

    We shall see what the day brings......LATER

    -- Posted by lamont on Sat, Dec 6, 2014, at 1:04 PM
  • Coolbreeze I don't plan on taking up your challenge I have read the same as you have. I would rather clean the toilet then take up your challenge.

    Yes the system is broken and maybe more better training will help.

    Is it true Mountain Home is the training Center for new cops? Heard this the other day, don't know how true it is. If it is true then that must be why I got a ticket for a cat who escaped out of my house (back in the 90's) and was out for less then a minute. lol! Geeeez you would of thought the cops would of gave me a warning.

    The deputy who brought me new paper work, (cop put wrong court date on ticket) didn't even realize there is a leash law for cats. This was in place back in the 90's I guess they were keeping it a secret. Nice way to get extra cash for the city. lol!

    Sorry I got a little off topic

    -- Posted by MsMarylin on Sat, Dec 6, 2014, at 2:18 PM
  • Correction, someone breaking the law and the police using excessive use of force, probably motivated my conscious or sub-conscious racial issues that the police had.

    In the case of Ferguson, the policeman interpreted a black teenager the same height as himslef and overweight as a terrifying "monster". He shot about 12 rounds at the teenager, hitting a couple of neighborhood buildings, and hitting the teenager several times. Many witnesses claims that the teenager had his hands up saying "Don't shoot."

    In addition to that, in the case of Ferguson, a cover up. Claiming that the policeman had a facial fracture (not true), showing videos of the victim stealing cigarillos from a convenience store, not having a proper grand jury hearing, organizing it so that there would be no indictment.

    Also in the case of Ferguson, responding to at first peaceful protests with military weapons, pointed at the crowd.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 9:59 AM
  • Obviously there are a whole lot of folks out there who think something is wrong be it racial or otherwise. The system needs fixing. No one should be killed over a pack of cigarettes. There is a court of law to decide if he should be killed for a pack of stolen cigarettes.

    -- Posted by MsMarylin on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 11:12 AM
  • By Sara Gates, eHow Contributor

    -last updated August 31, 2014

    The Difference Between Excessive Force & Police Brutality thumbnail Police are forced to use their judgment in uncertain and dangerous situations.

    Police officers are often placed in dangerous and uncertain situations, and are forced to use their judgment regarding how to react to possible criminal activity. Occasionally officers react inappropriately, causing harm or distress beyond what is necessary in the course of protecting themselves or others. This can result in instances of excessive force or police brutality. While not precisely the same thing, excessive force and police brutality are intertwined.

    -- Posted by MsMarylin on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 11:19 AM
  • Cool Breeze, there is no evidence that "shows Brown did NOT put his hands up." There are conflicting witness accounts on that. Your "evidence" claim is why we can't respect the validity of anything that you say.

    Ms Marylin, you may be interested in this. The article below is from a former St. Louis, Missouri policeman and his experience on the St. Louis force. The comments and excessive force from a lot of his fellow cops, clearly showed race was a big part of the problem.

    One incident is cut and pasted below.

    "Once, I accompanied an officer on a call. At one home, a teenage boy answered the door. That officer accused him of harboring a robbery suspect, and demanded that he let her inside. When he refused, the officer yanked him onto the porch by his throat and began punching him.

    Another officer met us and told the boy to stand. He replied that he couldn't. So the officer slammed him against the house and cuffed him. When the boy again said he couldn't walk, the officer grabbed him by his ankles and dragged him to the car. It turned out the boy had been on crutches when he answered the door, and couldn't walk.

    Back at the department, I complained to the sergeant. I wanted to report the misconduct. But my manager squashed the whole thing and told me to get back to work."

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/06/i-was-a-st-louis-cop-...

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 11:21 AM
  • THE QUESTION IS WOULD THE SAME LEVEL OF FORCE BE USED AGAINST A WHITE SUSPECT.tHE STAtistics are pretty damming on that question.

    I think when a person says they cant breath you at least take a look or sit them up. To stand and watch them die is pretty negligent in my bookThe facts are that more minority's are killed,maimed,assaulted by police than are there white counterparts.The are arrested for minor things in higher numbers than there counterparts.In ferguson with all the garbage it was said at the beginning that minorities received a disproportianat number of finable offeses.tHEY ALSO SAID THAT THE POPULACE KNEW IT that is a contributer to the lack of confidence in the police force.

