What happened in Ferguson last night?
As far as I understand from initial reports, a man, who was in the process of selling a stolen television, opened fire on an undercover police car. Unfortunately, he did so in the midst of a peaceful protest in Ferguson, which some people will latch onto, further hurting the cause of said protest.
Is the news media responsible for inciting the riots in Ferguson ?
The media, while they encouraged the riots and looting, were not directly responsible. Sharpton and other race-baiters found a willing audience for their hate speech. Direct responsibility for the riots lies with the "planet of the apes" type residents of Ferguson, and other racists. This group needs little reason to take or break the property of others.
Is st louis really that dangerous?
The rankings recently came out naming St. Louis as the U.S.'s most dangerous city. I believe this only referred to the city of St. Louis specifically. So, yes, downtown and some of the neighboring areas are considered fairly dangerous by law enforcement. On the other hand, there are some extremely nice suburbs, especially in western St. Louis county and St. Charles.
Is the police abuse of power in Ferguson, Missouri racially motivated?
Not so much as you might think. 20% of the Ferguson city budget comes from fines and seizures. It's cash motivated. I drive through the edge of town on the interstate every day I work, and there is usually a speed trap there manned by two policemen driving newer muscle cars. The town has been using the police department as their own personal ATM for a long time. That speed trap targets young guys in nice cars, black or white. In town, though, there is a lot of ticket writing going on for petty offenses. The black population is generally poorer than the white population and poor people make easier targets. In my opinion, for a healthy relationship to exist between the police and the population, the police department has to be funded by taxes almost exclusively. In this case, the police have wanted things back for their efforts and those things come out to have been military style weapons and gear and really, really nice cars. The cops who didn't want to be part of this mess quit or never started working there. What you see are the ones who are left. Ferguson isn't alone in this. Read the Arch City Defender's take on it here:ArchCity Defenders: Meet the legal superheroes fighting for St. Louis' downtroddenThere's a white paper that goes with it, but every link I can find to it is broken. Go figure.
If only 12% voted in the last election in Ferguson, MO, and those citizens complain who runs their city. Is this a proper response in any city?
Here is the nub of this problem; these two elected official's positions on the court resolution in the death of Michael Brown, and where any guilt lies:http://www.stlouiscopa.comRobert P. McCulloch ST. LOUIS COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEYhttp://downtrend.com/brian-carey... Missouri State Senator Jamilah NasheedMr. McCulloch was elected three times as District Attorney. Rep. Nasheed was elected as State Representative. Miss Nasheed says the blacks in Ferguson are not being fairly represented. The pending case will be prosecuted by a white man whose father was a police officer killed in the line of duty many years ago. He can not be fair. So she says.He was fairly elected by the (white) citizens of Ferguson, if you believe the State Rep. There is no challenge to the results of this election.This is the nub or core of the problem with not voting. You get who is elected, either by the majority who vote, or KEY HERE, the minority who out number those who DO NOT vote! The black population was 6% of the turnout of a city with only 12% participation. These numbers are difficult to nail down, but it is the crux of the debate. We have a representative democracy, in a constitutional republic.http://www.princeton.edu/~achane...You have your rights, as does everyone, even if you vote or if you do not vote. You have the representation of the City Council who are elected by you. They are in charge of running the city and hiring city employees, including the police.If you don't vote you are saying, "Who ever you hire is YOUR choice, not mine. I let my neighbor elect you, and in fine with that. I am too _____ (insert your word here) to vote."We see this now playing out in the aftermath of this tragedy. The State Rep. says very vociferously that nothing will be fair since the (black) citizens of Ferguson didn't elect the D.A.TL; DRNot voting (or voting) does not forfeit any of your rights— except your choice who governs you, and your neighbor.p.s. The composition of the Grand Jury impaneled to investigate the affore mentioned case is:Black Women 2Black Men 1White Women 3White Men 6
Is the rioting and unrest occurring in Ferguson, MO, due to a perception on the part of the rioters that the state's attorney or the Missouri courts will most likely let the police officer who shot the guy off the hook?
It seems to me that the rioters are a minority of people who convinced themselves months ago that this is an issue of white police brutality against young black boys and have come to the conclusion that anything but an indictment from the grand jury is unacceptable. The confirmation theory seems to be at work here. These rioters aren't really focused on Darren Wilson or Michael Brown as people, but as symbols. Officer Wilson represents all the police brutality and the many other black men killed by white police officers in the past. To them, Brown is an innocent victim and Wilson is a brutal murderer. Throwing the racism factor into the equation makes it difficult for them to see past what they believe to what is really going on. The evidence matches Wilson's testimony, and other testimonies have discredited the statement made by Brown's friend.Therefore, it isn't really about Wilson and Brown. It is about racism, which started with slavery before the civil war, and has continued ever since. There are too many stigmas and deeply held beliefs at play here. Emotion has gotten in the way of evidence.P.S. To answer your question, yes. That is what this is about.
Michael Brown Ferguson shooting.?
Why was Michael Brown or whatever his god damn name was shot 6-8 times? Obviously every American thinks they were there and saw. Maybe unloading s whole magazine wasn't the best idea but why was he shot and who is right here ? Is it America or the Law? I think America is losing common since. Its scary.