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

[Deus Naturae]

A St. Louis County police officer, who was seen pushing a CNN anchor during protests in Ferguson, Mo., this week, was suspended from duty after a controversial video surfaced, in which he fashions himself as a merciless killer.

“I personally believe in Jesus Christ as my lord and savior, but I’m also a killer,” said officer Dan Page, a 35-year veteran, in the video.

“I’ve killed a lot. And if I need to, I’ll kill a whole bunch more. If you don’t want to get killed, don’t show up in front of me. I have no problems with it. God did not raise me to be a coward."

Page added, “I’m into diversity — I kill everybody. I don’t care."


http://news.yahoo.com/suspended-st-louis-police-officer-im-diversity-kill-130100473.html




Yikes...

Reminds me of this....

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

It's time to have the Furgueson police department meet the same fate.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/darren-wilsons-first-job-was-on-a-troubled-police-force-disbanded-by-authorities/2014/08/23/1ac796f0-2a45-11e4-8593-da634b334390_story.html?utm_content=bufferc45ab&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[Middle-aged Europe]

What about Bell Neighbors?

Riverview looks pretty bad too. These are the two communities in St. Louis County which are even worse than Ferguson.

Places like Moline Acres seem okay.

It's also noteworthy that there's only a single town on that list with more black people on the police force than among the general population and that's University City.

[Paul Kemp]

I don't really know what VOX is but this is a decent piece, nothing earth shattering, that I came across on Twitter in response to this weekend's NYT article:

Michael Brown didn't do anything as a teen that I didn't — but only one of us got killed

[traininthedistance]

I don't really know what VOX is but this is a decent piece, nothing earth shattering, that I came across on Twitter in response to this weekend's NYT article:

Michael Brown didn't do anything as a teen that I didn't — but only one of us got killed

Vox is Ezra Klein's new internet journalism outfit.  Kinda similar to the new 538, except better. 

I saw that article as well (they're one of my main sources for news these days TBH), and yeah it's pretty obviously correct.

[ilikeverin]

What about Bell Neighbors?

Went from 53% white in 2000 to 26% in 2010.  Jeez.

[Simfan34]

I don't really know what VOX is but this is a decent piece, nothing earth shattering, that I came across on Twitter in response to this weekend's NYT article:

Michael Brown didn't do anything as a teen that I didn't — but only one of us got killed

Vox is Ezra Klein's new internet journalism outfit.  Kinda similar to the new 538, except better. 

I saw that article as well (they're one of my main sources for news these days TBH), and yeah it's pretty obviously correct.

Matthew Yglesias robbed a store and assaulted the owner? Changes my opinion of him, if he did. He also neglected to mention this in his article.

[Paul Kemp]

I don't really know what VOX is but this is a decent piece, nothing earth shattering, that I came across on Twitter in response to this weekend's NYT article:

Michael Brown didn't do anything as a teen that I didn't — but only one of us got killed

Vox is Ezra Klein's new internet journalism outfit.  Kinda similar to the new 538, except better.  

I saw that article as well (they're one of my main sources for news these days TBH), and yeah it's pretty obviously correct.

Matthew Yglesias robbed a store and assaulted the owner? Changes my opinion of him, if he did. He also neglected to mention this in his article.

I think the point is that doing sh**tty things while being a sh**tty teen doesn't mean that you should be shot by a police officer.

[dead0man]

I'm guessing most people don't rob stores, physically hassle store owners and physically attack a cop when they are "teens".  The closest most of them get is just impotently whinging about cops on the internet.

[Brittain33]

I'm guessing most people don't rob stores, physically hassle store owners and physically attack a cop when they are "teens".  The closest most of them get is just impotently whinging about cops on the internet.

"Physically attack a cop" is contested at best, and most likely not accurate.

I remember my brother and friends stealing candy from the local convenience store. No one cared.

[dead0man]

You missed hand waving away the part about physically assaulting a shop owner.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Do we have any good evidence of this?

Or is Dead0man continuing his worshipful attitude towards authority?

[Middle-aged Europe]

Unlike some class-mates of mine, I never shoplifted anything.

Then again, I was a pretty unpopular kid in school.

[dead0man]

Do we have any good evidence of this?

The assault of the store owner, yes, lots.  The assault of the cop, less evidence.  There was certainly some physical nonsense going on at the door of the cop car, unclear as to who started it.  The guy ran, then stopped then the stories start to go in different directions.  He wasn't shot in the back like a lot of the initial "stories" suggested.

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I'm just after the truth (which sounds like something a truther would say), if the cop is guilty of murdering the man in cold blood, he should never be let out of prison.  If he's innocent, he should be allowed to go about the rest of his life unharassed.  If it's something in between, he shouldn't be a cop no more and possibly spend some time in prison.

Yes, I tend to respect authority, but I also think people in positions of authority should be punished to a far greater extent when they abuse that power than people doing the same acts without the position of power.  cite

[Reaganfan]

I'm with dead0man.

Quit making excuses for bad people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=AcEe0LbP2wY#t=37

[Brittain33]

You missed hand waving away the part about physically assaulting a shop owner.

I saw the video of the push, yeah, and I don't agree this is unusual or means he should get the death penalty for an unrelated event, sorry.

[Gass3268]

I'm with dead0man.

