St Louis police murder scandal (PLUS: riots, idiotic press conferences, etc.)

[Slander and/or Libel]

I still don't understand why they are still rioting.  If the evidence points that the cop was in the wrong and the investigations conclude otherwise, I could understand it (rioting would still be wrong), but for now it just looks stupid and serves no good purpose.

What's your threshold for what's considered rioting? Is it anything the police declare to be rioting?

Have you seen this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maA1FUJqhew

Another view of the security camera in the convenience store. Certainly cuts against the idea of a robbery. Looks more like a teenager being a dick to me, but then I suppose I'm being redundant.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Another German journalist has been arrested in Ferguson, bringing the count to three: Ansgar Graw (Welt), Frank Herrmann (Rhein-Zeitung), Lukas Hermsmeier (Bild). The German Federation of Journalists (DJV) has issued a statement condeming the arrests:

http://www.djv.de/startseite/profil/der-djv/pressebereich-download/pressemitteilungen/detail/article/polizei-jagd-journalisten.html

[dead0man]

What's your threshold for what's considered rioting? Is it anything the police declare to be rioting?

Shooting at cops and each other and the throwing of Molotov cocktails would qualify.  Which all happened last night.  cite

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Yes, of course...have you seen these

Kinda weird that the man would buy his sh**t and then harass the owner and then the owner would call in a robbery isn't it?

[Slander and/or Libel]

http://fox2now.com/2014/08/15/store-owners-talk-about-surveillance-released/

The owner disputes that he called the police at all, actually.

[dead0man]

Perhaps because he knew someone else called?  Perhaps he doesn't want his store to be the target of the rioters like the QT down the street was when it was wrongly thought it was the store that was robbed.  Notice he didn't say Mr Brown didn't rob the store.

[Slander and/or Libel]

Perhaps. But also notice that he didn't say Mr. Brown did rob the store, right? I mean, we can both play games about things the store owner didn't say.

[dead0man]

Yep.


Do you have any idea why they are still rioting?  Does it make any sense to you?

[Slander and/or Libel]

What's your definition of rioting?

[Sbane]

It's quite obvious there was a robbery at the store, otherwise why would he be shoving the owner like that? Just for fun? That is even worse. And it's not as if he was underage and couldn't buy those legally. Maybe he didn't have his ID on him and still wanted the cigars, in which case that is even more idiotic.

No one can justify what the police are doing currently and have been doing for a whole week (seriously dead0man wtf) but there is no reason to justify what mike brown did in that store.

[Paul Kemp]

Do you have any idea why they are still rioting?  Does it make any sense to you?

Because there are much larger issues at play here? The shooting was just the figurative spark of a powder keg in a community where it's been clear that there has been some racial tensions building up. One just has to look at the police actions in the week since to see that.

Yea, obviously those using violence and looting or whatever are douchebags but do we even know what percentage of the crowds this actually is?

[dead0man]

What's your definition of rioting?

Again (seriously, do I have to repeat everything to you three times?), they were shooting ...>SHOOTING, at the cops (who did NOT return fire) and each other.  They were throwing fire bombs.  Does that not reach "riot" level to you?

No one can justify what the police are doing currently and have been doing for a whole week (seriously dead0man wtf)

Where have I tried to justify the cops actions during the protests? (other than right above here where I said they didn't shoot back at assholes shooting at them...I don't know if that even counts as "justifying".)

Do you have any idea why they are still rioting?  Does it make any sense to you?

Because there are much larger issues at play here? The shooting was just the figurative spark of a powder keg in a community where it's been clear that there has been some racial tensions building up. One just has to look at the police actions in the week since to see that.

Yea, obviously those using violence and looting or whatever are douchebags but do we even know what percentage of the crowds this actually is?

I'd assume quite small overall.  None (or at least a tiny fraction) at all during the day time, but at night....it's probably pretty close to a majority.  Most of them not being locals, but asshats coming in from other places just to start sh**t.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

straw0man continues to be the forum's most consistent apologist for fascism.

[Slander and/or Libel]

Can you provide a link to back up the bit about rioters shooting at police? I've only found it on Breitbart, which is questionable.

[dead0man]

I don't say this often but....OMG....

What's your threshold for what's considered rioting? Is it anything the police declare to be rioting?

Shooting at cops and each other and the throwing of Molotov cocktails would qualify.  Which all happened last night.  cite

I'm starting to think you only read what you want to read.  That little "cite" word up there is a link.  In that link Capt Ron Johnson (the Capt Ron Johnson that walked with the protesters last week (this is a link too) when he came in to take over for the local PD) is quoted as saying...

You must be logged in to read this quote.

They were also talking about it on MSNBC this morning.  It's also CNN's front page.

[Slander and/or Libel]

Sorry, I didn't see the link. My bad.

I suppose I would want to know what the sequence of events was. Did police start firing tear gas and ordering people to disperse before the violent actions, or afterwards?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

straw0man doesn't seem to understand that the protests are not solely about Michael Brown's death--that was merely the trigger. However, I wouldn't understand a reactionary troglodyte like him to understand the concept of things having root causes.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

My personal favorite



UGH

(c) from USA Today

[Paul Kemp]

My personal favorite

They've been waiting their whole, terrible lives for this, Grumps.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

My personal favorite

They've been waiting their whole, terrible lives for this, Grumps.

That guy gritting his teeth seriously wants to shoot someone, Mr.  Kemp.  Ugh.  Scary sh**t.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Are these people policemen?

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Are these people policemen?

I think the last one I posted, Al, are National Guard troops.  The one before that are police, yes.

Here's the USA Today photo gallery link

http://www.usatoday.com/media/cinematic/gallery/13866577/police-protesters-clash-in-ferguson-over-teens-death/

[King]

Replacing suburban police with national guard? It's a parade of wannabes.

[The Free North]

If I was going to riot I would at least do it someone else's neighborhood, doing it in your backyard is pretty dumb.

[King]

For impoverished youth, some convenience store that someone else owns is not your backyard. For most of these people, their own backyard is not even their own backyard but some landlord's.

Physical violence of police clashes is more concerning. The looting is just a lot of insurance company paperwork.