A Dose of Reality for Ferguson, Missouri
Unlike much of America, I’ve stayed quiet about the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. As a cop, I know initial media reports about any incident are usually wrong. I also know that many media outlets and internet commentators deliberately twist facts to inflame emotion. They’ll throw out empty, meaningless phrases like “he was shot in broad daylight, in his own hometown” even though that has literally nothing to do with the legality or illegality of the shooting.
And it goes without saying that in any incident involving a police officer, many people with absolutely no understanding of police work or lethal violence suddenly think they’re experts. After Brown’s death I expected a loud chorus of hysterical cries from people who had no idea what the hell they were talking about. I haven’t been disappointed.
“But he was unarmed!”
I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard the term “unarmed teenager”. Yes, Brown was an unarmed 18 year old. He was also 6’4″ and 292 pounds. Anyone who thinks an unarmed, 6’4″, 292 pound man can’t be a threat has never been punched in the face. Unarmed people can be extremely dangerous.
In 2012 an unarmed 17 year old beat an El Paso police officer to death. The officer was 29 years old, a former Marine and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/tablehome/ci_21708260/el-paso-police-officer-dies-from-sept-25
An off-duty police officer in New York City was beaten almost to death by an unarmed man last November.
In July, an unarmed 21 year old “felt like killing someone” and beat a 56 year old random victim to death at a train station in San Antonio.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/suspect-in-san-antonio-beating-death-i-feel-like-killing-someone/
In 2012, an unarmed 24 year old man beat a man to death for raping his daughter.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/charges-texas-father-beat-death-daughters-molester/story?id=16612071
Those chanting “but he was unarmed” are pathetically ignorant of the reality of violence. Unarmed people hurt or kill others on a regular basis. No, that doesn’t mean every unarmed person needs to be shot; it does, however, mean an aggressive, unarmed person can be a threat to your life. The bigger and stronger that person is, the bigger the threat.
“All Michael Brown did was shoplift cigars.”
No, he didn’t “shoplift” anything. He committed a robbery. Shoplifting is a nonviolent crime, usually committed by people desperate to avoid confrontation. Robbery is violent. When someone uses or threatens force to take anything, no matter how unimportant or inexpensive, that’s robbery. If someone grabs you by the collar, reaches into your pocket and takes a single piece of chewing gum, the problem isn’t the lost gum. The problem is that someone used force to take your property.
Many media outlets refer to Brown’s crime as theft or shoplifting. That’s probably a deliberate lie, chosen specifically to downplay the crime Brown committed. The Daily Kos, which can always be trusted to produce inflammatory stupidity, said “Brown shoplifted some cigars on the day he was killed”, which does not in any way describe what happened (the same article also claimed “Michael Brown was gunned down by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, apparently for the crime of jaywalking”).
Cracked magazine, which usually does a good job of cutting through nonsense, mentioned “robbery” but then decided to go full propaganda: “…the officer (who was aware of the previous robbery) saw Brown walking with the same cigars that had been stolen and suspected that he was the shoplifter.”
http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/4-facts-about-ferguson-media-keeps-screwing-up/#ixzz3BEelkF41
No, Cracked. He wasn’t a “shoplifter”. He was a robber. There’s a huge difference between someone who sticks cigars in his pocket and walks out of a store, versus a guy who grabs cigars, pushes a store owner around and threatens him, and then walks out. The first act is simple nonviolent theft, the second is a violent robbery.
Both Kos and Cracked assert the robbery didn’t matter, either because the officer didn’t know about it or because stealing $50 worth of cigars doesn’t justify a shooting. I offer a counterpoint: yes, the robbery is hugely important. We’ve heard conflicting reports about whether or not the officer was aware of the robbery, and I can’t say for certain he knew Brown was a robbery suspect. But Michael Brown sure as hell knew he had committed a robbery. He knew he was about to be arrested for something more serious than shoplifting. Does that mean Brown would likely react more aggressively toward the officer than someone who had committed simple theft? Based on my experiences dealing with suspects who just committed felonies, I’d say yes.
“The officer shot him six times!”
Yes, the officer shot Brown six times. That sounds excessive. It’s not. On TV and in movies, people get shot one time, fly through the air in a spray of blood and immediately die. In real life they don’t.
A police officer got into a gunfight with a robbery suspect in 2009. The officer shot the suspect 14 times with a .45 pistol, and 6 of the bullet wounds were nonsurvivable. The suspect still didn’t go down. The officer finally shot the suspect three more times, in the face and top of the head. The head shot finally stopped him, but didn’t kill him; he died later, at the hospital. An autopsy determined he hadn’t been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Last year I wrote an essay about what bullets really do (and don’t do). I described incidents I worked where people were shot but didn’t react the way most people think they should. These incidents include a robbery victim who was shot three times including once in the forehead and still ran 500 yards to find help, a young female shot through the thigh who showed no reaction at all, and a man with part of his head blown off who was still conscious and alert.
http://chrishernandezauthor.com/2013/01/28/seven-rounds/
Police officers are trained to shoot until the threat is neutralized. Under stress we’re not counting bullets, we’re shooting until we’ve eliminated the threat. It is not at all uncommon for a person to take multiple bullets before they stop being a threat.
“The officer should have used his baton, Taser or pepper spray instead of his gun.”
Here’s a little-known reality about intermediate weapons: they don’t always work. In 20 years as a cop I’ve used my baton twice. Both suspects wound up in the hospital… eventually. At the time I was hitting them, they weren’t impressed. I’ve also pepper sprayed around 30 suspects. Pepper spray works on everyone… eventually. Some people don’t react to it right away. And even if you get a hit, that hit might not be enough to stop the suspect.
In 1992 a police officer responded to a domestic disturbance and confronted a violent wife abuser. The officer sprayed the suspect. The unarmed suspect beat and disabled the officer, then fractured the officer’s skull with a stick of firewood. The officer died shortly afterward.
Here’s a video of a March 2014 encounter between a police officer and suspect in a Philadelphia train station. The officer pepper sprays the suspect and hits him with a baton, to no effect. During the fight the suspect tries to disarm the officer.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/video-captures-intense-fight-between-suspect-philadelphia-officer/
Here’s one of an officer who pepper sprayed a combative suspect. It didn’t work. He then shot the suspect. The suspect disarmed the officer and tried to shoot him, then almost beat him unconscious.
But what about Tasers? Tasers work great, except when they don’t. If there’s not enough spread between the darts, the shock won’t disable the suspect. If one dart misses, no shock. If one dart gets hung up in clothing, no shock. If the Taser itself malfunctions, no shock.
And any intermediate weapon takes time to deploy and properly use. If a large, aggressive suspect charges me, I know I have mere seconds to choose a force option and hope it works. Whatever I choose, I know it’ll likely be the only weapon I can employ before the suspect is on me. Batons, pepper spray and Tasers all have significant failure rates. In some cases, the best option is to go straight for the pistol.
“Witnesses said Brown was giving up when he was shot.”
Witnesses have said a lot of things. Shockingly, Brown’s friend insists he and Brown were innocently minding their own business until an evil racist police officer cursed at them, ordered them out of the street, grabbed 6’4″ Brown around the neck (without even getting out of his patrol vehicle!), shot Brown as he was running away, then shot him again after Brown put his hands up in surrender.
There is no reason to disbelieve this version of events. Except for the fact that Brown’s friend was with him during the robbery, has a warrant for theft and giving a fake name to police, and, being Brown’s friend, is biased in his favor. Oh, and the multiple autopsies that show Brown wasn’t shot in the back.
This might be a shock to some, but sometimes people lie to protect their friends. Every time we cops show up to a bar fight, it’s practically a comedy routine from each “victim” and their friends. “Officer, I was walking by the pool table and that guy bumped into me. I said ‘Excuse me sir, I didn’t mean to bump you and I profusely apologize’, but the guy punched me! For no reason!” I’ve lost count of the hours I’ve wasted taking statements from bar fighters and their friends who insist they’re all sweet innocent angels who were viciously attacked for no reason.
I worked one shooting where the victim’s girlfriend swore – SWORE – that her boyfriend’s ex-wife had driven by and shot him as he and the girlfriend were leaving a restaurant. No other witnesses said anything even remotely like that. No physical evidence corroborated the girlfriend’s story. Eventually investigators figured out the boyfriend was shot by an unrelated woman during a fight between eight drunks in the parking lot. The woman even confessed. But the girlfriend still swore – SWORE – it was the ex-wife. Amazingly enough, witnesses with an axe to grind sometimes lie.
There are witnesses who insist Brown was attacked for no reason whatsoever. But at least two of those “witness” statements don’t match up to the physical evidence.
“Johnson [Brown's friend] said the officer hit Brown with another round as he was running away and fatally gunned him down after he stopped and raised his hands in surrender.”
“Brady [another alleged witness] said Brown and Johnson then ran away, while Wilson got out of his car and began shooting.”
No, the officer didn’t shoot Brown in the back as he was running away, unless all three forensic pathologists managed to miss the gunshot wound in his back during their autopsies. Call me crazy, but I’m not going to take their “That cop shot Brown for no reason as he was running away” statements as gospel. Another as-yet-unidentified witness made a statement in the background of a video taken right after the shooting. He said a shot was fired in the police car during a struggle, then Brown ran away, then was shot repeatedly after he turned and charged the officer. The witness statement begins around 6:30.
We will likely never know the identity of that witness and I’m sure that statement will never reach any court. But I think it was from an actual unbiased witness, and is probably closer to the truth than any other “witness” statement we’ve heard.
Bottom line
You’ll notice I said “I think” the videotaped witness statement is true, instead of saying “I know”. I’ve formed a opinion but can’t claim I know what actually happened. Officer Darren Wilson may have stopped Brown for walking in the street, then shot him repeatedly for absolutely no reason. Crazier things have happened.
But you know what’s more likely? Wilson simply ordered Brown and his friend to get out of the street, then realized they were robbery suspects and tried to stop them. Instead of complying, Brown shoved Wilson back into his vehicle, punched him (and maybe broke his eye socket), then ran away after Wilson fired a shot. Wilson jumped out and ordered Brown to stop. Brown chose to charge Wilson, who fired until Brown fell dead.
That’s what I think happened. But I don’t know for certain.
Since I don’t know the actual truth I’ll keep this opinion in the land of conjecture, where it belongs. I won’t scream about racism. I won’t demand prosecution as a way to curry favor with a particular demographic. I won’t excuse the thieving, brutal punks who use this alleged injustice as an excuse to be the murderers and looters they already were. I won’t let dumbass fantasies like “unarmed people can’t be a threat”, “he could have just used pepper spray” or “there’s never a reason to shoot someone more than once” influence my opinion. Instead, I’ll stand by and wait for actual evidence.
If that evidence shows Officer Wilson murdered Brown, I’ll fully support his prosecution. But if the evidence shows Wilson acted both legally and morally, I’m 100% on his side. Either way, I won’t let emotions drive my decision. Maybe a few others on TV and online, and a whole bunch of people in Ferguson, should try to keep their emotions in check as well.
Chris Hernandez is a 20 year police officer, former Marine and currently serving National Guard soldier with over 25 years of military service. He is a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and also served 18 months as a United Nations police officer in Kosovo. He writes for BreachBangClear.com, Iron Mike magazine and has published two military fiction novels, Proof of Our Resolve and Line in the Valley, through Tactical16 Publishing. He can be reached at [email protected].
Filed under: Writing | 545 Comments
Tags: ferguson missouri, michael brown, police shootings, veteran authors
Well written. This story is so tragic – in that a young life was taken and parents had to bury their son yesterday and a young police officer’s entire life is forever changed. My opinion of what happened that day during Officer Wilson’s and Michael Brown’s encounter are identical to yours, but I, too, am waiting for the trail and the evidence. I have never felt that it was fair or right to try to tell a police officer how they should handle a situation just like I would never try to tell a soldier how to handle a war situation. I am not trained as an officer of the law or someone in the military. It is really easy to tell officers and solidiers how they should do their job when a person has absolutely no training whatsoever. It just doesn’t make sense.
Thanks again for writing this piece.
fells good to read the truth…
Doris – “fells good to read the truth…”
Chrishernandezauthor – “Since I don’t know the actual truth I’ll keep this opinion in the land of conjecture…..”
It would appear that people are just as easily swayed and just as ignorant any way that you look at this event.
Not exactly. In my case, I’m disregarding the obviously irrelevant and fallacious, and waiting for further information before making a determination.
My problem is the bigger picture. Why is it that when dealing with black males guns are the primary solution? 5 unarmed black males shot to death and one choked to death by police. You can find videos of white males fighting and threatening police all day long and the worse thing that happens is a beating or stun gun. In a lot of these cases the police have more right to shoit these guys than the majority of these 5 cases in the last few weeks. That is the real question, why is it a first solution to shoot blacks but go out of your way to take white suspects alive. Colorado theater shooter, old man with ak-47 who set up ambush for first responders, alive. It goes on and on. In some cases officers put themselves in harms way to take white suspects alive. 16 year old girl in trunk with pistol, alive.
