Friday, August 22, 2014
Good morning:
For the following reasons, I believe Governor Nixon should appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Mike Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri.
Given recent developments, we can conclude that there are now reasonable grounds to believe that the Ferguson Police Department is engaged in a conspiracy to tamper with evidence and obstruct justice in order to prevent the prosecution of Officer Darren Wilson for the crime of first degree murder.
Based on the accounts of multiple eyewitnesses to the shooting and the results of the independent autopsy conducted by Dr. baden and Professor Shawn Parcells, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the officer,
(1) pursued an unarmed Mike Brown, who was running away after an argument regarding walking in the street instead of on the sidewalk, and
(2) executed Mike Brown after he stopped, turned around and was surrendering to his authority.
We now know that the Ferguson Police Department has promoted two lies in an attempt to justify the shooting.
The first lie was that Mike Brown committed a strong-arm robbery to obtain Swisher Sweet cigarillos from a convenience store without paying for them. A portion of a store video showing Brown pushing a clerk was released by the department to support this claim. However, the store never reported a robbery, denies that a robbery occurred, and the remainder of the tape shows that he paid for the cigarillos.
The second lie advanced by the department was that Brown had punched the officer in the side of the face fracturing the orbital socket of the officer’s right eye while the officer was still seated in his vehicle.
My theory all along has been that the door hit Wilson in the face as he was attempting to get out. Vehicle doors are curved inward at the top and they have door stops so that they do not swing all the way open or closed, unless pushed.
I know from personal experience that if I park on an incline and do not open the door to the first stop, it will swing back toward the closed position and bump me in the head as I’m trying to get out.
I suspect the door hit Wilson in the head with a little help from Brown or Johnson after it hit them when Wilson opened it and attempted to get out. I doubt they applied anything more than defensive force to prevent being struck by the door.
If Mike Brown had punched Wilson, I would have expected to see some evidence of bruising or skinned knuckles to his hand, but Dr. Baden and Professor Parcells did not mention any injuries to his hands except for the deep bullet-graze to the palm of his right hand just below the thumb.
Frederick Leatherman Law Blog 
That’s a mountain of evidence!
The reason Ebony and Jet Magazine creator, John H. Johnson was always my hero, and never the cynical “star” Oprah Winfrey. Too much is happening in the world and our communities for Black athletes and “stars” to be swanning around, in helping to keep the greater community and world ignorant; enabling the “media” to stay detached and empty of any real news and political content.
Grand jury is 75% white
The prosecutor does not want this indictment
Sad world we live in where our “justice” system can hand down death sentence to hundreds of wrongfully accused blacks, then fail to even bring to trial a coward who executes a fleeing, surrendering teenager simply because said coward is a cop.
Two-tiered “justice” system.
Oh Lordy why are those people so angry out there in Ferguson omg I just do not understand that tsk tsk
Why is CNN pushing this “The President” is golfing while Ferguson, Iraq and Gaza erupts.
Why are you looking at racists news channels?
CNN and Fox are the only news channels I can get on the limited cable I have where I am staying.
There is always the Internet. There is always AlJazeera (http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/8/18/st-louis-segregation.html); The Guardian—several foreign news outlets, including Russia. http://www.democracynow.org. If we were living in the 1970s, we would all be stuck. But not anymore.
Do they stream the news live?
NAACP protest in Ferguson on 23 August
You mean the NAACP that accepts donations from the likes of the Koch Brothers? Are they cammed and miked up for them as well?
TRUTH is far stranger that fiction fogen talked to police this week and LIED to them he was found in back of a gun store sitting in his shruck with a gun and told police the store owner had hired him for private security…..seems the store owner is running for mayor and his opponent is saying look who he hired and has police saying they have no reason to think fogen LIED except for the FACT the store owner says he never hired fogen would NOT hire fogen and told fogen to NOT come back to his store.
Add more lies to his long list of lies. He should be losing all credibility with even his most ardent supporters.
“credibility with…his most ardent supporters” does not depend upon any factual correctness OR any actual authority. For them, “our side” is credible enough.
I was married to a man who had this down pat. As soon as he said anything, he instantly believed it. If you disagreed with him you were a “liar.” It is a simple system that cannot fail.