    I think most of the cases now have only served to bring forward the feeling of enough.When you go back into the history of cases you find a pattern that no one case shows N.Y. has been a tinder box for years,the age of communications has brought the abuses to the for front because they can all be corallated.THERE ARE 5 BOUROGHS IN THAT CITY AND WHAT HAPPENS IN ONE DOESNT ALWAYS GET TO BECOME KNOWN IN THE OTHERS.

    SINCE GARNER THERE HAVE BEEN 2 OTHER FATALITIES BY THE POLICE,AND THE POINT BEING THEY TOO WERE MINORITIES, THEY DID NOT INVOLVE ANY CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.You have to consider them racially motivated when there happening to one group.You shot someone in a stairwell unprovoked and call it and accident ,you shot your own officer because he,s black and you Think he's a criminal.

    WHAT YOU ARE SAYING TO THE COMMUNITY IS WE WILL SHOT AND KILL MINORITIES WHEN WE FEEL LIKE IT !!!!! AND THEN COVER OUR BUTTS.

    Some here want us to say that's OK that's the way it is......no it's not,and just because it.s not happening to you doesn't make it right.OK arrest GARNER but do it within the protocals and guidelines that you have been given,the choke hold is against protocals.

    The worst part of GARNER, is the coroner says homicide,the system says NO.I guess the camera lied or was rigged.....seems to me what was rigged was the grand jury.I don't think we can really exspect people in this day and age to accept this.I BET IF A MINORITY DID THE SAME TO SOMEONE THEY WOULD BE PROSECUTED......

    -- Posted by lamont on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 12:16 PM
  • RUBY RIDGE......YES EXCESSIVE FORCE FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.....That however is not community policing were it is happening everyday to people who count on the system to protect them not kill them.

    A ruby ridge happens everyday in the minority community's across this nation.They get reported and squashed or alibied.You mike don't get spoke to the same way I do.You don't get followed home,told we are looking for someone every time you catch them at it.I AM NOT GOING THROUGH THIS AGAIN,MY POINT IS LIKE IT OR NOT MINORITY'S ARE BEING TARGETED AND IT HAS NEVER STOPED.It goes and comes depending on how much attention is being brought to bear.It is and attitude of bias based on a false perception that has been perpetuated through the media and people who would like to ensure that there is no progress within those community's.The way that is done is to attempt to discredit what is being said by the people who complain,sometimes the picture is bigger than what you think you see.The GARNER thing is a good example but I'm sure it'll be justified here.AFTER ALL HE ASKED FOR IT !!!!!! HE SHOULDNT HAVE BEEN SELLING LOOSE CIGARETES.....

    -- Posted by lamont on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 3:16 PM
  • I forgot .......it does appear that deadly force seems to be the option used by police more often with minority's wether a confrontation is verbal or physical.

    -- Posted by lamont on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 3:35 PM
  • Evidence that you are unable to produce from a reputable source, right Cool Breeze? That's too bad because I think that you were hoping to get some respect.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 6:11 PM
  • BTW, Cool Breeze, uninformed and ignorant are synonyms of each other. You might as well have said the uninformed, the uninformed, and the reprobates.

    Also, just who are the reprobates? If you are thinking that anyone that thinks that Wilson killed an unarmed black teenager with his hands up is a reprobate then you are also missing the meaning of that word too.

    If you are going to call people names, please get yourself a dictionary or look up the words online so that at least we know what names you are calling us. Better yet, how about stopping the name calling as a step forward on getting people's respect?

    Just so everyone but Cool Breeze knows.

    1. I am not uninformed.

    2. I am not uninformed. Ha, Ha, Ha.

    3. I am not a reprobate. I have plenty of principles that I take care to follow.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 6:24 PM
  • I found this in "The Atlantic". I thought it was very eloquent and is on topic for this blog. It talks about the events at Ferguson and about the history of America and change.

    "Black people know what cannot be said. What clearly cannot be said is that the events of Ferguson do not begin with Michael Brown lying dead in the street, but with policies set forth by government at every level. What clearly cannot be said is that the people of Ferguson are regularly plundered, as their grandparents were plundered, and generally regarded as a slush-fund for the government that has pledged to protect them. What clearly cannot be said is the idea of superhuman black men who "bulk up" to run through bullets is not an invention of Darren Wilson, but a staple of American racism."