You’re ignoring the 20 year old unarmed white male killed by a black police officer in Utah recently. I don’t know what first responder ambush you’re talking about, the only one I’m aware of was in NY state and the suspect was killed. The CO theater shooter was unarmed and just standing by his car when he was detained. The officer who detained him wasn’t even sure he was the right guy until afterward. You’re making superficial comparisons that only inflame emotion rather than explain any actual reality.
The article you wrote needs…NEEDS to be sent to the POTUS. He could use a dose of reality. As an aside, while reading your article it reminded me of how often we are now being told that no one needs high cap magazines, etc. Well written, sir!
There’s a lot of inequality here. I can’t use that excuse to shoot dead a police officer who I believe is trying to kill me. Police officers shoot people dead and are cleared quite easily based on their alleged, and not necessarily honest perception that their lives were in danger.
Anyone can make a typo. A typo is merely a slip of the finger on a keyboard not an indicator of intellect. Don’t be so callous.
I believe the “truth” that Doris is referring to is not the details of the Ferguson case but rather the general fallacies addressed by the author based on historical cases and understanding of the law – shoplifting vs. robbery / unarmed men not being a threat to life and limb / the credibility of witnesses who are partners-in-crime with a so-called victim / the “appropriate” number of bullets to be fired by a cop, etc.
This is the first thing I have read that makes any kind of sense.
I’m willing to wait to hear all the evidence to make my opinion and hopefully a few more people will too!
Thank you for writing this article!!!
So the first rule of engagement is kill the big ones? What about the small ones with martial arts skills? Oh shit, kill them too. You might get hurt. You’re paid to get hurt, instead of “accidentally” firing, or “mistaking” something for a gun, or letting adrenaline or ego make you fire because you’re pissed they ran away. It’s your damn job to NOT KILL until it’s all that’s left to do. Not because you were “in fear,” fear is part of your JOB. You’re supposed to get through the fear and STILL make the right decision. Not an “ok,” decision or one you might get away with, but the RIGHT decision. No one said it’s an easy job.
It’s easy to be an armchair quarterback isn’t it Frank? What do you know about it? The young man had already attempted to grapple with the police officer for his gun. If I were the officer and I had just had my face punched in and my gun wrestled for I would have shot him as well if he was coming back for more. If the young man had just laid down on the ground none of this would have happened. No police officer should have to be a martyr to satisfy all the publics demands. That is ridiculous and who would want that job…”Oh and by the way you may have to lay your gun down and die in the line of duty, is that okay with you?” Seriously?
Frank Donahue, you have probably never been in law enforcement or the military (and seen action). No, we don’t get paid to get hurt. If we do have to draw our weapon, it is not an accidental discharge. In my opinion, most officers never want to hurt anyone. We do not take it lightly. Most are trained very well and know the rules of engagement and follow them and resist using a weapon until it is absolutely necessary. Adrenaline and emotions do run high, but the difference is, we are trained to deal with it and scrutinized severely whereas a suspect is not constrained by rules or the badge. We make decisions based on our training and our humanity. Do we make mistakes? Yes. Do criminals make the right decisions? Whether an officer is right or wrong for stopping someone, is the correct decision to resist at that moment? Wouldn’t a better decision be to comply and then take it to court? If Brown had complied, the outcome would have been different. He may have been in a little trouble but he would be alive!
“You’re paid to get hurt.” You Sir, are a f*&$ing idiot!
I know nothing about law enforcement. I am an eternal pacifist. Never held a gun or even got into a fist fight.
That being said, I have done some stupid things in my past including shoplifting. I’m talking about actual shoplifting here, not robbery. I’m talking about a 13 year old putting make up in her pocket and walking out of a store drenched in sweat hoping no one noticed.
What Brown did was not shoplifting. It was violent and I’m sure scary as hell for the worker whom he assaulted.
I am of the thinking that there is never a reason to use violence.
All of that goes out of the window when it is MY life on the line, though. When violence happens against me or my loved one and the only available route to ending it is to engage in violence myself, I will. This officer was in a shitty situation. Unless he is mentally incompetent he would not have chased the kid and gunned him down in front of witnesses. More likely, he was assaulted and feared for his life when Brown turned around and lunged at him.
He shot 6 times. I don’t care if he shot 30. He shot until the guy stopped. And you know what? Shoot one more too, because they always get up, ever seen a Jason movie?
I don’t know the facts, but I am a reasonable person. I don’t claim to KNOW what happened, i claim to know what PROBABLY happened. And for what i THINK happened i cannot begrudge this police officer.
Truthful article with a lot of facts. As white male from St. Louis I know that there are some additional facts. 1) By withholding information the authorities gave the impression that there was a cover-up going on. We still know almost nothing of the official version. 2) The all-out military response was excessive and made the situation worse. 3) There is a nationwide problem with racial profiling and especially black men being under suspicion because of the color of their skin. If you deny this you are either kidding yourself or not paying attention. While this incident should be judged on the evidence of the situation, much of the response in the street was a response to incidents that happen every day.
Did anybody ask the store owner if Brown stole the cigars/cigarellos? I ask because the store owner did not call the police…why? Did he steal/rob the store or was it just an argument? And when police asked for the video surveillance, the store owner was confused as to why they were asking for it. Now, call me crazy, but if my store was just robbed and the police came calling for my surveillance video, I know why. Also, if I was a victim of strong-arm robbery, I’m calling the cops.
On both sides, people are forming opinions (or way left & right versions) of what happened…mainly along racial lines. This is not a racial…it’s more social. Not blacks vs. whites, but blacks vs. bad cops (black and white). Do whites encounter bad cops, absolutely. But their is no media value in that. I could go on and on, but I just wanted to get my point out on the so-called “robbery”.
I like your article because you don’t claim your opinions as facts, but rather form your opinion from facts. I can respect that, even though i may not agree. But that’s what makes the U.S.A. great.
I am assuming the owner didn’t want anything to do with the investigation because he was afraid of retaliation. If you recall, the rioters spray painted the QT with “Snitches get stitches.” It is easier to lose $50 of product than deal with a pissed off bunch of people that may come damage your property. Based on the video of the robbery, Brown had done that before, not just there but at many places. He used his size to intimidate people.
Ryan,I too,noticed the snitches get stitches the very next day as bold as could be.I tried to inform HLN when I seen it but couldn’t get through after hours of waiting.No one in that neighborhood would ever side with the cops even if the cops were in the right,because they don’t like law enforcement and if they did come forward to testify on the cops behalf;how long would it take before they got the next bullet.
The store Owner DID call the Police. I’ve seen the Police report published on a news site that showed the cop had a description of the Robbery suspect and looked for him for a bit before responding to the store. The second Officer came upon Brown, not knowing it was him who robbed the store.
Your statement directly conflicts with the store owner who said he didn’t. Way to make things up. So you saw a police report. Did it have the store owners name on it? Or are you just ASSuming here? Could it be that someone else called the cops? That is th story anyone that has paid attention has received.
Really? Then I suppose the video of the two jackasses robbing the store and strongarming the owner, that they got from the store owner, is a fake?Pull your head out of your ass and get your facts straight, assflower.
Nate,the police report showing the owner called police was not make up by Rob H as you state above. I too saw the documents online that day to when the police report was published. Once that report was published is when the convenient store’s lawyer called a press conference to say that the police were not called by the clerk or owner. So let’s walk through this and stick to the idea that none of us know exactly what happened and all we have is opinions and ideas, so let’s not speak like we know the facts, like you are doing above. Someone called the police to report the robbery. was it the store clerk? I don’t know. but I can imagine in the majority of robberies, it is the victim who calls police, in this case, one could assume the clerk. To me that makes the most sense, and until I hear a better explanation of WHO called the police to report the robbery, I choose to believe that. The next thing that makes me question the story is Why do you have your lawyer call a press conference in the parking lot of your convenient store to say that “my client did not call the police”???? that seems excessive and a waste of a press conference. there are easier ways to get that out, and why did it matter to the store owners that people should know that they did not call the police. I have never heard a robbery or news story where someone came out after the fact and said, “it wasn’t me that called the police. I don’t want justice for what has happened to me” that sounds illogical. So I am taking into account the spray paint on the QT that says “snitches get stitches” and choosing to believe that this store owner has lied on the basis of trying to keep himself and his business safe from the community. with all the looting, fires, and businesses being deliberately damaged by people, I would assume that one would go to drastic measure to try and make sure that their business was not destroyed.
I live in Ferguson, customers called the police about the robbery. The store owner is very much aware of the “snitches get stitches” “code” and would just like to keep his business intact. The QuikTrip that was looted and burned was actually mistaken for the business that Mr. Brown ah, shopped at.
Sigh…if only some people would stop and look at their own actions, the question of “Why can’t we all just get along?” would be answered so succinctly.
Oh really? Except when you run a store in a gang and thug infested neighborhood and see those punks every day and know if you call the cops next time brown or one of his homies is gonna shoot him dead for ” snitching” let’s stop Monday night quarterbacking and get real
In 2006 that store’s owners were indicted for laundering money and selling stolen cigarettes and booze sending everything back to some Arab country. The store owner writes on the side of his store that he “Did not snitch”. I wonder why?
Jay, I had problems with the whole store owner thing too. Until it occurred to me: how did the police know to ask the store owner for the videos? They must have had some prior knowledge of what they were going to find. No investigator ever asks for videos for no reason. My guess is that someone witnessed the robbery. And like Ryaan said: the store owner likely didn’t report it because he works in that neighbourhood and was afraid of the possible retaliation for ratting him out.
As the wife of a LEO with over 30 years of experience I can state w/honesty that my LEO will agree w/this seasoned officers remarks. Folks can’t have it both ways!
I mistrust your conclusions & disagree with many of your assumptions . . . but I do like the way you handle yourself in the Comments section in terms of trying to respond fairly to critics & pointing out that your scope here is deliberately limited to specific issues. Very professional & ethical. I’m going to bookmark your blog & come back now & then to read new stuff.
I appreciate that, sir. Please come back anytime, I’d like to hear your opinions on this matter.
Your post really misses the point. Especially now, in terms of what the incident in Ferguson has become. The reaction to Michael Brown’s death isn’t just about Michael Brown. Rather, Brown’s death is simply a highlight for a much broader and more turbulent history regarding the relationship of law enforcement in minority communities. That’s the discussion. Note that I’m not declaring officer Wilson, as an individual, to be (or not to be) a racist, but the gross over-representation of minorities in the justice system suggests that there is an inherent bias at large. That’s what we’re talking about. The sad fact is that we might have a few less dead African-American teenagers if they weren’t made to feel like targets. And, of course, they might feel less targeted if law enforcement didn’t actually target them. We’re talking about communities in which law enforcement isn’t perceived as a protector but as an enemy. We’re talking about communities that have a deep seated anger and suspicion of police. We’re talking about how to fix that.
Michael Brown may have stolen a box of cigars that day – but for many who live in communities like Ferguson, that’s irrelevant. For many who live in communities like Ferguson, you’re just as liable to be stopped or followed or questioned or harassed by police whether you have or haven’t done anything illegal. In this case, it resulted in a dead teen, and that pissed a lot of people off.
Law enforcement has an unhealthy relationship with poor and minority communities all across the country. And that’s not good for either party.
You or most of the public has no idea of the relationship between Police and the “minority communities.” The political correct thing is not the realistic version people want to hear. The minority communities, teach their children and advocate hate towards police. Even while driving the street thugs, gang bangers and wanna be’s show complete disrespect for police and know the limitations of what the police can and can’t do. (racial profiling) The “minority communities” are not dumb people however the use the system do to get ahead but to take what they feel is owed to them.
Please don’t tell me about “gross over-representation of minorities in the justice system suggests that there is an inherent bias at large.” That is not anyones fault but the person committing the crime. Don’t tell me that it’s because of their environment or the fact that they did not have a father figure growing up. A lot of us come from the same background.Are you not willing to pick yourself up and make a better place in life or are you willing to keep your hand out and ask for the free stuff. Excuses are the answer to what people don’t want to hear or take action in doing. Doing something about isn’t their way. I have witness this first hand. Until you walk a beat and see what happens in the eyes of a police officer then you will never know. I for one am tired of the divide but I will not be the only one pushing proverbial cart up the hill. I speak for most when I say Police have a very tough job, they do not look for the attention but would rather offer a helping hand no matter what color the skin.
Please tell me why this shooting gets so much attention? Do you know how many black cops shot white teens in the last month? Do you know how many police officers were killed last week by a thugs just like Brown? Where were all these concerned citizens when he robbed the store? I’ll tell you where, video taping, posting and laugh about it. Is that the correct way to act? Now you want justice…Please we are tired of your nonsense and soon will be unwilling to offer that helping hand. Don’t let that day come.
I just did tell you why this shooting has gotten so much attention. Not because of what it is, but because of what it represents. The discussion isn’t about Michael Brown. His death was simply a catalyst for a broader dialogue about racial disparities in the justice system and the mismanagement of minority communities by law enforcement.