Credibility with racists is a variable that depends on what they want.
Zimmerman, the useful idiot, was the epitome of truth when the racists needed to send a message to black folk who they feel might be a threat to their property.
Zimmerman, the disposed of useful idiot, is ignored because the sooner he goes away, the better the con job they pulled is never revealed.
And the black threat to property really shows the morality of many white Americans. IMO, the cigar store video proved to many whites that Brown steals property, so they really don’t give a shit if the shooting was justified.
And what was the mantra used against blacks during the 20th Century?
They are a threat to property values.
The great post WW2 society that Ronnie Reagan, great hero who fought the Battle of Hollywood, liked to fawn over gave FHA loans only to white-only neighborhoods. All black or mixed need not apply.
And today, the people who cream in their pants over the thought of him, claim our government interferes in the free market and socially engineers???
Liars, they are just mad that the social engineering that favored them is starting to crumble.
Babylon will fall.
I’m pretty sure they have gone all the way back to the 19th century’s Dred Scott mantra “No rights the white man is bound to respect”. Or, since that was a Missouri case to begin with, perhaps they’ve never left…
the fix is in. I pray that the AA community in Ferguson will exercise restraint. The oppresser has all the power. Accepting that fact now will ease the heatache and dissapointment later. Gov nixon refusing to appoint a special prosecutor is a non issue, really. That jury will never convict a cop of killing a black man. I am not holding out any hopes with the DOJ. The U.S. has gone backwards in regards to race relation. The economic disparity has made it impossible for Americans to relate to each other. The racial divide is so wide and deep.
I am 47, and do not remember it ever being so bad.
WTF? Are you a member of the Ferguson city council, or something?
GMAFB. HELLO! Been there, done that for a couple/few centuries!
I pray that the AA community in Ferguson figures out how to SHARE their pain with their silent and complicit elected officials and neighbors: EQUAL PAIN FOR ALL!
Cuz if what you say is the best we can hope for, there truly is NOTHING to lose. I mean: If you’re going to kill me anyway – literally and/or figuratively – I’d prefer to defend myself and my dignity to my grave … and take as much of you and your morally bankrupt “society” down with me as possible. And the root cause of all losses would be YOUR stupidity. You powers-that-be are utterly inept stewards, and the more I can take down the better the odds of a better world emerging. (Hmmmm … maybe you don’t understand such things, since your inept parents may have shielded you from Darwinism concepts. Oh, Well!!)
BTW, so jaded – the “you” is not aimed at you, but at the powers that be, who made and maintain hopelessness in others.
Oh I love this. A police officer in Ferguson has complained on his blog that the police are being unjustly victimized. He says, “if you try to move the journalists out before you use gas, you’re accused of getting rid of the journalists; if you let them stay you’re accused of gassing them.”
Well, uh, see, you’re not supposed to be GASSING ANYBODY and that’s why those journalists are not supposed to be removed: IF you are getting ready to gas people who are simply protesting, but you want to spare the journalists from that treatment,
YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG, see?
officer go fug yourself WHY are you trying to move the media in the first place?????? by what authority do you tell the media they cant be on PRIVATE property(parking lots of stores)……..and the talk of you officers being “under fire” is pure and utter BS…the night 2 shots were fired 2 VICTIMS in the crowd are PROOF they were who was being shot at NOT the police……..
No, they are not doing something wrong here. They are gassing and mistreating the RIGHT people. There is no pity or sanctuary for them. Journalists who are not twisting the facts are known as “race traitors” or suffering from “white guilt.” I’ve never met any white person who felt guilty for being “white” in my life. I have only read this type of bullshit in the mainstream news or radio.
It’s hard when you’re part of the evil overseer class. People are supposed to listen & obey. Because
Some thoughts about the prosecution.
1. Any prosecutor with common sense and not totally full of himself, would recuse himself when so many in the community have expressed no confidence in his neutrality and ability to do a fair prosecution. If he wants to do what’s best for the community he will step down.
2. If the governor appoints a special prosecutor, it would be a set up for another fogen trial. consider what happened with the special prosecutor of fogen: a half axxed prosecution that begged for an acquittal.
