No indictment: Open thread to discuss Ferguson

Have you seen Darren Wilson’s “injuries?”
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/the-photos-of-darren-wilsons-injury/383155/

I had worse injuries that time I hit my head on the top of a door frame (It’s a long, embarrassing story…)

As for the no indictment. Ppfffft. They had 5, FIVE, possible options for indictment. And they couldn’t bring themselves even to go with the weakest option among them, even as a token gesture towards accountability.

Stop the planet, I want off.

Yeah, the red mark on the right side of the face could very well have come from wildly firing his service weapon in his car without a good grip on it. Was Brown even left-handed?

Todd Kincannon (a Gater) being horrible:

http://www.donotlink.com/cnkl

Well, I’m reading his testimony right now, friday, and unfortunately, it’s kind of hard to tell exactly what he’s saying, since it seems that he used gestures to indicate where he was hit and what hand was used, but he says that Brown used his right hand first to punch. The only way he would’ve hit Wilson’s right side of the face was if he was entirely turned around. Yet there isn’t even a mark on that side.

…Seriously, there needed to be a trial here.

I’m mostly just baffled. I’m mostly baffled at certain subsections of the American public who are so full of bile against Black people (and it’s specifically Black people, as no other groups of people seem to get this level of ire) that they will celebrate anything-absolutely any behavior- that they think will hurt us. People who hate us so badly, they they will harm themselves and vote against their own self interests if they think that somehow they can hurt us while doing so.

I think most black people are baffled at the narratives that have been created around our lives- that we are, somehow, so vile and such a bane on human existence, that we deserve to be treated like vermin. What’s baffling to me are the people who fully support such arguments, like WWTH’s uncle, for example.

Why!

Everytime I think I have no more tears left..I keep screaming why? How can a group of people be so hated that there are people will advocate for the death of our children? That no matter where we are,or what we do, we deserve to die?What kind of person can you be to say such things? Does someone like that even know what they’re saying? What they’re being when they say such things?

I just don’t understand! I don’t understand that level of hatred and indifference.

I also don’t have anything smart, or we’ll reasoned to say.

I just know that my heart is breaking for the Brown family, and for your country as a whole which, to an outsider, seems so tragically and fundamentally broken.

The full grand jury report: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2014/nov/25/darren-wilson-not-indicted-ferguson

Home-made tear gas mask tutorial: http://black-culture.tumblr.com/post/94529711883/hey-guys-i-need-your-help-spreading-this-on-social

Petition #HandsUp: We Demand National Change to Protect Citizens and Communities from Police Violence and Misconduct: https://www.change.org/p/president-barack-obama-we-demand-national-change-to-protect-citizens-and-communities-from-police-violence-and-misconduct

Donations to collaborate with the legal fund for the people arrested in protests in Ferguson: https://secure.piryx.com/donate/mS25KFCe/MORE/mikebrown

I’m sadly, not surprised. Not happy at all, but not surprised.

I think what pisses me off… not more, but more personally is the friend of mine who is a police officer who’s said they’re taking a break from the internet ’cause they can’t handle the vitriol being thrown at people like them. Which, on the one hand I can understand, esp. since said friend is dealing with depression at the moment and I know people making blanket condemnations of your job can be hard to deal with.

On the other hand it feels a whole lot like #NotAllCops >.<

Thanks for putting up the links, folks. I will donate to the bail & legal fees fund when I get to my home laptop.

Although I lived for 7 years in the US, with my white, English-accent privilege, I have no real understanding of what it must be like to be there without those protections. But I can try and help in some small way because otherwise I shall be crying in anger at what has been done to people in Ferguson and everywhere else, for that matter.

I’m mostly just baffled. I’m mostly baffled at certain subsections of the American PUBLIC who are so full of bile against Black people (and it’s specifically Black people, as no other groups of people seem to get this level of ire) that they will celebrate anything-absolutely any behavior- that they think will hurt us. People who hate us so badly, they they will harm themselves and vote against their own self interests if they think that somehow they can hurt us while doing so.

I think most black people are baffled at the narratives that have been created around our lives- that we are, somehow, so vile and such a bane on human existence, that we deserve to be treated like vermin. What’s baffling to me are the people who fully SUPPORT such arguments, like WWTH’s uncle, for example.

Why!

Everytime I think I have no more tears left..I keep screaming why? How can a group of people be so hated that there are people will advocate for the DEATH of our children? That no matter where we are,or what we do, we deserve to die?What kind of person can you be to say such things? Does someone like that even know what they’re saying? What they’re being when they say such things?

I just don’t understand! I don’t understand that level of hatred and indifference.

I’ll try to answer your question. At least some of the White people believe themselves to be members of the master race, entitled to most, if not all, of the good things in life (i.e. good paying jobs, living without fear). They see others, especially Black people, as threats to their good life. So they would use, or applaud, any means, including police shooting unarmed Black people, to prevent the other people from having a good life.

That’s my humble opinion, anyway.

Been following this all night, this prosecutor is no prosecutor and should be disbarred. There were peaceful protestors in Ferguson but you won’t hear about that unless you look for it. Community leaders and the ACLU were tear gassed in an enclosed space. The protests were facilitated by a militarized preemptive response and delaying the announcement so that provocateurs could function under cover of darkness. I feel there were surely those who went out there intending to burn; I also believe there were whites and KKK present to do the same so black protestors would be blamed.

The way the county and city have handled this is utterly disgraceful and shows how little respect they have for the citizens. The decision was known midday and should have been announced before dark. I think the dacision was a foregone conclusion with this prosecutor and a 9/3 white jury.

I am so ashamed to be an american today.