    This is followed by another discussion that took me aback. It said that many of American's changes, throughout our history, both good and bad, were achieved through violence. For the entire article, the link is below. I need to ponder that in my mind, and hope that our country can change for the better without violence.

    http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/11/barack-obama-ferguson-and-th...

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 6:50 PM
  • RIGHT ON SAM.......IF you go to any of the sites that police use you will see some interesting post's.SO's as not to get hung up on just one of these incidents, you have to look at the totality of them.The totality will tell you why people all over the country are marching.ABUSE OF POWER IS ABUSE OF POWER AND THEY REALLY DONT CARE WHO THEY ABUSE ESPECIALLY IF THERE A MINORITY.Remember the state trooper stratiling the woman and beating her on the side of the road in California.He didn't care, she was a minority. If he could do that he could have cuffed her..........Why not a beat down first?

    SAM don't waste your time !!!!! STATE IT AND MOVE ON......YOUR TO GOOD A PERSON.YOU DONT NEED TO BE NAME CALLED, AFTER ALL WE ALL CAN'T BE THAT RUDE.

    -- Posted by lamont on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 6:55 PM
  • You are right lamont, but sometimes I just can't seem to resist commenting on the really stupid stuff.

    I am hoping that through non-violence some real change can be effected as a result of these tragedies. I think this is going to be in the history books. I hope, too, that some more immediate justice is achieved for the victims of these shootings and their families.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 7:22 PM
  • SAM..........I KNOW THAT WAS MY PROBLEM.I had to go back and remember what we were taught.( DRRI) Some people will never listen.As long as they are not being hurt, and benefit as they perceive it from what is happening they will approve.They are incapable of empathy for what transpires to anyone outside of there ethnic group and can rationalize away anything concerning them.In other words don't waste your breath .......smile.

    I would like to see it stay non violent but I don't think it will.I think there are people who want violence on both sides of the issue because they don't want anything to change.We see it right here as I was told I WANT SPECIAL PRIVELEDGES.I don't, but if that is what's believed nothing will change.

    I hope for some form of justice for these family's but it will only come from the fed.I hope you heard some of the excerpts from the report on clevelands police.That force is a bunch of criminals and there leadership should be criminaly prosecuted.But I am sure that is wishfull thinking.......well got to run... later

    -- Posted by lamont on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 8:11 PM
  • HA !!!!!!!!!!!!!! leave it to you MS M..

    -- Posted by lamont on Sun, Dec 7, 2014, at 8:29 PM
  • I've commented on your so-called "evidence" Cool Breeze putting my comments all in CAPs. I've decided to not respond to your usual abundant name calling.

    1) Police Car Damage

    Detectives reported damage to Wilson's police car in their investigative report obtained by ABC News. The car's driver-side window was shattered, and the driver-side mirror was bent towards the car, possibly indicating evidence of a fierce struggle between Wilson and Brown while the officer was still seated in his patrol car.

    NOTE THE WORD POSSIBLY. THIS MAY SUPPORT A STRUGGLE IN THE CAR BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SEVERAL SHOTS AT BROWN WHEN HE WAS NO WHERE NEAR THE CAR, AND ACCORDING TO WITNESSES HAD HIS HANDS UP ASKING WILSON TO NOT SHOOT? YOU ARE CONFUSING PRECEDING EVENTS WITH THE CRIME. -- Sam

    2) A Witness' Journal Entry

    A journal entry by someone police only identified as "Witness 44" said that Brown charged at Wilson, even after Wilson fired his gun. "The cop just stood there," the entry read. "Dang if that kid didn't start running right at the cop like a football player. Head down. I heard three bangs, but the big kid wouldn't stop."

    THERE WERE MULTIPLE WITNESSES THAT HAD TESTIMONY THAT CONFLICTED WITH THIS ACCOUNT -- Sam

    3) Wilson's Medical Examination

    Wilson sustained bruising in the face, neck, and scalp areas after "he was hit in the face a couple of times," according to a police report. Wilson also reported jaw pain, according to a medical examination report.