It sounds like you’re taking this personally. Be pragmatic and address the problem. “Do I know how many police officers were killed last week by thugs just like Brown?” Again, read my last sentence. The unhealthy relationship between cops and minority communities is a problem for BOTH the citizens AND for law enforcement.
Asian-Americans are a minority group that show an underrepresentation in crime statistics.
Right. But are you implying that the relationship between law enforcement and Asian-Americans is the same as that of law enforcement and African-Americans? Because it’s not.
Which is no worse than your implication that black crime statistics are due to institutional racism and not possibly the fact that black culture in America devalues education and glorifies violence which leaves many young black men with little opportunity outside of crime. Another interesting note, blacks are 4 times as likely as whites to be murdered and their attackers are almost exclusively black. Does this mean that blacks are dying to black on black violence due to racism or maybe, just maybe, there’s a violence problem in the black community?
I believe that the cops have clearly drawn a line with them on one side and everyone else on the other (just read the comments here by LEOs telling everyone they can’t have an opinion because they aren’t cops), but that doesn’t absolve the black community from looking inward at their own problems with family, education, and violence. There are real instances of institutional racism in America (just look at differences in sentencing for blacks vs whites), but raising up a thug with a criminal history who apparently beat down a cop after robbing a store isn’t going to convert anyone to your cause.
You might take note of my point that Michael Brown, as an individual, is in so many ways irrelevant to the discussion at hand. It’s not even possible to talk about him in this context because so much of the testimony is conflicting. Not only have I not ‘raised’ anybody up, but I’ve intentionally avoided talking about him, his supposed character, and the details of his shooting. It’s unverified evidence and it makes for cheap points. You also agree that “there are real instances of institutional racism in America,” and indeed, that’s all we’re really talking about here. Michael Brown’s death isn’t even about Michael Brown’s death anymore – it’s just an outlet so that we can have a proactive conversation about racial problems in this country. Those still debating semantics over ‘robbery vs. theft’ or whether or not Michael Brown was ‘running from’ or ‘charging towards’ the officer are failing to comprehend what has become the true crux of the national dialogue. This is bigger than Michael Brown.
I’m also not so sure that “black culture in America devalues education and glorifies violence.” That’s a perspective. I might also point out that American culture at large is often accused of glorifying violence. That’s also a perspective. Likewise, I don’t mean to say that African-Americans are arrested simply for being black, but they are profiled and often treated with suspicion by law enforcement for being so. That’s become a problem. If it wasn’t a problem, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. Actually, it’s always been a problem.
But you’re absolutely right. Violence and other social ills are often commonalities amongst predominantly African-American communities. Drop out rates are high. Drug usage is high. Domestic abuse and broken families are problematic. And all of these problems go hand-in-hand. However, it’s not because these communities are predominantly black. It’s because these communities are poor, and they live within a context of multi-generational impoverishment and instability. These are longstanding, built-in community problems that are the root of criminal behavior, and the criminal justice system does little to alleviate them. Instead, what we’ve come to develop is the mismanagement of low-income communities through practices like racial profiling, and by doing so, we’ve only worked to prolong the divisions of race in America and taint the relationship between black communities and law enforcement. Again, the created animosity is dangerous for both cops and citizens alike.
his post is his post and does not miss the point but goes head on step by step. the relationship you speak of, is caused by the misrepresentation. my son killed was going to school and was a good boy, leaving out he was a gang member and multiple counts of felonies. most trouble in every town is in the minority areas cause they do, do most of the crime. the previous statement is a fact. its no fault but their own as to who is in the justice system. it does not suggest bias but the truth as to who is doing crime in your neighborhood. blacks make themselves targets, by their actions and words they use. you need to jump into real life and open your eyes and recognize the facts. the law is a protector, but has to protect themselves also. the way to fix is for the minorities to stop breaking the law and use white man as the scapegoat. hard pill to swallow but the truth by far. if cops question people is because minorities will hide and protect criminals, and lie to cops to protect them. and that causes most to distrust anyone in the community for the continuous lying they do. lets keep blaming the whitey for all of the problems, as they blame the system and the whitey, for keeping them down. wake up and smell the wrong
well said
Im sorry but i am an african american male and im not a thug or have any criminal record. I have not made myself a target. Grew up upper middle class, 2 parents, went to college the whole nine. Yet i am targeted as a thug first, until i prove otherwise and u think thats fair? All of us are not the same person. I would like to be considered an individual. And in most cases we are not. Ive been pulled over several times for no real reason but to be told to get home like im a child. Maybe because i lived in the wrong neighborhood and its past 10 at night. If i go out on my own front porch and smoke a cigarette and a cop passes by, stops, backs up, and ask me if this is my house. How would you like that if these things happened to you. We get profiled that is a fact. Inside minority communities and outside minority communities. I live in st louis and it is widely known here that u do not want to be caught dead at night driving in ferguson, dellwood, moline acres, hazelwood or florrisant. So its real here and people dont like it. Thats just ferguson. But we deal with this all over this city. Thats the truth. I would just like to not be scene as a target or thug but as a 29 year old male.
They are responsible for how they act! The cops black and white are the ones called when people break laws black white chinese indian all walks of life. If you break the law the police arrest and defend themselfs from them people so they get to go home after work! Do you get to go home after work? Do you deal with criminals everyday? Do you knw police protocol? The kid was a repeat offender who used his size to bully and intimidate people and he tried to hurt an officer! So if u don’t respect officers go a week without them lol I believe you will be begging for them then when those thugs are allowed to do what they choose to do! I hope the officers dnt strike. But I wldnt blame them if they did! They sure not respected for all they do:(o
What I think you’re missing here is that blacks in America, whether they be criminals or non-criminals, are both liable to be targeted and suspected by law enforcement because of their race. We’re talking about a trend in the treatment of all African-Americans – not just criminals – due to racial profiling. The protests and riots in Ferguson are the negative consequences of those practices. In a consequence in the breakdown of trust between law enforcement and African-American communities. We can see that now, and it’s unhealthy for everybody involved.
If that BIG BOY was beating you,would you just take it?? He put the cop in the hospital!! It has a lot to do with this young man……
We don’t know what happened between Michael Brown and Officer Wilson, so let’s not pretend that we do.
Levi,
I get your point, and it’s a good one. However, as I stated in earlier comments, the issues you’re raising are far beyond the scope of my essay. I was addressing the physical realities that related to this specific shooting; I did not intend to address any larger cultural issues or identify underlying reasons for anti-police feelings in certain communities. As a longtime cop and Marine/Soldier, I know quite a bit about those physical realities. However, while I have extensive experience policing some of those police-hostile communities in my part of Texas, I can’t claim to have deep insight into the national problems you’re discussing. So, I didn’t miss “the” point. I missed YOUR point, which I have no duty to make.
I will say that I strongly agree with your closing comment about this unhealthy relationship not being good for either party. Thanks for making your comments and I hope other readers continue to engage you, but I’m purposefully limiting the scope of my opinion and observations.
I work in an area that is mostly occupied by African Americans who live in low income housing. Like myself, the majority of our officers are white. So who do we arrest the most? African Americans. However, that does not mean we’re all racist KKK members looking for vengeance. It just means that since most of the population is made up of blacks, then most of the people we arrest are going to be black. It’s based on demographics, not hatred of a certain skin color. I can tell you for a fact, that if we see a white guy or gal cruising around the neighborhood, that 99% of the time that white person is looking to score some drugs. So are we are guilty of reverse discrimination?
I have read A LOT of posts recently with people going on and on about how the relationship between minorities and law enforcement needs to change, and I don’t disagree with that… but how about some feasible suggestions that might actually work?
Levi,your points are well taken and I appreciate the honesty.The sad facts are that most blacks are looked upon as gangsters in the hood because most generally are.In the ghetto.It’s the truth especially when you have most people watching the news every night and what do they see?Blacks killing blacks,blacks killing whites,blacks killing cops.The media has created a fear and a phobia because that’s what Americans see each night.This phobia or fear will only disappear the minute the black community deals with the issue at hand.Is it any wonder why other immigrants that have come to this country have no issues with any other race but the black race.I don’t mean for this to sound bitter but it’s the facts,it’s how people feel.Stop the violence in the black neighborhoods and blacks will be perceived in a different light.Why do blacks in the hood glorify the criminals that kill your children or feed your children poison,but vilify the police.The cops do want to help fight crime there but never get any help from the people who have to live there.It’s a constant battle and no wonder the police have just about given up on trying to reform the hoods.They are what they are and you should move out if you haven’t already.There will never be change there,you know it and I know it.I can hope but mine is no more than yours.
The black community in Ferguson is dealing with the issue at hand by protesting and making their frustrations with their local police department known to the world. They’ve created this national dialogue, and rightfully so, because it isn’t unique to Ferguson. I’m also not so sure that any of your perceptions about the black community – like the glorification of “criminals that kill your children or feed your children poison” – are true.
Okay so are you suggesting we don’t apply the Law where minorities are concerned? Because they’ve had it rough? Hope you don’t mind if I completely disagree. All we have is the Law. Having empathy with a minority should never equate to “looking the other way”. Adhere to the law or pay the price for your crime. It’s an absolutely critical element to a healthy society.
Also, if anyone wants to not be a target…they may consider not breaking the law. It’s all about personal responsibility my friend.
No, of course I’m not saying that. What I am saying is that the practice of racial profiling has backfired and the management of crime in low-income and predominantly African-American communities has, well, been mismanaged. It’s created the problem that we have today. I’m talking about the breakdown of trust between African-American communities and law enforcement, NOT because African-American criminals are subject to arrest, but because ALL African-Americans, whether they be criminals or non-criminals, are subject to profiling and biased treatment from law enforcement. The protests and riots in Ferguson are a result of that.
The animosity between black communities and law enforcement, created by the mismanagement of crime within communities like Ferguson, is dangerous and it needs to be addressed. If handled appropriately, things could be safer for both cops and the communities in which they work.
“the gross over-representation of minorities in the justice system suggests that there is an inherent bias at large”. Really? It couldn’t possibly be that blacks actually commit violent acts against white victims at a rate of 25 to 1, as compared whites violent acts against black victims. These are REAL statistics… from the government. Don’t believe it? Go here: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=316
We’re not just talking about violent acts. We’re talking about racial profiling and the targeting of African-Americans by law enforcement due to their race and the results of it. If you’re a member of a targeted community, you’re more likely to be arrested, obviously. Maybe, what I should have said is this: “the gross under-representation of whites in the justice system suggests that there is an inherent bias at large.” It’s not because whites don’t commit crimes.
The sad fact is that we might have fewer dead African-American teenagers if they didn’t ACT LIKE CRIMINALS. We’ve all seen it. When you act like a thug (which is sadly worshipped in some communities), you will be treated like a thug, and the response will vary depending on your station.
First, a simple a clarification about the accepted facts regarding the eye witness accounts: I understand that there are at least four eye witnesses who have given interviews (the two young women, Brady, and Brown’s friend). Let’s agree to discount any statements by Brown’s friend. I’ve listened to the other witness interviews, and they appear consistent on certain key points, namely that Brown was not advancing toward the officer after he turned around. Is that your understanding? (I know there contrary reports, but I’m only asking about those who have given statements to the media.)
Second, you reference “all three forensic autopsy reports.” I’m only aware of the private autopsy being released. Have the County and Federal reports been released?
Third, I’ve heard repeated mention of the “fact” that Brown wasn’t shot in the back. But isn’t the real question whether he was shot from behind, not where the bullet struck his body? I ask, only because the private autopsy (the evidentiary value of which seems questionable at this point) appears to identify a shot to his arm that might have come from behind as he was running away. In other words, its inconclusive. Am I wrong about this?
Fourth, it seems undisputed that, after the altercation at the SUV window, Brown was running away. As far as I know, there isn’t any real dispute about that. There also seems to be a consensus that the officer fired at Brown as he was fleeing. What is the protocol for shooting at a fleeing suspect? I understand and agree with your comments about non-lethal weapons. But once Brown was running away, what is the protocol for using lethal force to stop a fleeing suspect who doesn’t present an immediate threat to the officer? For example, does the officer have to reasonably assume Brown is an imminent threat to someone else? I’d like to understand this aspect a bit more.
And before anyone questions my motives, know that I agree that we shouldn’t jump to conclusions – either way – without all of the facts. You seem to have a great deal of experience and a willingness to help those of us who lack your professional experience.
The whole situation – including its politicization – is simply tragic.
bnettle,
“I’ve listened to the other witness interviews, and they appear consistent on certain key points, namely that Brown was not advancing toward the officer after he turned around. Is that your understanding?”
My understanding is that the witnesses say he didn’t charge the officer, but the officer says he did. If he didn’t advance on the officer, barring any other indication of a threat, the officer would not be justified in shooting him.
“Second, you reference ‘all three forensic autopsy reports.’ I’m only aware of the private autopsy being released. Have the County and Federal reports been released?”
Not that I know of, but no information disputing the private autopsy has been released either. I get your point, we don’t know what all three autopsies say. But thus far we have no reason to believe Brown was shot in the back.