The best thing happening in Ferguson is the voter registration drive. They need to elect a new sheriff, new mayor, new alderpersons, people who are part of their community.
There will be a federal investigation, too, though – correct?
Also, what if false info leaked to the idiot mainstream media – stuff like the “orbital blowout” for example – can be traced back to the FPD? Can they be tried for conspiracy and/or cover-up?
What are the repurcussions?
THAT is why the federal investigation will also be a farce same thing in fogens case a proper prosecution REQUIRES they expose public corruption at all levels of their government.
We really can’t say that the federal investigation of Fogen is a farce yet since it’s not over and no determination has been made yet. They just might surprise us. The Fogen family and the minions have been unusually quiet lately.
how long does it take????? clearly they are NOT going to do anything at all…….government investigating government think about that reality.
Believe me, the “federal investigation” of the killing of Trayvon Martin is a cute little puppet show; the musical background is “Where’ve I heard that tune before?”
Truly, if you check the DOJ website and previous cases, some take years before a decision is made. And sometimes those decisions are good – findings of violations of civil rights, etc.
If the feds come up with something real, I will suspend my disbelief. Not until then, though.
While I don’t think they’ll do anything about Zimmerman. I do believe they’ll find something against Wilson. Feds can prosecute for color of law – excessive force by the state, of which Wilson was the representative. It does not require a proof of racial animus, or a hate crime. (Please correct me if I’m wrong, Prof).
I can’t find the actual statute. I’ll have to search a little further. But for the moment I give you the FBI’s definition.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/civilrights/color_of_law
I’m also hopeful about the wider investigations of the SPD and FPD, respectively. The feds don’t really hesitate when it comes to mandating correction and oversight of a PD, including LAPD, NYPD, Detroit, and many other cities/towns.
That said, fed investigations can take years. I’ll cite, once again, the investigation of Kwame Kilpatrick, for mayor of Detroit. While we were screaming and begging for the feds to come and investigate, what we didn’t know was that they had already been investigating for almost 5 years. It wasn’t until we started seeing articles/news reports of deals being made with “cooperating witnesses” that we knew they were on the case. It was relatively quickly after that they the indictments (32 felonies) started rolling out. They have to get all their ducks in a row first. But when they do come, they come hard.
They just said that the racial make up of the grand jury is 9 Caucasians and 3 Blacks. This does not bode well for an indictment.
I predict if Wilson walks, the protests will fire up and we’ll see action across the country. People are sick and tired of police overuse of force and justice system corruption.
prior to fogen i had confidence in the SCIENCE involved, there was NO way he could walk based on the PHYSICAL FACTS but he indeed did walk because the STATE intentionally didnt present the evidence at the trial……in this case the “state” is clearly saying there will be NO trial the grand jury SECRECY is all they will use this time because the facts on this one also match what MANY eye witnesses SAW……….i have zero faith any more in the people running this nation at every level…….the IDIOT mayor on TV saying we dont have any racial divide here????? say what?
Co- Sign.
“Science” can be manipulated just like the numbers in “Statistics.” Come on, people. Who is doing the controlling and who is doing the paying?
no science cant be manipulated it is the FACTS….. peoples understanding of it yes can clearly be manipulated but the actual science is simply the known FACTS at the time.
This is better than none at all. We can only hope that they will STG. Also, question, can a grand jury hang in a decision, Professor?
BILL TAYLOR—Where have you been? The right-wing have their own set of “scientists” who manipulate data all the time for their teapublican audiences on radio, mainstream news, and blogs. This group says there is no global warming or climate change because THEIR scientists say so—-and have the scientific data to prove it.
fully aware please understand what i am saying…..those trying to manipulate are NOT doing “science” and are NOT using science they are LYING about the actual science……..i havent seen anyone say there is no climate change….since the science clearly says “change” is the 100% natural state of the climate…….i have studied that issue in great depth and understand humans do NOT control the climate.
And we must keep in mind that, like the Earth being only 5000 years old and Jesus riding dinosaurs, the “evil” liberals no longer allow our children to be taught the well know genetic trait that go along with black skin.