    THAT'S TOO BAD WILSON GOT AN OW-EE. THE BLACK TEENAGER BROWN WAS SHOT SEVERAL TIMES AND DIED. -- Sam

    4) A DNA Analysis Report

    A DNA analysis report revealed that Brown's DNA was found inside Wilson's car, on the officer's shirt and pants, and the interior left front door handle. Brown's blood was also found on Wilson's gun, according to the police investigation. That evidence appeared to support Wilson's claim that Brown punched the officer while Wilson was seated in his car and reached in and struggled over Wilson's gun. Wilson said he fired twice while in the car.

    NOTE THE WORDS "appeared to support". IT APPEARS TO SUPPORT A STRUGGLE IN THE CAR, AND JUSTIFIES WILSON FIRING HIS GUN IN THE CAR. WHAT ABOUT THE BARRAGE OF BULLETS SHOT AT BROWN IN A POPULATED NEIGHBORHOOD WHEN HE WAS NO WHERE NEAR THE CAR? -- Sam

    5) Wilson's Interview

    Wilson testified before the grand jury that he perceived Brown as a direct threat. "He looked up at me and had the most intense aggressive face, it looks like a demon, that's how angry he looked," Wilson told the panel.

    RACISTS QUITE OFTEN THINK THAT BLACK PEOPLE LOOK BIG AND SCARY. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY ARE. -- Sam

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Mon, Dec 8, 2014, at 10:52 AM
  • I'm still waiting for the evidence about Darren Wilson being justified to shoot a black teenager several times, at least once in the face, because he seemed big and scary to him.

    Tic-toc, Cool Breeze.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Mon, Dec 8, 2014, at 11:06 AM
  • An excellent explanation of why there was no indictment in the grand juries in Ferguson and New York. This was written for the Washington Post by a Public Defender.

    "So how is it that police shoot an unarmed boy in Ferguson and strangle an asthmatic man on Staten Island, and nobody found probable cause? The only explanation is that, rather than acting like prosecutors, these district attorneys acted like the officers' attorneys. They did not push the grand juries to indict. In fact, they suggested that it would be okay not to indict. They presented mitigation. They didn't cross-examine the killers. Remember, grand juries only see one lawyer -- the prosecutor. There is no judge present and no adversary to the district attorney. When there is only one lawyer in the room, and that lawyer has asked for indictments in every other case he has presented, and he stands before you and tells you he wants you to do whatever you think is right, the outcome is almost preordained. Here's what the right approach would have been:

    Unarmed men were killed. Let's have a trial."

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/08/it-would-have-been-ve...

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Mon, Dec 8, 2014, at 1:02 PM
  • Saturday Night Live had a little fun with the aftermath of the grand jury decision. Since it is Saturday Night Live, there is one word that I heard that the MHN may not like so I won't post the link but it is in the Time web site, for those interested.

    Cool Breeze, you keep saying that the grand jury "voted to not bring Wilson up on charges." That implies a majority vote in a certain direction. The vote has not been proven to be either.

    THERE WAS NO VOTE NOT TO INDICT! IT WAS A VOTE TO INDICT WHICH REQUIRED AT LEAST 9 VOTES IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

    The prosecutor chose to not provide a count of the vote, I suspect because most of the jurors voted to indict. Unfortunately, in order to indict at least 9 jurors out of the 12 had to vote to indict.

    So people are wondering how you can ever get an indictment if 9 jurors have to vote for it. It happens all of the time. The prosecutor makes a case that a crime has been committed and tells the jury who he or she thinks did it.

    These are the prosecutorial abuses on the Ferguson grand jury.

    1. The defendant got to tell his side of the story, after he was provided with all of the evidence of the case so he could try to make his story match it.

    2. The defendant was prompted by the prosecutor for exculpatory information.

    3. Information that favored the defendant's story was provided.

    4. The prosecutor didn't recommend a vote to indict on a charge.

    Clearly the system was broken in Ferguson and a prosecutor was allowed to get a policeman off. It's time for a special prosecutor or a federal civil rights investigation. Brown lost his right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Mon, Dec 8, 2014, at 5:04 PM
  • The important thing Cool Breeze, is that I pointed out your logic and factual errors so that people whose opinion that I care about can read and enjoy.

    Carry on!

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Mon, Dec 8, 2014, at 6:05 PM
  • It looks like Cool Breeze just had "a night of bad choices" starting with his reliance on the Tea Party news for his reading materials.