“Third, I’ve heard repeated mention of the ‘fact’ that Brown wasn’t shot in the back. But isn’t the real question whether he was shot from behind, not where the bullet struck his body? I ask, only because the private autopsy (the evidentiary value of which seems questionable at this point) appears to identify a shot to his arm that might have come from behind as he was running away. In other words, its inconclusive. Am I wrong about this?”
My understanding is that the autopsy is inconclusive as to whether Brown was advancing on the officer or not. The placement of the rounds does not, as far as I know, suggest Brown was shot from behind. One round penetrated and exited his arm twice before impacting his torso. That definitely suggests he was shot as his arm was extended to his front, not shot as he was running away.
“Fourth, it seems undisputed that, after the altercation at the SUV window, Brown was running away. As far as I know, there isn’t any real dispute about that. There also seems to be a consensus that the officer fired at Brown as he was fleeing. What is the protocol for shooting at a fleeing suspect? I understand and agree with your comments about non-lethal weapons. But once Brown was running away, what is the protocol for using lethal force to stop a fleeing suspect who doesn’t present an immediate threat to the officer? For example, does the officer have to reasonably assume Brown is an imminent threat to someone else? I’d like to understand this aspect a bit more.”
My understanding is also that Brown initially ran away; however, the officer’s statement, and autopsy results, indicate that he had turned back and at least faced the officer before being shot. We are, generally speaking, prohibited from shooting at fleeing felons, unless the felon is presenting an imminent threat to a third party (for example, a robber who just shot at police and then runs toward the entrance to a mall with the gun still in his hand). We can’t shoot a fleeing felon simply to effect an arrest. If Wilson shot at Brown as he was running away, and had no indication he was a continuing threat to the public, that would be criminal. I don’t believe that’s what happened, but I don’t know.
“The whole situation – including its politicization – is simply tragic.”
I absolutely agree. This country didn’t need yet another incident to split our population along ideological lines. This tragedy extends far beyond the families of the Brown and Wilson.
And I thank you very much for your articulate questions and fair approach to the facts (and lack of facts) I hope my answers helped.
Sir, this is an amazing article. I agree 100% with everything you said. I’ve said all along that if the kid hadn’t done anything wrong, he wouldn’t have had any reason to run from the officer. His choice to charge at the officer was a fatal error on his part. Like you, I don’t know exactly what happened, but I tend to believe the same as you. The officer was in the right. Thank you so much for a well thought out opinion piece.
And when this cop gets finished giving his account, the cop involved in the shooting still could’ve tried to use his taser first. What I find very harf to believe is that numerous people can’t believe that there is a such thing as bad cops. How do I know this, because cops are people and in life there are good and bad people, even behind a badge and gun.
Who doesn’t believe there are bad cops? Hell, three guys I worked with were charged with rape, and two went to prison. I don’t know who’s claiming there are no bad cops. I certainly haven’t.
HIndsight is very easy to pick at. You weren’t there in his situation and quarterbacking this long after does no good.
As a friend of a retired officer in Ferguson, who wor4ked that city for over 25 years, when I asked him about it, he flat out told me that the city police department, and the people of that city had a good relationship throughout the years, and like any other town, had it’s problems. However, he also said that onlt a very small percentage of the town had any kind of bad area’s. Most of the people looting and stealing weren’t even from Ferguson Missouri. Ill have to agree on a few points: one, yes, Mike Brown new he just commited a crime, and yes he was probably paranoid thinking the cop was after him, which would lead to circumstances that happened that afternoon.
As far as the store owner, if he called the police everytime he had a minor crime, he would be driven out of town either by people not coming into his store, or retribution from other like minded thugs that would want to get even.
Think about this, how did the cops know to go to THAT stopre to look for video? did someone just say hey, I’ll bet they have a video of this kid doing a crime? No, someone called the cops, whether it be the store owner or someone else but they started looking there for a reason.
THE COPS IN FERGUSON WERE IN THE WRONG GET OVER IT !!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is the problem. Why not let the justice system work and the determine who was int he wrong? If Officer Wilson was wrong he should be prosecuted. If he wasn’t the the community needs to accept that Brown wasn’t the “gentle giant” that has been portrayed. Get over the fact that Brown didn’t have a weapon. A weapon isn’t a requirement for an officer to use deadly force
Glad you won’t be a juror, shame on you for trying to play judge and juror.
No you’re wrong. See how childish that sounds. You can’t know if that ONE cop (not plural) was in the wrong. Unless…… are you the eyewitness no one has heard from? You weren’t there you can’t know, evidence can give us the picture. Right now the evidence is not pointing in that direction.
NANA NANA BOO BOO?
“I also know that many media outlets and internet commentators deliberately twist facts to inflame emotion.” – How are you any different? You are doing the very same thing as the media outlets…Your just taking the position of justifying his death and trying to say somehow your different. You don’t know what happened…
In every one of your examples in justifying his death, someone from the other side could argue 1000’s of examples of how Cops can be corrupt, kill the innocent and unarmed over nothing, and are out right blatantly racist. Batons & mace do work, or cops wouldn’t be carrying them…I think your viewpoint is so hypocritical. I am not trying hate on the police force in general, but your opinionated justification makes no sense at all based on your premise.
Michael Brown is probably a delinquent young punk, but he is also a kid who was unarmed and being stopped for walking down the middle of a street and ended up being shot multiple times and killed….he was a kid. People should be incensed on why that happened and how the police have been handling it.
Racism is more than prevalent in our society, it’s just taken on another form from the days of 50’s and KKK. Your kidding yourself, if you can’t see that…
So let me get this straight. He was a kid so the officer shouldn’t have protected himself? Ask yourself this… why didn’t he just get down on the ground and surrender? Why did he have to turn around and approach the officer? I will tell you why… because he was trying to intimidate him just like he did the store attendant who tried to stop him from taking stolen merchandise out of the store. No matter how you look at it, Michael Brown was in the wrong on several occasions. Please get over yourself Geno, intelligent people are tired of hearing from your kind. Yes, we are all racist and we think that the police should go out and shoot all the black people…. what the hell ever. Remember this if you are ever in a situation and you have to call on the law for assistance. If there is an intruder in your home and they are threatening you and yours and they put their arms up in the air and say I surrender and they are still going towards your grandson… please let the police know that you don’t want them to shoot to kill,,,, just injure them. Then you can pray for your safety every day until you die. Ignorance is the problem.
Well said
Love it
Amen.
Man, you sure do know how to jump to dumb ass conclusions….You must be psychic or something…Let me break this down easier for you. We don’t have all the facts, for you to justify the officer by using the robbery video is STUPID. He might be a bad kid, I am not sure he deserves to die. Stop baiting people with stupid situations like All cops are in the right…Your ignorance is defiantly the problem.
Geno,
What I’m doing is different because I’m offering concrete, objective examples refuting the most commonly used reasons to claim this shooting wasn’t justified. And I am not justifying his death. Please quote where I said his death was justified. I *think* the officer was justified; however, as I stated, I don’t know. He could be guilty of murder, and if he is I’ll be happy to see him prosecuted.
Your statement about some from the other side using examples of corruption/racism/killing innocent doesn’t apply here. I’m not claiming all cops always do right. I’m saying, in THIS shooting, the claims about “unarmed suspects”, “shot six times”, “witnesses say Brown was innocent” etc. don’t necessarily hold water.
Batons and mace don’t always work. They often fail. That’s not opinion or conjecture, it’s fact. I backed that fact with concrete, objective examples.
And as far as racism goes, my essay wasn’t about that. But yes, racism exists, and it’s not just white against black.
Replies like Geno’s are what make trying to have an intelligent dialogue so frustrating. You can tell him from all your experience that batons, pepper spray, and tasers are often ineffective during physical confrontations. As a 15-year veteran of a police department I can tell Geno that I heartily agree with that statement. I have seen suspects ignore baton strikes, shake off pepper spray, rip out taser probes, and fight harder because they are mad. But Geno has his mind made up that the less lethal options must always be effective or officers wouldn’t carry them. Stop trying to cloud Geno’s mind with facts, man!
Hey Steve,
I commend you for your 15 years of service in protecting the public. I never said the less lethal option is always effective. What I was saying is using these examples to justify something in which you don’t have all the facts to judge and justify this cop makes no sense. He is doing exactly what the media does which is what I was taking issue with. If Michael grabbed for his gun, he very well could be justified in using lethal measures. If Michael was running away, then what? We don’t know what happened. He dosen’t have the facts in the moments that relate to this killing…
We can agree to disagree.
I don’t think your points are concrete at all…You would have to have all the facts in this case, which you don’t have for it to have any bearing weather what the officer did was justified. You are doing the same thing the media does from one side of the table in trying to justify a point of view without any facts by using isolated examples….bottom line. You are already flawed as you believe something without all the facts and are using your emotions to want to believe this officer is righteous…You “Think” he was justified…why? How would you know? What FACTUAL information do you have that would give you that point of view? Your doing the same thing the media does – which was my main point in my response to your entire premise.
You need to have all the facts to get any depth to what has transpired or justifying any of your examples. Why do officers carry batons and mace if they don’t work a majority of the time?…makes no sense to me to have things that don’t work. Are you saying that instead of using any of these tools in deescalating a situation, you just shoot to kill any chance you get? You would have to know what transpired between those the 2 individuals in this case for your examples to have any real bearing in being justified. If he went for his gun, I could totally see how events could be justified; If he was running away, then what????? For all the good cops out their, their are really horrible ones as well…They are people just like you and me…
Yes, IF Michael Brown grabbed for his gun, it very well could be a justified death. But what you and so many people on here seem to already presume is that he had this coming from what you think he has already done from seeing a robbery video…What I am saying is You have no idea…He very well, could have had his hands up after a tussle and resisting arrest and running the other way and was shot 6 times because of a pissed off cop….dare I say a pissed off cop with racist tendencies…That very well could be what happened, but I don’t know what happened, nor do I know who this cop really is. Only Michael Brown & this officer know what happened…Michael Brown is dead.
You have to get the facts and what you are positioning is no different then the media.
Michael Brown could very well be a troubled youth and maybe even a thug, we don’t know him…Did he deserved to get killed? – We don’t have close to enough of the right information to know that either.
This is so much more than Michael Brown though….I do agree that the looters and thugs are scum and it’s sad to see. But there are also a lot of people who are there protesting peacefully for what they feel are injustices, inequality, and oppression…They have had enough.
I will use your card and leave you with the very same type of example to justify how this very well could be a bad cop abusing his power in killing an innocent person:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/police-dash-cam-video-exonerates-nj-man-implicates-cops-article-1.1701763
For all of you saying you can’t have an intelligent conversation with people like me…ha…take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror.
Geno,
I’m not sure what your objection is. Yes, I’ve formed an opinion based on the little bit of information I have. I keep my opinion in check with the knowledge that I don’t have all the information I need to make a definite assessment. I’m disregarding the inflammatory rhetoric, based on fallacious beliefs, that a lot of people are basing their arguments on. What am I doing that bothers you so much?
“Unlike much of America, I’ve stayed quiet about the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. As a cop, I know initial media reports about any incident are usually wrong. I also know that many media outlets and internet commentators deliberately twist facts to inflame emotion.”
It’s not that it bother’s me so much…I am just trying to point out how you are doing the very same thing as the media – that’s my objection.
You might not being using the rhetoric as the media have, but your positioning this cop as innocent without any clear evidence…That is what one side of the media is clearly doing. On top of that, you don’t seem to acknowledge any of the factors that could very much presume this cop as a bad guy.
No, I’m not incensed about how this went down. I have common sense and can judge right vs wrong. My apologies that you have had that drummed out of you.
When I went out of town last October, SWAT was called to my wing of my low-income apartment complex. That fact in and of itself tells me that someone was up to no good and was asking for a tuning up.
I’m okay with that and you need to be as well.
@Chris Hernandez
I don’t know if the those screeching “unarmed” are ignorant of reality or are just plain disingenuous.
Ty I’m not sure if ignorant or reality is the issue or just ignorance. People WANT to believe law enforcement is inherently bad because of their own fear. Basic psychology, we (humans) fear what can take away something we value, we value freedom-police can rescind it therefore they must be “bad”. Nobody seems to be paying attention to Brown having been the instigator of the entire thing…if he wasn’t a thief this would not have happened. On a lighter note high five for disingenuous!
IMHO, many have had basic morals drummed out of them. So, instead of a plain right and wrong, we are stuck with a segment of the population that believes in this ever-changing gray zone where nothing is wrong or right, but just “is” and anyone trying to impose law is instantly a bad guy.
The folks claiming the police are all in all a bad bunch will really hate anarchy. You know, being unarmed and all and having 911 dispatch hopefully hang up on them…
My guess, a combination of both perhaps. However all the evidence isn’t in, or is it?
Here’s where I–and many others, I believe–take issue: the officer in question was not treated by anything resembling the same standards that any ordinary citizen would be subjected to under similar circumstances. If I shot someone in the street this afternoon and claimed self-defense, and there was ANY question of foul play, I would be in jail right now with likely no chance at bail until the courts had cleared me of wrongdoing.
