Ferguson (St. Louis) Missouri Riots

[Hardheaded1]

The riots came off as expected, but not widespread like the riots of the 60's. Oddly, the news keeps referring to them as protests. Riots are not protests. Vandalism and riots are purely criminal acts. They are not striking out against "the man," nor do they make any statements about justice or injustice. The protestors who were in fact protesting were not rioters.

The rioters were looting and burning their own neighbors' businesses, as usual. There are many armchair pundits second-guessing the timing of the announcement from the grand jury. In truth, the riot would occur regardless of the timing. The riot occurred because it could, like most senseless violence.

A dichotomy exists between the forces that are trying to address the disparity and those that have contributed to the problems. The rampant lawlessness and the reactionary police evolved in response to one another, side by side. This riot is glaring evidence that the problems are broader and without the unilateral cause that has been debated surrounding the one case. Too much is said about the police state and too little about the crimes that led to it.

The fact that there were not sympathetic riots in other cities speaks volumes about the problem not being near the level of the unrest of the 60's.

[LJay]

"...This riot is glaring evidence that the problems are broader and without the unilateral cause that has been debated surrounding the one case. Too much is said about the police state and too little about the crimes that led to it...."

This wound, left untreated, will not heal.

[Virge]

The only true injustice committed in Ferguson was by the professional exploiters and creator of racial issues who did everything in their powers to incite mob mentality that always leads to violence. A new one gained national attention as the attorney for the family of Michael Brown. His name is Benjamin Crump, who started his career as an exploiter, promoter and profiteer of racial tension and violence in the Trayvon Martin case.

The only injustices done in Ferguson were by the exploiters, promoters and profiteers of racial tension. They did nothing to calm the mobs and everything to incite them. Rather than spread truth and reason they sought to spread baseless accusations and hate.

I watched the violence in Ferguson live on TV with their reporters and cameramen on the streets so close they capture recognizable faces of the looters --- or at least the faces that weren't hidden by masks. The mob was supposedly upset because they didn't get the justice they demanded. Do you realize how ridiculous and just plain ignorant that is on several levels?

No. Be honest. The grand jury verdict was just an excuse for looting. 61 one people were arrested. 59 of them were from the Ferguson/St Louis area. This pulls the rug from under future excuses that the violence was done by external agitators.

Oh,and all the witnesses testifying about Michael Brown attacking officer Darren Wilson were black and afraid for their names to be released to the public.... *imagine*that* They are in fear of their own neighbors for speaking the truth. What does that say about the nature racial politics in general?

Ignorance of the worse kind.

[Hardheaded1]

This wound, left untreated, will not heal.

Wounds would seem more exact.

There are the shop-owners who were being wounded daily by unchecked theft, physical beatings, and the like.

There are the reactionary cops who surely threaten and intimidate the innocent in their zeal to beat back the rampant crime.

There are the criminals who run certain neighborhoods like some kind of territory or zone, and God help anyone who threatens to unseat them.

There are the residents who look and see but say nothing.

There are the residents who speak for oppressed people in the face of violence, but they are eclipse by all the violence.

And surely the truth is the second casualty after Mr. Brown. When community chooses a moment to come together and take a stand against police brutality, it needs to pick a better moment than the occasion of an obvious bully and petty criminal who was actually fleeing the scene of his crime when his unbalanced encounter with the police occurred. The majority of the nation justly views with great skepticism the suggestion that there wasn't a real altercation and and actual fight with an armed member of law enforcement who wasn't randomly stopping a young black male, but actually apprehending a criminal in flight. Not the makings of a martyr. If a rioting mob in Ferguson believes he is their mascot, then it cannot be surprising that they choose to riot openly in his name.

Woe.

[Virge]

You're talking too much common sense HardHead. Stop it or someone will call you a racist hate monger.

I might have told you I was with county law for 3 years until this past August in 2 capacities. I was a corrections officer weekends and one of the guys in armor and ski masks raiding meth labs during the week. I'm a reserve now. Should anything like Ferguson happen here I'll be up in it. That's background info.

For the business I'm building up I go to St Louis a few times a year. about a month after Brown was killed I was there, stopped at a large gas station/small truck stop to pull to the side for a nap in the horse trailer I was hailing that has a bunk at the front. I gave the store mgr my cell phone # to call if I needed to move. She called but to tell me I had 3 guys breaking in my truck... It wasn't even a fair fight and by the time cops got there all three were ready to go to jail. all 6 of the cops were black and knew the "teens" by legal names, by street names, and criminal records and were surprised they were back on the streets on parole. The cops told me all 3 were from Ferguson.

I treat everyone the same, with respect and politeness until they give me a reason to treat them worse. I'm not going to ever bow down to treat anyone special due to race -- especially bullshit lame ass rationalizations like the Ferguson looting and burning was a response to anything white people have ever done to them. Total crap. All there was to it was thug "mob mentality" of people with respect for nothing looking for any excuse to do do what they did. It's a frackin tradition. "ooh someone got shot by a cop! OOOOH I need me some new tires and some vodka! Let's go celebrate!"

[palbert]

This whole Ferguson thing is being played like some existential crisis. It is thuggery, pure and simple.

Mike Brown was a thug who came up against a gun and lost. An unintended suicide by cop. Those moping his passing with immolation scenes are no better.

"He shot my baby." Yep, he did.

Next.

[Hardheaded1]

I have worked alongside black friends who had to find their way in the midst of this kind of grief. My heart goes out to them. In the middle of their legitimate complaints about profiling they also have to face the real tragedy of the real unchecked crime in their communities, and among their neighbors.

In my city, the cops shoot Natives in unduly high numbers, but mostly due to drugs and/or mental illness. The cops are still wrong in half the cases. Earlier this year, we had similar heat boil over and break out into mob unrest, but it was an excuse by a criminal element, not representative of a broad cultural disintegration. From the cheap seats, it's really hard to tell about Ferguson.

Regionally, St. Louis is known as a shitthole of a city. Not sure how they play out on the national scale. If I had ever been offered a job in St. Louis, I would never have considered it after having been there for a week during my college years. The arch is a gateway all right, to get out while you can.

[araya]

feeling sorry what happened, still I can't say what they've done is right, being upset doesn't mean you can do terrible things like this

[Hardheaded1]

I watch mostly PBS, so Democracy Now with Amy Goodman was on when I turned on the TV yesterday afternoon. She was on the ground interviewing people in Ferguson and the coverage was some of the worst I have ever seen, on par with Fox. Her bias was so heavy-handed and unbalanced. She must be the epitome of bias for the conservatives to cite who are against PBS being only to the Left.

Her coverage included second-guessing the grand jury's intent and she used terms like "this spot where Michael Brown was gunned down." As Virge said, she is among the race exploiters. There wasn't even an attempt to weigh evidence or do a reality check. She was intentionally validating the riot and excusing all the criminal behavior, as were her guests.

[ChadCoxRox]

I love the viral posts all over the net about the culture there taking "personal responsidamnbility" for it's failure to help its own self. 50 pairs of high dollar sneakers makes it all better you know.