    Sam, I salute your rendition of the facts. Cool Breeze I would salute you too for effort but since you are not a veteran you may not understand what that means.

    -- Posted by Geordey on Mon, Dec 8, 2014, at 7:43 PM
  • I like your expression "Tea Party News" Geordie. That pretty much sums it up, doesn't it.

    Here is something that the "Tea Party News" won't be publishing. The Ferguson prosecutor neglected to release Federal documents of witness interviews. Now why would the prosecutor fail to do that? Because the prosecutor has conducted everything about the grand jury and investigation in a dishonest way.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Dec 9, 2014, at 9:52 AM
  • YES.......HE HAS......And now on to blaming the victim......I think the garner case is the classic of the miscarriage of justice.When Krauthammer says he doesn't understand what happened here you know something is wrong.But we are into blaming the victim......he was overweight......hello !!!!!!

    -- Posted by lamont on Tue, Dec 9, 2014, at 1:27 PM
  • You are right lamont, based on the police officer comments on policeone.com and on the latest attempt by the extreme right wing to now try to trash Michael Brown's family.

    I think that the protests, all over the United States are giving this the attention it needs. In a way, the Ferguson DA, in an attempt to get Wilson off may have not done himself any favors. He may not have the freedom in the future to circumvent the law to get a policeman off.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Dec 9, 2014, at 4:03 PM
  • COOL BREEZE......is it good for AMERICA THAT THE POLICE FORCESES OF THIS COUNTRY HAVE PEOPLE WHO HARBOR DEEP RACIAL ANIMOUS AND KILL OR MAIM PEOPLE FOR NO REASON THAT MAKES SENSE.

    THE question should be WHY do they get away with it.??and HOW? Not every incident involving a minority is racial or political and should not be portrayed as such.When deadly force is used against unarmed people (WHITE OR BLACK) we have a problem.When that action is lopsided and singles out one group, then it becomes racial and political.WE DONT WANT IT THAT WAY BUT HOW DO YOU RECTIFY THE SITUATION??Is it good for America to ignore it?? If it doesn't happen to you you can ignore it. I don't think you would ignore it if it was happening to you.

    What is wanted is equal justice under the law not special justice.That is not what has happened here and it is not what is happening around the country.That state trooper in calif got to RESIGN that means he carry's his pension rights to his next job he also doesn't have to divulge why he left the job.The next job will probally be another police force.The officer in clevelad is a product of this system were there is now questions about wether he should have been hired at all.Does it make it political yes, it questions the system. Does it make it racial maybe it shouldn't but a black kid did DIE.

    When you read police reports written by some officers they are so racially bias it's unbelievable and if that bias is applied across the board that officer is a risk to the public and to his/her self. What's best for AMERICA IS THAT WE DONT HAVE THOSE PEOPLE IN POSITIONS THAT ALLOW THEM TO USE THE SYSTEM TO INSTATUTIONALLY ABUSE PEOPLE.

    -- Posted by lamont on Tue, Dec 9, 2014, at 6:36 PM
  • No, it isn't just the cops, but it is a question of the rule of law and the police not having the same consequences as other people.

    In Ferguson it is a case of Civil Rights violations and racial prejudice from the local government and the police.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Dec 9, 2014, at 7:28 PM
  • Yes.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Dec 10, 2014, at 8:24 AM
  • This is a story of a neighborhood a few years ago where crime was way up. The police were changed with a county police force. These police don't ride in cars, they walk a beat and meet people, knock on doors and introduce themselves. They play ball with the kids, and have things like a Turkey raffle. Needless to say they don't call the neighborhood people thugs.

    Crime is now way down and business are re-locating to the area bringing up incomes. This city is a neighbor of New York City.

    http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2014/12/police-and-people

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Dec 10, 2014, at 7:18 PM
  • A new decision by a federal judge about the use of tear gas during demonstrations was made. It's a step in the right direction and was based on a suit by several people in the crowd that tear gas was used without much warning on people that were boxed in between two groups of police and couldn't get away. Children and the elderly wee part of that boxed in crowd.