So why is it that an officer of the law–a civilian like anyone else, mind you–is not subjected to this treatment? Why is he allowed to not only walk free, but to collect a paycheck and remain anonymous (at least for a time) while an investigation is under way?
The issue I see with cases like this is that as a rule, one side is privileged beyond belief. I won’t make the ridiculous assertion that deadly force is often used inappropriately–I’m sure that in a large majority of cases, and perhaps in this one, it is a somewhat reasonable response. But if there’s a question as to whether a crime was committed, a police officer should be subjected to the same standards as any other ordinary citizen.
Ryan, your job isn’t to protect and serve. Plain and simple. Please get a clue.
That’s not the job of a law enforcement officer. Their job is to enforce the law, not protect and serve the citizens.
You couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve investigated numerous shootings, as well as a few officer involved ones. While there are times when the evidence at the scene clearly shows the shooter was in the wrong, that shooter is arrested, but only stays in jail if official charges are brought within 24 hours. Likewise, I’ve had several instances where the shooter was not initially arrested and was not in jail at any point until a judge issued an arrest warrant. And never has a shooter’s info been revealed until official charges were brought. It is actually illegal in most cases to do so, so the fact that Officer Wilson’s info has been released is a first for me. So actually the officer is getting the same treatment as anyone else, except his info was released where a “civilian’s” info would not be.
Fair enough. When you call 911, please make sure you plainly state to the dispatcher as you are being held up at gunpoint that the responding officer must obey all traffic signals, even if it results in the loss of your life.
But wait… we ask these officers to put their lives on the line to secure our peace and safety, correct? Or do we just hire them to babysit the masses?
I’m afraid that the sad truth may be that even if Officer did everything right and Brown did everything wrong, the community may still be unwilling to listen due to previous issues with the police and the police response after the shooting.
I completely agree with you that saying the Brown (or any one else who was shot by the police) is unarmed in no way means that the shooting is unjustified. But it’s also just as true that saying that the officer has a clean record and there’s no reason an officer throw his career away by acting this way does not mean a shooting was justified. These are both attempts to manipulate the criminal justice system by political means.
The solution is to solve the systematic problems in the CJ system, so that people trust it and so that it is not as vulnerable to these kinds of manipulation.
Nick,
I can agree with that. I really wish we would decriminalize drugs, or at least marijuana. We’ve created millions of enemies with drug enforcement. Decriminalization would be a good way to begin healing the rift between LE and much of the public.
While I tend to agree with decriminalization in principle, I do have to wonder, though…
What will the individual who relies on drug sales and distribution as a means of income resort to doing to survive if and when his livelihood is disrupted by drugs suddenly becoming cheap and readily available at the local convenient store?
We may have to suffer through some growing pains and be prepared for an uptick in other areas of crime (burglaries, thefts, robberies, etc).
The people who do nothing but deal drugs will definitely switch to some other crime if drugs are legalized. But I think we’d eliminate a lot of “crimes” by leaving users alone unless they actually do something other than use drugs.
You’re right, it would be a risk. But the other option, keeping drugs illegal, isn’t helping at all.
Nivico,
I’ve heard that narrative in reverse. What I heard was that it was the rise of easy drug money that lead gangs to become such a problem. Before the war on drugs, there were gangs, but they were usually just kids running around. When they got older, they would stopping running with the gang because they needed to find work to support themselves.
With the influx of drug money, this changed and not only could older gang members stay active and support themselves, more money lead to more violence.
I don’t have any citation for this, I’m just pulling it from the back of my head, and it supports my pre-existing beliefs regarding legalizing drugs.
To follow up on Chris’s comment about the war on drugs causing rift between the police and the general public, I agree completely. How many people who would otherwise support the police are scared or have negative experiences due to drug laws and speed limits?
I think we’d be safer if we didn’t make so many thing illegal. When everyday conduct is criminalized, anyone can be swept up in the legal system. It’s safer for those who would otherwise not be targets (i.e. middle class white people to simply not engage.)
In Fullerton Ca. Last year 5 police officers, were exonerated for the fatal beating ,of a homeless man, in Ca.
Thank you for a well thought out and reasoned response Officer Hernandez.
For Levi- Take your argument to the kids on the south side of Chicago.
Here is what I have to say…. the only person who actually seen the onset of this is a police officer “Darren Wilson”, who has to stay in hiding because of the reaction of the public and a criminal who has lied repeatedly about what happened and has withheld information regarding key facts ( Dorian Johnson). I don’t know if Darren Wilson acted in self defense but what I do know is that the public wants to convict Wilson without knowing exactly what happened. You don’t think that those people want to be in the limelight or are racist who live in that community, please. If there are racists involved in this it is surely 90% of the protesters who are upset because of the fact that he was shot by a white police officer and if not that then because he was black and got shot and killed. No one seems to care that he robbed a convenient store. Oh, and why did he want those cigars? Because he wanted to make blunts. Another law broken. I am so sick of hearing that he was trying to give up… like hell. Why didn’t he just lay his ass on the ground if he was giving up, why did he have to approach him. I will tell you why because he thought he was going to scare that little man away. Well, guess what? He didn’t!! I don’t care what anyone says… if a police officer had already fired on me I would have dropped to the ground and gave up…. that’s what any law biding citizen would have done. I wouldn’t have put my arms in the air and approached an armed police officer. Hello, ignorance in deed. His friends and family know that he was a trouble maker, shame on them for letting this get so escalated. People have lost their lives in the name of justice. What a load of crap. If they would have just stood up and said that he wasn’t perfect and they were sorry for his actions earlier in the day but didn’t understand why he had to be shot so many times and that they were sad and upset they he lost his life it may not have had to get to this point. Gentle Giant,, my ass. He grabbed that attendant at the convenient store the same way he grabbed Darren Wilson and thought that they would just run away and now he is dead. A lesson to anyone who thinks they can do what they want and get away with it. The entire world is making a mockery out of our judicial system and they should all be ashamed!! A moment of silence at the music awards, what the hell is that all about!!! This has all gotten out of hand. I am so sick to death of all the racism. Shame on President Obama too. Sending people to represent the White House,…. I sure the hell hope he plans on sending someone to everyone’s funeral. Right. This whole escapade has only shown that if you disregard the law and scare a bunch of people with rioting and violence that you will get your way. Screw all this, I am ashamed to even live in this country. If Michael Brown lived in Saudi Arabia and robbed a convenient store they would have cut his hand off. My guess would be that by this point in his life he wouldn’t have had any hands or arms to supposedly lift above his head. UGH
Thank you Jim! Thanks for having the nerve to speak the truth! Well said!!!
Ben
Law enforcement does not hang out in minority neighborhoods, they patrol high crime areas. There are plenty of minority areas and neighborhoods where there are few police. If a high crime area seems to always be a minority area, it is because of the crime, not the color of the inhabitants.
I see a vast majority are agreeing with this author! It is well thought out and convincing. There is only one problem, as an officer you have special training in threat assessment and defusing situations without violence. Many of us who work with mental health people and challenged areas have to defuse situations without force. Perhaps when we’re not serving our egos and our thirst for blood we can see that violence just breeds more violence. This was just violent angry response to a physical altercation with a person in authority feeling he had been disrespected. As an officer for six years in that community there didn’t appear to be any connection to the community other than to show up for a crime, otherwise Mr. Brown and his friend would not have had the verbal exchange that proceeded deadly gunfire. When officers are known in the community and he knows the community, violence against officers and officers having to use violence against the community is greatly reduced. The goal is still to protect and serve. Not patrol and shoot. Finally, forget color, race, religion, gender and economic class! How many of you would be on here praising and agreeing with this author if it was your husband, brother, son, wife, daughter, father, mother, friend or close relative?
If you would still praise him, there are other things going on with your respect for humanity.
So how would you handle being charged by a 300lb man? Tim how would you defuse that situation without force?
Tim,
You’re making gigantic assumptions. “Perhaps when we’re not serving our egos and our thirst for blood we can see that violence just breeds more violence. This was just violent angry response to a physical altercation with a person in authority feeling he had been disrespected.” Do you have any evidence to back that up?
As an officer, we do have training in threat assessment and conflict resolution. I’m proof of that; in 20 years, most on the street, I never shot anyone. Most officers never shoot anyone. However, those conflict resolution techniques don’t always work. It’s disingenuous to suggest no officer should ever have to resort to deadly force, since we know those techniques.
And you make no points by trying to make this personal. What if it was someone in your family who was killed? Obviously that would be bad. What if it was someone in your family who was robbed by Brown? That would be bad too. What if Wilson was your son, and you truly believed he acted in good faith, but groups are threatening to kill him, the governor is demanding he be prosecuted for murder and some people are saying he should go to prison without a trial? That’s bad too. Deliberately trying to make this an emotional topic doesn’t help.
Chris,
The officers and license carriers I associate with would not fire or feel the need to fire that many shots at an unarmed man surrendering. I know you want to say I’m making the assumption he was surrendering so let’s just cut off that path of escape. The cellphone video after the shots shows Mr. Brown fell with both legs together and hands close to his body. A charging person shot that many times would not have fallen in that manner. Simple physics!
Trust me, I have good in my family and I have bad. I have people who have been victims of robbery, yes we’re mad and angry, but most important we’re happy that they’re safe and alive. That’s the point I’m making is we tend to value life more if we make it personal and had it been personal for those agreeing with you or you yourself we would be having a different discussion. We would also want answers like Mr. Brown’s family.
If Officer Wilson was my son he would have been taught to use his head, not provoke altercations, he would be reminded that he’s to protect and serve. Just because he has a badge and a gun doesn’t qualify him to be judge, jury and executioner. These are values learned growing up. I don’t agree with the death threats but if the two eye witness claims are valid, then he should stand trial be found guilty and sent to prison for murder, not manslaughter, murder!
By the way I also saw the video of the officer shooting in St Louis, not how the officer described it. The important thing missing in both cases? Honor!
Tim,
The position Brown fell in does not prove he was surrendering. I have no idea how you reached that conclusion. Please try to back that up with something, because it makes no sense.
Tim, you take Officer Wilson’s place one night and get your face caved in. I dare you to just had your assailant your gear and leave it at that.
There is only one problem, as an officer you have special training in threat assessment and defusing situations without violence.
And doctors receive training on saving lives. That’s why no one ever dies when treated by a doctor.
Give me a break.This special training isn’t magical training, unless I missed the part of law enforcement training that rewarded officers with Jedi mind trick abilities.
Some of you folks really need to cut back from watching so much television. It’s affecting your ability to deal with reality….assuming you ever had it to begin with.
“punched him (and maybe broke his eye socket)”
This has been thoroughly de-bunked; if you don’t know that this has been thoroughly de-bunked by now, you may not be paying enough attention to be considered “credible”, no matter what job you do besides writing blog posts.
Yablo,
My understanding is that the story was unconfirmed, not debunked. At the time I wrote this (last Saturday) I wasn’t sure of the status, so I didn’t claim he definitely had that injury.
But hey man, thanks for actually reading my essay before attacking what I wrote. Plenty of people haven’t even bothered to do that. :)
No, it hasn’t been thoroughly debunked. Brown supporter Don Lemon quoting an unnamed source doesn’t mean “thoroughly debunked”. Other sources still maintain that it did happen. We’ll find out eventually, but thoroughly debunked at this point it is not. And guess what? It doesn’t matter. Those same sources you rely on admit his face was swollen, most likely from being hit by the gentle giant. Oops.
So one unnamed source said his eye socket was broken, the CNN has another unnamed source who says it wasn’t. And you have decided that the second unnamed source is right? How can you be so sure when both are nothing more than unnamed sources? Shouldn’t we wait to find out what actual EVIDENCE is presented?
Besides, Chris clearly said (and MAYBE broke his eye socket). He did not state it to be fact, did not even say he believed it. He said it might have happened. Good Lord, does anyone know how to read for context?
Actually, in the Brown shooting, the officer shot ten or eleven times with a pause between the six and seventh shots. Six bullets was apparently not enough to “subdue” the suspect.
No, six bullets did stop the threat. The officer apparently fired more than six times, but missed with some shots. That fact actually supports what I and several others are saying, under stress accuracy dramatically worsens.
Whether or not Brown was in the wrong firing with the intent to kill or “eliminate the threat” as you put it is and should always remain the LAST resort. That is not what happened in this situation. As police officers, you have made the free choice to put yourself at great risk, we applaud and honor you for that, but you also have made a pledge to protect, honor and serve the people and basic human rights. If he’s an unarmed man and you present a weapon, You are in charge. I don’t care how big, strong or crazy the suspect is, your gun will take them down. You have a Responsibility to be level headed in intense situations and use your weapon only if there is no other way. As far away as Brown was when he was gunned down for “approaching” the officer, he was not a dire threat and a punch to the face does not warrant a death sentence. I’m sorry friend, but your experience does not suddenly validate your opinion.
Cheers.