For example:
Evil liberal: Nobody in their right mind would run away from a gun and then charge back
Conservative truth: Those blacks have that violent pride double back gene. So it is quite logical that a black man would charge a white man with a gun who diss’d him.
It makes me sad to even write that. Sad that anyone could be that pitifully stupid.
But am I wrong?
i wish folks could hear the discussion i had with dr gina loudon on her radio show about the age of the earth………i showed her how the 5000 or 6000 year claim was LUNACY…..she melted down badly saying i am a heathen……….yet this heathen KNOWS we are eternal beings and communicates with MY Creator daily and am secure where my eternal soul is going.
Unfortunately, you are right.
It’s partially because many (white) people are sick and racist, but I have to think that the large percentage of blacks and whites who were polled and answered “justified” or “unsure” have been swayed by all the poor reporting and “both sides of the story” relativist nonsense of TV news, and outright false information released by the FPD to smear the victim.
Fear and misinformation are the overriding reasons for the discord. Blacks, justifiably, fear whites. They have every day life experiences to support that fear. Whites fear Blacks based on the propaganda that is spewed to keep up separated.
One of the most pathetic things I’ve ever read:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/22/a-justified-shooting-poll-shows-racial-divide-over-ferguson-teens-killing/
18% of whites, and only 57% of blacks, believe that the shooting was “not justified”.
Insane.
Sad
I think they went around looking for footage of Mike Brown acting “thuggish”, then made up the whole police report.
The major news outlets have not corrected the alleged robbery, many people still believe the store owner or clerk reported the shoplifting and pushing the clerk in the store. The store does report anything missing and does not mention any assault on the clerk, a customer called it in. I didn’t understand how they knew Michael and Dorians name, Michael does not have a police record now I think I understand, the customer had to know their names and gave this information to the police when they called in the shoplifting.
This write-up appear in today’s paper in the editorial section – titled:
“Why Ferguson’s Inferno is No Great Surprise” by Joe Conason
There are 201 comments at the end
http://www.nationalmemo.com/missouri-burning-fergusons-inferno-surprise/
Phugg you, Joe Conansan.
I agree. I don’t think there’s any question they are protecting the officer and actively engaging in a coverup. We’ve seen how these racist police depts will selectively release only what they can use to discredit the victim, the witnesses and the physical evidence. THIS dept has taken it a step further by allowing officer fogencopper to not file and incident report, but keeping him on administrative leave with full pay from the taxpayers, and the prosecutor inviting him to tell his “version” to the grand jury. I’m astounded at the Chutzpah the entire legal community in Ferguson. They must have been (and are continuing) to make their community a hell on earth with no recourse. Imagine having to live like this every single day of your life…
The Last Word segment regarding lack of incident report (if I can get it to embed).
Crane and I live in a community like that.
We know what that reality is all about because we have been targeted for speaking out and exposing it.
I can’t imagine how that feels. I believe I would feel helpless and very angry. Which one would win out, I’m not sure. I would like to think I’d like to think I’d fight, like you and Crane.
Didn’t work. For those interested, it’s a very informative segment about the benefits to Officer Wilson, of not being locked into a story, from a defense point of view.
Go to http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word# . Currently, it the first video up. But, if not go to “latest videos” and click on “As Lawrence predicted, no incident report”, or copy/paste that title into the MSNBC search.
If you really think about it, this is absolutely an “in-your-face” to Barack Obama, the President of the United States. They continue to do things that excite the right-wing in their historical disrespect of minority people, while simultaneously putting up the middle finger to this administration. They are daring him to stop avoiding any real talk or action as it pertains to race in America or this situation. They’ve gone against both the directives of Capt. Ron Johnson and the president. The president said no tanks—they brought them anyway. Capt. Ron Johnson said there would be no tear gas—they did it anyway. They want a race war.
give the police credit that one night when they used the gas they said we are calling it SMOKE now……..johnson in his briefing when he said we used gas bot interrupted from behind and the guy clearly said we are “calling it smoke now”.
Thank you. Different name but same results.
Here’s an NBC report on why the Ferguson Police Department did not file a report on the shooting.
great analysis………but i must point out fogen claimed he was punched over 25 times and the autopsy showed Martin could NOT possibly have landed even ONE punch for the same reason NO marks on the knuckles but when the prosecution doesnt want a conviction, somehow they will let that FACT slide by.