    It's just a small step forward but at least it's a step forward.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/12/tear-gas-ferguson_n_6312884.html

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Fri, Dec 12, 2014, at 8:48 AM
  • Mike, maybe they should try that in a lot of places, like even Mountain Home. I know Mountain Home is more spread out making this possibly not feasible but doubling up the police in their cars seems to be a step in the wrong direction, IMO.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Fri, Dec 12, 2014, at 9:02 AM
  • MAYBE THEY SHOULD TRY IT IN APPLACHIA AS WELL AS CHICAGO.When I was a kiD in N.Y. THE COPS WALKED A BEAT WE KNEW THEM ALL AND THEY KNEW US.You got out of line your parents got notified in person by the cop,it stoped a lot of garbage before it got started.Yes the police visited the school yards were the stick ball game was and the basketball games they were part of the community.

    The community's have changed not only are the cops alienated but so are the residents.BOTH are tired of a few who live in the neighbehood acting as though they represent the entire neighborhood they don't.The police should not treat everyone as criminals and the residents should not treat the cops as the enemy.That is hard to do given the present antagonism of both.Right here that same antagonism is just under the surface.The lack of mutual respect has been fueled by a few on both sides and we refuse to bring it to the people who are tasked to change it.Why?? because we in small town America, do not feel that the powers to be will be receptive to what we have to say.And the powers to be who have not been subject to it don't see a problem.IF this festures in small town America what do you think happens in big town America??

    Community policing should not be dead it is needed more today than at any other time.Community's need to voice there frustrations and attempt to embrace those who try to keep us safe.Safe does not warrant brutality first and foremost nor should you loose your common sense.Profiling,provoking,lieing,assualting all of those things should not be tools of law enforcement good communications should be.

    -- Posted by lamont on Fri, Dec 12, 2014, at 12:11 PM
  • MIKE......THE FEELING OF ALIENATION WITH THE POLICE IN THIS TOWN IS REAL.Maybe you don't feel it but I know many people who do.Cops hitting on woman,following them home,talking to people like there criminals,bogus traffic stops etc it is happening here.

    It is nice to say we don't have the crime and we don't, but that does not exscuse unproffesional conduct.I am out there I hear about it all the time.I even hear about it from officers, so there has to be some truth to IT.

    The evening news, I hate to say sensationalizes everything.So you have to decipher what's real and what's not, they also censure the news especially when it comes to police misconduct.When the media got accosted in ferguson and they knew it was the media that says a lot. Your a good guy to them, so why would you have a problem????

    -- Posted by lamont on Fri, Dec 12, 2014, at 2:08 PM
  • Maybe you could believe more of what you see if you stopped watching Fox News. That "news" agency tells a lot of lies and spends a lot of time on topics that are unbelievable.

    Currently, in regards to Ferguson, they are complaining that a Law School professor removed a question about Ferguson and whether Michael Brown's stepfather should be charged for inciting a riot.

    Some students complained about the question being too current to be evaluated, without the back drop of legal jurisprudence and the professor said that he wouldn't grade the question.

    Now Fox News is all up in arms. They liked the question, obviously because it was about charging a member of Michael Brown's family.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sat, Dec 13, 2014, at 11:49 AM
  • And it is disrespectful to call women that you hate by their first name.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sat, Dec 13, 2014, at 5:55 PM
  • It's difficult to have a political discussion with you because you start out with a lack of respect about other people that don't share your opinions.

    If you think that the founding fathers thought Americans would be lock step on their opinions with no deviations, then you are sadly lacking an understand of what it means to be in a free country.

    -- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sat, Dec 13, 2014, at 11:57 PM
  • A very small few have turned a couple of areas into their own personnel political forum so far off topic it is ridiculous. Move your political banter where it belongs in the corner of all things political or refrain yourself from blowing up other stories. TkU.

    -- Posted by Brenda Fincher Publisher MHNews on Sun, Dec 14, 2014, at 11:23 AM
  • Ferguson may not have been the best one to use but it started the rise of conscience.tHE PEOPLE DEMONSTRATING AROUND THE COUNTRY are interested in justice, equal justice in this case treatment.This shoot first ask questions later is not what the people see as justice.beat downs on women,strangle holds,accidental shootings all in the name of keeping the peace and protecting the people,who is going to protect us from them.The fact that one group or the other is being singled out for special treatment makes it even more insidious.The demonstrations are about it could happen to anyone......they finally got the point, yes it could and has.

    -- Posted by lamont on Sun, Dec 14, 2014, at 9:31 PM