Nicola, sorry but just because police do a dangerous job doesn’t mean they can’t defend themselves.
Nicola,
I don’t think you looked at the examples I provided., No, we cannot count on our gun always taking someone down. I had numerous examples in my essay of gunshots not killing or disabling someone.
And do you know how far away Brown was when Wilson shot him? I don’t. If you know, please provide a link.
I’m sorry friend, but your experience does not suddenly validate your opinion.
And your ignorance of physics doesn’t validate yours. The distance between the two could be covered in about 1.5 seconds. And if you don’t want to be subject to possible death, don’t punch people with guns in the face, then decide to go back and finish the job.
Two points in this article I have an issue with:
“Brown shoved Wilson back into his vehicle, punched him (and maybe broke his eye socket)”
Brown never actually broke Wilson’s eye socket. That story was initially started by a right-wing conservative site called Gateway Pundit. Even though the Pundit cited a source close to the police department, CNN confirmed through another source that Wilson’s eye socket was not “broken”.
“We will likely never know the identity of that witness and I’m sure that statement will never reach any court. But I think it was from an actual unbiased witness, and is probably closer to the truth than any other “witness” statement we’ve heard.”
Really? So you’re going to say two witnesses who haven’t even come forward are closer to the truth than any other witness statement we’ve heard?
Regarding your first point about the eye socket: fair enough. I wrote this Saturday and published it Sunday morning, at that time I had not heard the information you just provided.
Second, about the videotaped witness statement: yes, I *think* that statement is probably more accurate than the others. I think that because that statement wasn’t made in front of cameras, was made before this became a political issue, and the witness doesn’t even seem to know he was being recorded.
Brown never actually broke Wilson’s eye socket. That story was initially started by a right-wing conservative site called Gateway Pundit. Even though the Pundit cited a source close to the police department, CNN confirmed through another source that Wilson’s eye socket was not “broken”.
Ummm, no, that’s not how it works. You don’t get to say CNN is right because you don’t like the alternative. How do you know the CNN source is right but the other source is wrong? You don’t. But that doesn’t matter to you, because this is about ideology to you, not the truth. In short, you’re exactly the kind of person his article was about.
This article creates a picture of police work in which police must fear everyone, because (1) any unarmed person “could” attack and potentially kill the officer; (2) any person the officer chooses to shoot “might” survive the first shots, thus automatically creating the fear – without waiting to find out the truth – that this wounded person could attack the officer – which justifies repeatedly shooting to kill.
The author’s beliefs about what he “thinks” happen probably cannot be true, because the Police Department has said the officer did not know Brown might be a suspect in a crime.
This author also does not help us to raise the important issues involved in figuring out how to create a police culture of community service rather than war time occupation. I am white, and have never been arrested. But my experiences with the police show me clearly how rigid and authoritarian the police culture has made them. Of course, its possible that this personality type has been selected rather than created.
Robert,
I disagree. What I’ve done is dispel the myth that unarmed people can’t be a lethal threat. That does not equal “all unarmed people are a threat”, it’s simply a recognition of a concrete, objective truth. I provided numerous examples proving that unarmed people can be a threat.
And I didn’t justify “shoot to kill”. I explained that bullets often don’t kill or even disable a suspect, contrary to the TV/movie perception that many people have. Police have had a “shoot to stop” policy for decades. My essay hasn’t changed that.
Please provide a link showing that Ferguson PD confirmed that Wilson did not know Brown was a robbery suspect. But also keep in mind, I didn’t claim Wilson knew. I did, however, say that Brown knew he was a robber. And yes, that does make a difference.
As far as your last paragraph, that’s outside the scope of my essay. Important points, but out of my lane.
I feel like my thoughts are wrote down for me! This article is saying the same thing that my husband and I have been saying at the very start of this tragedy.
You are a fucking idiot everything you have said in this post has already been proven a lie he did not rob anybody you are the problem with America good day.
Good day to you too! :)
Projection.
And this is why claims of “It’s the cops’ fault for not being more community oriented” etc are mostly nonsense. Some things just aren’t fixable, no matter what. And I’m not a cop apologist by any means.
Except that Michael Brown’s family has already admitted that he DID rob the store and that it WAS him on the surveillance video. And Dorian Johnson has also admitted that he was with Brown when the two committed the robbery. So perhaps you should get half a clue before you post more ignorance that supports your agenda, Becca.
Becca, your eloquent, non factual response diminishes all credibility from your post. Your rush to judgement without all the facts, which have not come out is ” what is wrong with America”… Good day, indeed..
The media is going crazy with this and just reporting whatever they want (like usual). The government doesn’t want to get involved and look like the bad guy (like usual). It’s nice to see someone somewhere trying to figure out what actually happened.
I would like to ask the officer why some form of non-lethal force wasn’t used. Don’t police guidelines recommend a progression of force to subdue a suspect?
Greg,
When I first became a cop in the mid-90s we had what was called the “use of force continuum”. The steps in escalation of force were officer presence-verbal commands-empty hand control-intermediate weapons (spray/Taser)-impact weapons-deadly force. Around 2000 (I think) that was changed to “force options” because some officers wrongly believed they had to go through each step, and because some attorneys were allegedly convincing juries an officer had to go through each step. The assertion that we had to follow each step was pretty ridiculous; if, for example, I respond to a domestic disturbance where the wife invites me inside and the husband turns a corner and starts shooting at me, I don’t have to stand silently (officer presence), yell “Stop shooting, sir!” (verbal commands), grab his weapon (empty hand control), spray or Tase him (intermediate weapons), hit him with a baton (impact weapons), and then finally shoot him. The “force options” concept teaches us to immediately use the appropriate level of force.
In the Ferguson shooting, Wilson apparently believed lethal force was the appropriate option. Based on what little we know now, I can understand that. If evidence shows it was not the correct option (for example, if Brown did not advance on him) then Wilson is guilty of a crime.
Well written piece. I see you have covered many of the bases. This is a very good description of what Officer Wilson’s point of view may have been. I find your points compelling and well thought out.
Trouble is, I don’t believe this version of the story.At least what’s been leaked to the media from the Police department there.
I’ll admit to a certain bias, whenever I read/hear that an unarmed person gets shot. I do not believe the story of the shooter until the evidence clears him.
Any story the shooter tells, unless that story admits a mistake, or lack of judgement, will be self-serving whether or not it’s true. So I don’t take it at face value.
Here’s an alternative scenario that matches the released autopsy and the eyewitness claims:
The two youths are walking in the street when approached by a patrol car. The officer instructs them to get on the sidewalk. They comply, but the big one says something under his breath. The officer calls the big one to the car and asks,”What did you say?” Brown claims he didn’t say anything. Wilson repeats the question, now grabbing Brown’s shirt. Brown, now scared, pulls away. Wilson pulls him to the car, getting angrier. Wilson reaches for his service weapon. Brown now panics, reaches for Wilson’s arm, to keep the weapon from coming out. Brown smacks Wilson in the face, causing Wilson to loosen his grip. Brown now flees.
Wilson, now completely enraged gets his weapon out discharging a round in the car. He now shoots at Brown, missing several shots. Brown stops and surrenders, and is hit six times from the front, with the last bullet (the one that entered at the top of his head) hitting him as he goes down.
Mind you, I’m not saying this happened. I wasn’t there, I don’t know. I have no idea. This version, though, does fit the available facts. Until the investigation is complete, we won’t know what happened. Even when the investigation is complete we might still not know what happened.
Yes, that might have happened. I seriously doubt that even someone as racist and evil as Wilson has been painted would murder someone in front of numerous witnesses, though.
And you’re right, we may never know what happened. That’s really going to suck, if both sides get so entrenched in proving a point that the truth gets lost.
It’s already far too late for that. I think its more than time to go back to bean bags since tasers seem so prone to failure in the field. I get that a large unarmed man can be dangerous, but shooting someone because they are a threat is crap. Cops point guns at people all the time but that’s not a threat. Seems a huge double standard, that.
Bull,
Bean bags are fired from shotguns, not pistols. Officers don’t carry shotguns with them all the time. Even if Wilson had a dedicated bean bag shotgun in the car with him, this incident unfolded so quickly he probably wouldn’t have had time to deploy it.
And regarding your “cops point guns at people all the time”, yes we do, and we’re operating under specific legal criteria and policy, with set parameters. Legally armed non-LE civilians operate under the same legal criteria and parameters. When we point guns at people, yes it is a threat. But it’s not the same as a robber pointing a gun at someone.
Absolutely correct.
So let me get this straight. You really believe that Officer Wilson, who, based on the pictures we have seen of him looks to be about 5’10, maybe 170lbs, reached with his left hand from a sitting position behind the steering wheel of a vehicle, up to the shirt of a 6’4 292 lb man, and pulled him through the window? You really believe that this cop was able to do that with so much force that Michael Brown couldn’t have freed himself from his grasp? Then, with his free right hand, Ofcr. Wilson pulled his gun out of the holster? Did you see the surveillance video from the robbery? Because I did and Brown grabbed a man about the size of Ofcr. Wilson and threw him around like a rag doll. And Brown did that WITH ONE HAND. Come on, now.
I frankly don’t know what to believe. It’s just that the story I present tracks better than the self-defense theory.
I’m just trying to figure out how a jay-walking stop escalates to having to shoot someone six times. If he did rob a store, why didn’t he just run? Attacking a policeman who is in his patrol car, then bum rushing a guy that is shooting at you defies reasonable logic.
I don’t like my story, and I admit, I made it up. I was in Ohio at the time, so I have no clue what happened. My story is more plausible than the one that’s been circulated.
You’re making illogical connections here. The shooting wasn’t a result of the jaywalking; it was a result of the resistance (assuming this happened as I think it happened). If a cop stops a car for expired registration, the driver jumps out shooting and the officer kills him, he wasn’t killed for expired registration. He was killed because of the force he used against the officer.
And as to the questions you asked about defying reasonable logic, I have to point out that people aren’t mathematical equations. Many people do things that make no outward sense. I have tons of anecdotal examples: a guy on parole I arrested who had stolen beer and broken glass all over his back seat, and had risked (and achieved) going back to prison because he wanted more beer. The guy who screamed “Shoot me! Kill me!” while I was arresting him on his porch after a pursuit. The woman who blew a guy’s head off in the back seat of a car, in broad daylight in front of a bunch of parents waiting for the school bus with their children, then walked past all those parents and children back to her house with a gun visible under her shirt and the victim’s blood and brains all over her. You make a mistake when you expect everyone to be as rational as you are. If everyone was that rational, we’d never have any crime at all.
More questions: Is an unarmed man over 20 feet away with hands visible an immediate threat to you and your gun? Would an unarmed person who is running away, stop and turn around to “attack” a known armed officer who is trained to kill? Why wouldn’t an “injured” officer remain in the relative safety of his vehicle, call for help or simply drive away from a fleeing offender? Follow the logic.
Rita,
People aren’t mathematical equations. Individuals often do things that make no outward sense to others. Did you read the essay? I linked to a video of a police officer being attacked by an unarmed man, even though the officer had a gun. He continued the attack even after being shot.
As far as him being over 20 feet away, I don’t know how far away he was. Other than witness statements, do we have any evidence showing that he was over 20 feet away?
And have you ever heard of the 21 foot rule? Research decades ago showed that a suspect with a knife could reach and stab an officer before the officer could draw and effectively engage. That’s not opinion or conjecture, that’s objective truth. If Brown was 20 feet away, could he have closed distance quickly? Maybe. I don’t claim to know that.
I also can’t say for certain why Wilson didn’t stay in his car, except to point out that we’re not trained to run and hide from people who are attacking us.
I am American and live in the UK. There is plenty of violence here, and obviously no police/suspect shootings. I am pro-gun too by the way.
My point is not about gun control, but the fact that there is physical assault & knife violence here and suspects don’t end up dead and splattered across the news when the police deal with them. This is whether they are 20 feet away or in a hand to hand scuffle.
The logic that police need to use lethal force to protect and serve does not seem to be the case here. In fact, in some situations the police hands-down do way more to avoid violence here such as in the riots in 2011 when they made every effort to not turn it into a police vs. protester battle. If the officer is in danger, they don’t/can’t start shooting – they back off.
Disclaimer: I am no LE expert, and don’t have any more experience than as a member of the public in the US and UK. This is my opinion from what I’ve seen on the street and the news. I’m sure that police and suspects are hurt in police actions here as well. My point is that lethal force is the maximum response possible by an officer and shouldn’t be taken lightly (not that it is, but in the example of an unarmed suspect charging a police officer, maybe..).
Travis,
You make good points. Part of it is a cultural thing in the UK. I worked with British police officers in Kosovo, and they argued that if they carried guns on patrol in England then criminals would do the same. There have been several officers in the UK who were unarmed and killed by armed suspects, but a lot of British officers still oppose being armed.