From your mouth to God’s ear Fred. It is to bad some political people do not put value on the life of an 18 year old kid. Yes in my eyes he’s a kid. I think as any parent with half a brain knows kids are not adults mentally just because they are 18. Plus how many of us adults are perfect without some kind of fuck up along the way. Excuse my language but I am tired of reading how our black youths are thugs and worthless. On top of that my head hurts from being buried in the sand. I thought our country had came along way since we voted for a President who is not lily white. Smh.
It is ludicrous as to the excuses the racists gave.
One guy pointed out that he was able to give another person a black eye without hurting his hand because his brother taught him how to make a fist.
Never mind that Mike Tyson {clearly not an expert – sarcasm} broke his hand when he delivered one blow to Mitch Green wherein Green was laid open such that he need six stitched to close the wound – obviously a less gruesome wound than the 25 blows that Zimmerman received that caused more trauma than the Kennedy head shot {more sarcasm}.
Or might I note that the video that was posted here about the Pennsylvania State Police beating a man included the fact that one of the police officers broke his hand hitting the victim in the face.
Frankly, I have lost all intellectual respect for the right and the center that go along with them. So I just insult them to their face.
They are now trying to discredit Mike Brown’s friend.
What are they doing now?
trying to say he lied to police so cant be believed the problem is that info is NOT admissible…missouri law says ONLY convictions can be used to try to discredit as witness he has no convictions so the arrest cant be mentioned in the court.
Dorian Johnson was previously arrested for ALLEGEDLY stealing some mail. He supposedly gave the police a wrong name and age. It happened in 2011. A warrant is still out for his arrest in another state. So they are now saying he is not credible. However, they are neglecting the fact that there are 3 other people who corroborate what he says. And of course Ashley Bansfield is saying that the other witnesses are on Mike Brown’s family’s side.
banfield is rather DUMB. the witnesses are stating what they SAW they are NOT taking a “side” that it happens what they saw shows it was murder still is NOT taking a side…they are NOT expressing opinions.
On TV they said that an arrest may be an influence in the court of public opinion. But in a court of law, they cannot use an arrest (only a conviction) to attack the credibility of a witness.
Any additional info to clarify this?
I heard that too. However, they are poisoning a jury pull now and the grand jury is watching this. It’s about perception, which really only matters when you are black. Remember how Trayvon was a thug, but the one with prior arrests for violence was Fogen. Amurica!
now we have garegos and some other lawyer showing they DONT KNOW the law…talking about how johnson needs to explain his past in a possible trial…clue for ALL lawyers = he has NO convictions under missouri LAW his past arrest CANT be brought into the trial.
I don’t like people anymore. And for this reason, I do not visit mainstream news or listen to their talking heads. If I continued to listen to those who are against me and against honesty and decency—I, too, would be dead out in the streets somewhere. I’ve had a lifetime of listening to the wrong people for naive reasons.
This is not about a “trial”. It’s about perception and deception. This is about putting a narrative in the minds of the grand jury and a possible jury pool, in a 70% white county.
This is about the O’Mara/Zimmerman playbook that indicates a picture of an anonymous black hand holding a gun is more threatening than a real gun in the hands of fogen killer. This is about a video represented as Trayvon’s two friends beating up a homeless guy while Trayvon video’d it (no matter that that’s not remotely what happened) means that Trayvon, de facto, beats up homeless people. None of that was admissible in court, but we all know how damaging it was.
This is about the “thuggification of Michael, in absentia and by default.This is about making Dorian the personification of Michael. This is about making the link in the minds of the grand jury of Dorian to Michael . This is about making Dorian INTO Michael, in the minds of the jury – after all, birds of a feather, and all black men look alike, so they must all BE alike.
Juxtapose that against the white cop whose only representation we’ve seen is a picture of him receiving a commendation, a video of the commendation ceremony and his chief’s assertion that he was a gentleman and a great cop, with a grand jury whose makeup we now know is 9 white and 3 black; and a jury pool in a 70% white county.
It’s not about trial. It’s about perception.