Quit making excuses for bad people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=AcEe0LbP2wY#t=37

Agreed, we need to stop making excuses for bloodthirsty murders like Darren Wilson.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I don't really know what VOX is but this is a decent piece, nothing earth shattering, that I came across on Twitter in response to this weekend's NYT article:

Michael Brown didn't do anything as a teen that I didn't — but only one of us got killed

The author of that article never claims to have assaulted the owner of the store that he robbed, whereas Brown is alleged to have done that.  The author never assaulted a police officer, which Brown has also been alleged to have done, and those who are paying attention to what happened and aren't just here to troll know that that is allegedly why he was killed, not because he stole some cigars.

The NYT article wasn't done in good taste, and I see no reason why it should've been written, but the VOX article isn't much better.  This whole ordeal has been a bunch of people making assumptions, passing judgment, and reaching opinions without knowing all of the facts.

Let the situation play out in the courtroom as it should.

[dead0man]

You missed hand waving away the part about physically assaulting a shop owner.

I saw the video of the push, yeah, and I don't agree this is unusual

You think it's NORMAL for 18 year old men to push around employees at a convenience store?  It's most certainly not.  I'd be shocked if it's more than 10% of the population and I'd also bet that entire 10% is full of pieces of sh**t.

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Nor do I or anybody else that isn't a racist.  If he attacked the cop, he deserves to get shot.  If he didn't, the cop should spend a long long time in jail.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I don't really know what VOX is but this is a decent piece, nothing earth shattering, that I came across on Twitter in response to this weekend's NYT article:

Michael Brown didn't do anything as a teen that I didn't — but only one of us got killed

Vox is Ezra Klein's new internet journalism outfit.  Kinda similar to the new 538, except better.  

I saw that article as well (they're one of my main sources for news these days TBH), and yeah it's pretty obviously correct.

Matthew Yglesias robbed a store and assaulted the owner? Changes my opinion of him, if he did. He also neglected to mention this in his article.

I think the point is that doing sh**tty things while being a sh**tty teen doesn't mean that you should be shot by a police officer.

Again, that's an oversimplification of what some are claiming happened.  Do you know that Brown didn't assault the police officer?  If not, why are you acting like it's established fact that the kid was shot for stealing cigars?

[Paul Kemp]

I don't really know what VOX is but this is a decent piece, nothing earth shattering, that I came across on Twitter in response to this weekend's NYT article:

Michael Brown didn't do anything as a teen that I didn't — but only one of us got killed

Vox is Ezra Klein's new internet journalism outfit.  Kinda similar to the new 538, except better.  

I saw that article as well (they're one of my main sources for news these days TBH), and yeah it's pretty obviously correct.

Matthew Yglesias robbed a store and assaulted the owner? Changes my opinion of him, if he did. He also neglected to mention this in his article.

I think the point is that doing sh**tty things while being a sh**tty teen doesn't mean that you should be shot by a police officer.

Again, that's an oversimplification of what some are claiming happened.  Do you know that Brown didn't assault the police officer?  If not, why are you acting like it's established fact that the kid was shot for stealing cigars?

I'm not but the implication of even bringing up the cigar stealing incident, which has been confirmed to have been unrelated to the incident in the street, is that this is a bad, violent criminal and therefore shooting him could be justified.

[Brittain33]

The author never assaulted a police officer, which Brown has also been alleged to have done

You appreciate this is a permanent circular logic issue with people killed by police, right? It's virtually certain that the police will note that they felt under assault, and then people will cite that to justify other things.

Honestly, Inks, do you believe Brown assaulted the police officer by diving into the car and trying to grab his gun? Do you think this is more likely, as likely, or less likely than the eyewitness accounts that he didn't?

[Brittain33]

If he attacked the cop, he deserves to get shot.  If he didn't, the cop should spend a long long time in jail.

Do you believe that Brown attacked the cop? Do you put the odds at very likely it happened as the cop said, exactly 50/50 because "it's the cop's word vs. the eyewitnesses, too bad Michael Brown isn't here to disagree", or something else?

[Brittain33]

I'm not but the implication of even bringing up the cigar stealing incident, which has been confirmed to have been unrelated to the incident in the street, is that this is a bad, violent criminal and therefore shooting him could be justified.

[Brittain33]

Again, that's an oversimplification of what some are claiming happened.  Do you know that Brown didn't assault the police officer?

I believe it is very unlikely he assaulted the police officer, especially considering how the police officer described it. To believe he would do so, is to believe he was colossally reckless and dangerous in his behavior and would do something virtually suicidal for no good reason.

Inks, you may not be aware of this, but African-American men are used to being stopped by police all the time, in a way you and I aren't, and have been taught from a young age to respond in a "no trouble" way as clearly as they can. I'm pretty sure Michael Brown's mother said that's how he was raised, too. Also note that this encounter happened during day time, the policeman was not aware, as you are, that he shoplifted cigarrillos and pushed the store owner and so was a dangerous criminal who is responsible for any violence done to him, so there's no reason for Brown to feel he was being targeted and needed to attack first.

Let's take the other side. Let's say the cop shot Michael Brown in a situation different from what he described. Wouldn't you say he has an incentive to make it sound as if he were in danger of his life?

In conclusion, looking at the incentives, Brown had no reason to attack the cop and the cop has incentives to a) exercise his power and then b) muddy the waters about what happened. It's become *abundantly* clear in the last few weeks that the police have a very bad relationship with the black residents of Ferguson, too. If you think it's 50/50, he said/he said, that's sick. Sorry.