I agree that deadly force shouldn’t be taken lightly, and in my experience officers don’t take it lightly. As I mentioned in another comment, I’ve never shot anyone. The one shooting I was involved in, a drunk pointed a gun at me, twice, and another officer shot him. In the Ferguson case, I can’t say Wilson took deadly force lightly, nor can I say there weren’t better options available to him. What I can say is, Brown certainly could have been a lethal threat.
Interesting perspective, I really appreciate it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. http://www.tealtomato.com
I totally agree with every point made in your article. I think most people, especially those who are in the police force or linked to someone who is is thinking along the same lines. It’s such a shame that the media has turned this episode into a racial incident instead of reporting it for what it actually was causing another divide !
To answer the distance question…yes a person at 20 feet can be a threat to an officer with a holstered side arm. The time it takes to draw…aim…and fire is longer than it takes a person standing to run up to the officer and attack. When I first joined the USCG we were taught the 21foot rule, that we were responsible for the round we fired till it stopped moving, and to double tap (fire two rounds center mass)…the later was revised to something similar to what the author mentioned (fire till the threat is removed). Some of you commenting have asked about use of force, suggesting the officer may have skipped a few steps. Use of force procedure allows an officer to equal the force a suspect may level…ie if the suspect has a knife the officer can draw his weapon(not fire, just draw)…physical size can be considered a weapon. I think this is a well written article that brings up good points that the average person does not know or understand. And I agree with the author that we should wait till all the facts are in before we pass judgment.
Therein lies the problem! You were part of the country’s armed defense not it police departments. Police are being taught and armed for war against the citizens of the United States. We continue to go down a path that will take more lives on both sides and not promote peace in our own country while we seek peace in other parts of the world.
U.S. Cost Guard is a Federal Law Enforcement Agancy and a branch of the armed forces.
“The legal basis for the Coast Guard is Title 14 of the United States Code, which states: “The Coast Guard as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times.” Upon the declaration of war or when the President directs, the Coast Guard operates under the authority of the Department of the Navy.”
“Maritime law enforcement and border control are the oldest of the Coast Guard’s numerous responsibilities.”
“As the Nation’s primary maritime law enforcement service, the Coast Guard enforces, or assists in enforcing, federal laws and treaties on waters under U.S. jurisdiction, and other international agreements on the high seas. We possess the civil authority to board any vessel subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Once aboard, we can inspect, search, inquire, and arrest. We wield this broad police power with prudence and restraint primarily to suppress violations of our drug, immigration, and fisheries laws, as well as to secure our nation from terrorist threats.”
Etc.
Enjoyed your piece very much. I especially enjoyed your handling of your comments.
I like others have been trying to put the pieces together and articles like yours are a good addition.
As you said people are strange. Through my various jobs and volunteer work I have seen and hear stories that make you wonder. Make one wonder why some do what they do is a mystery, especially when it just doesn’t make sense.
I will say this much, what pushed me more towards the side of the officer was all the untruths from the Brown side, and then things within many of the pro Brown statements that just did not make any sense.
Great read Chris…ever try to disarm a left-handed gunman? Neither have I.
When time permits, take a peek at http://www.curbstonejustice.com or my blog on Facebook under the book title “Curbstone Justice”…cop stories from the fifties…wheel guns and rosewood nightsticks…sold a bunch of ‘em and now some dude is hawking them on AMAZON as an out-of-print collectible for large dollars, even selling used copies for about what my new ones go for…
As for the Ferguson copper, I hope he doesn’t become the sacrificial lamb…I’m hoping the County Prosecutor has a rabbit in his hat o this one…all too close to home.
Stay Well and keep writing the good stuff
Bill Leahy
[email protected]
Ex-St. Louis Metro PD
For the author: What a well-reasoned and eye-opening story. Impressive as heck, even though was inclined to believe the story as I first heard it. Question I have : Would it sense to train police to shoot the legs or knees to stop someone rather than kill them? If the person being pursued does not have a gun, wouldn’t that make sense? I am asking this as i have often wondered about it in any and all police actions. Is there a logical reason that the police are apparently trained to kill rather than to disable? I am asking this in all respect as I have no background in this.
Annie,
Actually, we’re not allowed to use deadly force just to arrest a fleeing felon. We can only use deadly force if the felon presents an imminent danger to us or a third party (for example, a bank robber shooting at us while running toward a school). But when we do use deadly force, we are not trained to aim at the legs. Under realistic conditions, the likelihood of hitting a leg is very low. Most police shootings involve multiple factors such as reduced light, movement, physiological responses to stress such as tunnel vision and loss of fine motor skills, adrenaline and others. Accuracy suffers under those conditions, and a leg shot is unrealistic. And even if the leg is hit it can still cause death by femoral artery damage, or may not disable the suspect at all. I know of two incidents where officers used nonlethal shots to disable suspects, and both were shots by snipers from a long distance.
So we’re not trained to kill, we’re trained to “shoot to stop”. Under stress we aim for center mass, because it’s the area we’re most likely to hit and it’s the area most likely to produce a disabling hit.
Hope that helps, and thanks for asking.
I have a question or two for the author.
1. I served in the army as an infantryman, so I have combat training and understand the basic mindset that comes with such training. In a word: paranoia. That mindset can be the difference between surviving a situation or not. I would imagine that a police officer would naturally exist in that same mindset a fair amount of the time. It makes sense, especially if you are working in poor areas where crime levels are high and citizens often have more animosity towards the police.
While I understand the mindset and the necessity for it, it seems to me that it might be part of the problem. A police officer goes into these neighborhoods looking for trouble – I don’t mean that they are looking for a fight, it’s not that overt, but they’re on guard. I know from my own experience that this is a tangible thing. You can feel when someone is on edge. It’s like a dog smelling fear. I use this example because that’s what it all comes down to in the end. No matter how tough, how brave, how courageous – we all still experience fear. A police officer encounters someone big and there’s going to be a thought process that runs through their mind (especially with the training): “fuck, this guy is big,” or “he looks angry.” You mentally hunker down and prepare yourself for what ‘might’ happen. My experience tells me that this changesa person’s perception of things. More fear = more chance of overreacting to something. Do you think this has an impact on how officers handle situations and do you think it also affects how people in the community see the police?
I’m not sure what the solution to this would be, but I think it’s relevant all the same. Coming across as someone out to help these people as opposed to someone ready to assume the worst about them. It makes such a huge difference. And again, just to reiterate, I’m not talking about blatant, overt racism here, I’m talking about the defensive mindset a police officer has to have in order to safeguard their own wellbeing. I suppose some of that could be chalked up to institutionalized racism, but not all of it.
2. Do you have any statistics on the numbers of officers killed in the line of duty each year versus how many lethal shootings there are by police against unarmed civilians? I ask because no matter how reasonable it might seem for an officer to use lethal force, I can’t help but think there MUST be a better way. There are countless studies showing that violence breeds violence. A fatal spring by a police officer, no matter how justified, is only going to produce anger, resentment, and fuel future generations of angry kids who hate cops. The cycle of violence will never be broken if this is not addressed somehow.
Like one of the commenters above, it’s impossible to address the Michael Brown incident without addressing a larger picture. It has become the spark for a much needed discussion on the issues regarding the polices’ role in poor, and especially black, neighborhoods.
There are issues with existing tasers, but these issues are addressable. Are there improved versions available for police? Batteries that hold a more reliable change? More firing velocity to ensure the prongs reach the skin? And what about hand held tasers? Yes, close quarters are required at that point, but they’re more reliable, are they no?
3. Why was the officer involved alone? Budget reasons? There’s a reason we never did anything alone in the infantry – same reasoning applies for police, does it not? Two officers with tasers/batons/mace/hand-to-hand combat training are a hell of a lot more effective than one. Many of the tactics an office might worry about not working would stand a much better chance of being effective when it’s doubled. Officers in pairs would also make individuals think more before doing anything irrational, no? I thought this used to be standard practic, having a partner. Is this no longer the case?
4. I watched the full video from the convenient store. There is no way to tell exactly what Brown was doing when he reached over the counter. He appears to pay for at least some of what he left with. He also doesn’t push the clerk until the clerk tries to stop him from leaving. Surely be shouldn’t have pushed the man, but it’s impossible to know exactly what the exchange was at the store. It seems there are some assumptions going on here. Your essay send to paint a harsher picture of Brown than what can reasonably be known from the video. Perhaps the clerk was mistaken in his assumption that Brown was leaving with things he didn’t pay for. It’s reasonable that Brown might push the clerk to the degree he did because of a false allegation. There’s truly no way to tell from just the video.
5. I appreciate your well thought out, calm, and intelligent assessment of the situation. I respect it and that’s why I’m asking you some of the questions I am. I would appreciate an experienced and professional response/thoughts regarding these issues. Watching the video, I can’t help but think that this was certainly not something a kid should have to die for. I know that it’s not technically why he died – that has more to do with his interactions with the police officer – but it still seems like a terrible shame.
6. One last note: I am only interested in replies from the author, unless you have the same qualifications and can respond in the same well thought out, rational and respectful tone. Thanks.
Michael,
Question 1: I wouldn’t characterize our mindset as paranoia, I’d call it vigilance. We have to be vigilant all the time, and there are areas where we have to be more vigilant than others. In some of those areas we are considered the enemy, and if we’re not very vigilant in those areas, all the time, we’re not being very smart. I’ve worked areas where people take down street signs so we get lost during pursuits, I’ve been on a call and had kids standing in a yard a few houses down yelling “Cop Killah!” at us. That doesn’t mean we walk around afraid, it means we know what we’re up against. When I was in firefights in Afghanistan I wasn’t terrified of getting shot or blown up; I was simply aware it could happen, so I stayed on guard. Officers on patrol in high-crime areas are doing the same thing, remaining aware of the threats.
If officers start getting scared and acting scared, yes that will create overreactions, which lead to retaliatory overreactions. The only way to avoid those overreactions is to hire the right people to be cops, and train them well enough to ensure they keep their heads under stress. But as I’m sure you know from your infantry experience, all the training in the world doesn’t guarantee someone will do the right thing under stress. People aren’t computer programs.
2) Line of duty deaths are usually around 50 a year, if I’m not mistaken. I’d have to research it, but I think we lost 37 shot and killed in 2012. I don’t know the number of unarmed suspects killed by police. That’s a good question, and deserves further study.
3) Most officers today ride one-man units. The vast majority of my time on the street was solo. Just about every cop knows we’re safer in two-man units, but budgets and manpower shortages lead departments to put officers in cars alone. I agree, many lethal force encounters would never happen if two officers were present instead of one.
4) The video from the convenience store shows Brown at the counter, reaching for something and walking out (abbreviated version). Clerk rushes out from behind the counter and tries to stop Brown, who grabs the clerk by the collar and pushes him. This apparently shows Brown stealing cigars and assaulting the clerk. And if the Boston Globe is to be believed, Dorian Johnson’s attorney said Johnson admitted they stole the cigars.
“A lawyer for Johnson said that his client was interviewed by the FBI and the St. Louis County Police last week for nearly four hours. In that interview, Johnson admitted that he and Brown had stolen cigarillos from the store, said the lawyer, Freeman R. Bosley Jr.”
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2014/08/19/missouri-shooting-accounts-differ-holder-schedules-visit/Obj6jwcimy73EkrE30TMGM/story.html
Theft + force = robbery.
5) I appreciate your questions, thank you for your tone and rational discourse. I agree this incident shouldn’t have escalated to deadly force, and I’m sure everyone involved, especially Wilson, wishes it hadn’t.
Thanks for the response. In the end it just makes me sad that large corporations are making money hand over fist, finding ways to avoid paying taxes, and meanwhile we, as a nation, can’t seem to find it in our budget to help some of these poorer neighborhoods get the support they need to help give them a fighting chance in life, can’t find it in our budgets to have enough police officers so that everyone always has a partner, can’t find it in our budgets to give EVERYONE the quality education they deserve, etc… It’s going to take real money to solve a lot of these problems. The police, now more than ever, suffer from terrible PR. It gets made worse by the media’s drive for ad dollars, which results in outrageous headlines meant to do nothing more than get eyes on the screen. Police forces having military grade weapons and equipment doesn’t help either.
On the flip side, race is still a very real issue in this country, like it or not. I recently listened to a two part episode of THIS AMERICAN LIFE about black kids growing up in an inner city Chicsgo neighborhood ( http://m.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/487/harper-high-school-part-one). It is a sad reality that many of these children are born into a situation where they have little chance for a normal life. Nothing excuses criminal behavior, obviously, but circumstances are a very real part of any equation. Many kids are forced into gang life and it’s all they know. One kid in the story condones himself to staying indoors, in his room, 24/7, the only exception being school and going to/frim it. He’s determined to not get forced into a gang, but the price is that he has zero friends, no social life – it’s extremely taxing. It would be for anyone but this is a teenager having to live like this. How many white people in this country have even the remotest understanding of what this is like? Certainly there are a few, but it is a pittance of a percentage.
In the end, what we have is a catch 22 type situation. These extremely poor areas have higher crime rates so, naturally, there’s going to be a higher police presence. The police come in, on guard, and look to, well, do their job: crack down on crime. The police will never be able to rid an area of crime – or country, thankfully, isn’t set up that way, but it means that without outside help/money, the poor remain poor, with limited options, and the police are there to put the kibosh on some of those few options. The police will continue being seen in a bad light in these places and that dislike/hated will continue to put the police two steps behind in these areas which results, more than any sane person should ever be okay with, in fatalities. Citizens, police, innocent bystanders… They are all tragedies. But the police continue to do their job, many of the Black people go to prison (where there’s little to no rehabilitation), and the bad relationships continues. It’s going to take a lot of effort to break this catch 22 of a cycle we’re stuck in, from people other than the ones involved.
Btw, I highly recommend the THIS AMERICAN LIFE episodes I mentioned. To everybody. I know there are plenty of conservatives who think anything NPR is liberal, but that is a gross oversimplification and entirely inaccurate.
One last bit: I’m glad you think it worthy of looking into the statistics I asked you about. I would guess there are more unarmed civilian fatalities from police shootings than officers killed in the line of duty each year, but the numbers might be closer than I would expect, or even flipped. Only one way to know for sure. Once there’s a number of how many unarmed civilians are killed by police each year, I’d be curious to know how many of those were black. I imagine the higher percentage on that one would, sadly, be easy to guess.
I enjoyed reading this essay and agree with it 100%; not to mention how great you responded to some of the comments.
Having done ride alongs with numerous police departments I often tell people you haven’t seen it nor will you ever understand until you see it as a police officer does. Please read an article I wrote that was originally published by Yahoo. It now appears on my blog. Here is the link to an article about the disrespect faced by police officers.
http://voiceofnow.blogspot.com/2012/10/police-officers-face-disrespect-with.html?spref=fb
I would like to thank you for a well informed, well thought out article. There seems to be few out there. Personally, this should never have become a race issue (at least not from a national standpoint. Possibly a personal one, if the officer is racist, but that is as far as it should have gone). It should be an issue of a police officer and a civilian and nothing more. I believe most people are using this as some form of pedastal to pronounce their displeasure in their own lives and blaming it on others. Many so called journalist, free lance writers and the media are looking at it as some kind of stepping stone to either advance or to control.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe the police department has made mistakes but when looking at the big picture, it isn’t like they have had issues like these on a constant basis and know exactly what to do(contrary to popular belief that this happens ALL the time, compared to population I believe it is very small). Thank you for your service and your post. Through there are many who will never listen to reason, or even listen, I would be proud to stand by you wether I disagree or not.
USN Veteran
Thank you Jeremy, I appreciate that. And thanks for your service.
Excellent commentary. I would like to add a few of my own observations and opinions for consideration. According to the dispatch logs from the incident, Ofcr. Wilson made contact with Brown initially at 12:01 and called for EMS at 12:04. Obviously, the situation escalated quickly, which, in my opinion, gives credibility to the idea that even though Wilson initially had no idea about the robbery, Brown was behaving like someone who was wanted for a strongarm robbery and used aggression from the git go. He assumed that Ofcr. Wilson was approaching him to arrest him, not to get him out of the street.
As for how many times Brown was shot, I would like all of the “experts” out there to have a man the size of Michael Brown beat them about the face and punch them in the eye, and then have to fire their weapon at a moving target. A blow to the head can stun and momentarily confuse you if it is done correctly. And receiving a punch in your eye will likely throw off your ability to aim your weapon. Then, just for fun, let’s throw in the adrenaline coursing through your veins after someone tries to shoot you with your own gun. Now, are you able to put a double tap into center mass in a matter of seconds after all of those things happen? I’m gonna bet no. Guessing that since the face pummeling came while Wilson was seated in his car, it would have been his left eye that was affected. Looking at the autopsy diagram released, all of the shots were left of target, assuming that Wilson was aiming for center mass. Of course he kept shooting. He wasn’t hitting his target (center mass), the aggressor kept coming and he was likely almost blind in one eye in that moment.
In regards to using some other method (tazer, mace, etc) to stop Brown: there have been several “witness” statements that corroborate the story of Ofcr. Wilson that Brown went for Ofcr. Wilson’s gun through the car window and there was an ensuing struggle, causing the gun to go off in the car. Keeping in mind that this whole thing only lasted 3 minutes from beginning to end, it’s very unlikely that once Ofcr. Wilson regained control of his weapon and after it had already been fired inside the car, that he would re-holster his weapon and then pull out his taser from another holster. Who would take the time to do that? Not me. Because once someone goes for your gun, they have shown you that their intent is to use it against you. You don’t take time to reduce the force you are using when someone is trying to kill you.
It’s good to read some common sense about this tragedy. Kathy, I like your comment, “You don’t have time to reduce the force you are using when someone is trying to kill you.”
Good observations Kathy, thank you.
I’m a dispatcher in the St. Louis area with close to 15 years experience and I was working the night the riots started in Ferguson. I think more than anything else, I’m saddened by all that’s happened. I am sad for the community. I am very sad for the officers on the ground through all of this who have had very little strong command to look to, and I’m sad for the many citizens who have been victimized by the rioters and looters in the aftermath.
Largely, those individuals who have been lawfully protesting have had little issue with the police. The news media, who has never been my friend in professional life, of course shows canisters of tear gas being deployed and reports on how the over-militarized police have been assaulting protesters. For the most part though they haven’t. They have been using force on an entirely different group of individuals who are not from the neighborhoods they have been razing and are not interesting in protest. They are interested in using the incident as an excuse to destroy the property and rob the businesses of fellow citizens who have done nothing wrong.
A lot of people I know online have been given the impression that all of this started as groups of peaceful protesters who were moved upon by jack-booted storm trooper cops and because of that all the rioting started as a counter measure by the public. I can say from first hand knowledge and without equivocation that this is NOT what occurred. The rioting and looting has had nothing to do with Michael Brown’s death and erupted well after the vigil was held and ended without incident on the night of August 10. Businesses were stripped of inventory by crowds of criminals…and that is exactly what they were…criminals…and several of them were then burned to the ground.
Much like a lot of the law enforcement community in the area, I am actually dissatisfied with the way the incident was mismanaged by both Captain Johnson, who was eventually put in command, as well as Governor Nixon. Many of the front line officers in the incident were left without a clear chain of command and without leadership. Nevertheless, while I am not at all surprised by the media representation of everything, I am extremely disappointed in the way it has been presented to the public also.
We are all battening down the hatches for sometimes in October if the grand jury doesn’t return an indictment. It might get ugly.
Any cops out there reading this…stay safe and you have a lot of support behind you.
Jason,
Thanks for your perspective. It also seems to me that the police response was mishandled, but I wasn’t there and don’t have any firsthand insight. I do have a problem with the extremely military appearance of some of the officers. Putting a sniper in camo on top of a Bearcat doesn’t do much to improve public perception.
And you’re right, if Wilson isn’t indicted the crap’s going to hit the fan. You guys in MO please watch your backs, no matter what.
Reblogged this on James Tollett.
There’s something I haven’t heard in the media and maybe it’s mentioned here (I haven’t read all the comments) but it’s something that might give some insight into Michael Brown’s state of mind.
Two facts that no one is disputing: 1. Brown committed a strong-arm robbery 2. he was walking right in the middle of the street when Officer Wilson encountered him. According to reports I’ve read, that’s how Brown drew the attention of Wilson. It started with Wilson telling Brown to get out of the street.
So here’s Brown, knowing full well what he’s just done, and that he’s probably being sought by police, chooses to walk right down the middle of a street in broad daylight. With the cigars and his accomplice.
Not exactly a shrinking violet.
He felt that he could just take what he wanted from the shop and intimidate the guy when he was confronted for his wrongdoing. That’s pretty bold. If I had just committed a strong arm robbery, I would be sticking to the alleys and shadows to avoid detection. Not Brown.
There’s no WAY I can know what Brown was thinking. But based on these two facts, I can make a half-assed assumption from the comfort of my office and guess that maybe Brown felt invincible that day. Maybe he felt unstoppable. Maybe he just stopped caring about the rules. He definitely showed what he thought of authority in the convenience store just minutes before. He didn’t tune up the clerk, but he didn’t have to.
This is all just me guessing. But I completely agree with the premise of your article. That’s all anyone really has is a guess. Except for Wilson and Brown.
Jackson,
Interesting observation and I can definitely see your point, but as you admit, there’s no way to prove that.
And unfortunately, some people are disputing the robbery and claiming Brown paid for the cigars. Even though Dorian Johnson’s attorney said he admitted they stole the cigars.
“A lawyer for Johnson said that his client was interviewed by the FBI and the St. Louis County Police last week for nearly four hours. In that interview, Johnson admitted that he and Brown had stolen cigarillos from the store, said the lawyer, Freeman R. Bosley Jr.”
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2014/08/19/missouri-shooting-accounts-differ-holder-schedules-visit/Obj6jwcimy73EkrE30TMGM/story.html
I read this entire article and I sit here thinking why not just shoot him in the ankle or the shoulder. Or why not just don’t shoot at all. Why kill the young man so violently. Why all of the force and anger. Why must we treat each other like this. I just breaks my heart to see human beings act this way towards one another. The really awful thing also is that the ones entrusted to PROTECT people of ALL COLORS are the ones the people of ALL COLORS need PROTECTION from!!
But Vicky, the problem is that IF Brown was charging Wilson, then Wilson had the right to defend himself. And if you read the entire article, then you would know why Wilson couldn’t just shoot him in the ankle or shoulder. I highly doubt there is a marksman that skilled who can make these split-second life-and-death decisions and then shoot with complete disabling and non-lethal accuracy. For all the people who wonder why Wilson had to shoot, I’d love to have a recreation of the scene. Give the doubters a loaded gun. And then have a 6’4″ 290 pound man charge them in anger and defiance. And see how many times they squeeze the trigger. And where they place the bullets.
Figuring out IF Brown did charge Wilson is a fair argument. I have no idea if Wilson is a homocidal maniac. We do know that Brown felt above the law minutes earlier when he robbed the store and again when he refused the orders to get out of the street. Did he deserve to die for those offenses? No. But charging a man who is pointing a gun at you is a fast way to die. And IF Brown did that then I can’t imagine what he was thinking.
I know the world would be a lot simpler if no one did bad things.
Very well written. I am particularly bothered by media reports focusing on the number of shoots the officer fired. Much of the discussion revolves around why the officer didn’t stop shooting after he hit Brown in the arm as a warning. I don’t believe the officer was attempting to warn Brown. At the point the officer fired, I believe that he was attempting to neutralize the threat. I think the officer’s aim was off because of his injured eye (broken eye socket) and therefor hit Brown in the arm when he was more than likely aiming for the chest. I am a competitive shooter and I’m not sure I could shoot accurately after getting punched in the face.
Every one of the comments on here are all opinions of what happened. The only people that know what actually happened that evening are Brown(which unfortunately is now deceased) and Officer Johnson. There are going to be a lot of unanswered questions, a lot of pointing fingers(either at Brown or Johnson), but is there comfort and support for both sides. They are both human beings and they both deserve the truth be told…… A> for peace of mind to the officer B> peace of mind to the Brown family. Racist went to the wayside along time ago, we as adults are the only ones that can make this change. I have seen people that are racist and when you ask them “why” they don’t really have a logical answer to that question. Violence is not the answer to any situation, whether you can legally carry a gun or if you can’t. I know that police officers are taught to subdue their assailant without death incurring. My son has wanted to be a police officer since elementary. After graduating and moving onto the college field, majoring in criminal justice, he has decided to change his major as this was not a field that he felt was not for him. I seen my son become a “different person” during his course of 2 yrs(before changing his major), becoming very racist. As a mother I DO NOT allow this kindof behavior to be conducted in or around my home, even as a thought in my children’s head. Yes, everyone matures and has their own opinion but I can tell you that since my son changing his major(which was on his own)I have not heard one word of ignorance come from his mouth. So honestly it needs to stop on both sides of the fence or it will continue and lives will be lost because it’s “allowed” to occur in our society. My heart goes out to both the deceased’s family and the officer. I have yet to form an opinion because opinions are exactly that, I will wait for the truth to be told……John 8:32 > and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free
as reading this I see my mistake……Officer Johnson not correct……Officer Wilson…… sorry about the mistake
You are a brave man for posting this.
I agree with you that the media is the one winning here. I have no idea what actually happened but it’s too late for truth to matter. It’s in the realm of emotion know and the media is going to make a killing posting similar stories.
I live in Ferguson and have been making the same points. As a result, I’ve been called “passive-aggressive” and “incendiary,” among other things. With 35 years in Emergency Medicine, I’ve seen the damage human hands can make and heard the lies that people use to explain the injury. As a writer, I’ve been out with our CSU and witnessed the “comedy” that can be a crime scene. Time will tell and I hope the facts become obvious as the Grand Jury wades through the garbage that will be mixed into the testimonies provided them.
Braxton,
Thanks for your perspective. This is one thing that’s still amazing to me, since UFC and MMA are so popular. We see guys beat each other unconscious every weekend, but people still think an unarmed person automatically equals “not a threat”.