The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    barefooted's picture

    State Of Emergency In Ferguson

    By barefooted on Sat, 08/16/2014 - 5:14pm |

    No shit.

    I have never been one to engage in conspiracy theories, and it is not my intent to start now. But I am starting to feel like we're in a dangerous time warp.

    This. Is. Wrong.

    ,

    Comments

    I am going to take the position that Ferguson is an outlier. Local leadership along with the cool heads of the parents keep violence at bay when Travon, Jordan, Raneisha, and Eric were murdered. The police and politicians involved seem to be so inept that enough  the community feels hopeless enough to loot. 

    The outright attempts of the local police chief to enrage the community have worked.He didn't like being replaced by a Black guy, so he held an inflammatory press conference. The DOJ advised the chief not to release the tape, fearing it would fuel outrage. The DOJ is headed by a Black guy, so he ignored the advise.

    The town's Mayor seems to be non-existent and the Governor took half a week to respond.


    by rmrd0000 on Sat, 08/16/2014 - 5:30pm

    The release of even the most basic information about the shooting would go a long way towards restoring calm. By focusing all the attention on controlling the people, they are exacerbating the outrage. And as you point out, that appears to be the intent of some. At this point, the only person the community trusts is Capt. Johnson, and he can only do so much.


    by barefooted on Sat, 08/16/2014 - 6:00pm

    I have seen so many films depicting the SWAT teams attacking our citizenry over the last few decades that this event really gets to me.

    Shooting someone with a toy in Wallmart or shooting someone who is unarmed...

    ROBOCOP.

    There were the LA riots and the Detroit riots and the Watts riots and...

    Now there appears to be some retreat with regard to the police in this Ferguson mess.

    And tensions appear to have abated.

    Add this new damnable stand your ground crap appearing in so many many states....

    We are a nation with more guns than the population.

    I think things are getting better, at least in Ferguson.

    I hope...


    by Richard Day on Sat, 08/16/2014 - 6:38pm

    I hope so, too, Dick. I truly do.


    by barefooted on Sat, 08/16/2014 - 9:06pm

    Now that the National Guard has been deployed we have to see what they do... do they work to keep the local police in line or do they become another forces against the locals?


    by Michael Maiello on Mon, 08/18/2014 - 9:51am

    Three guesses and the first two don't count.

    Unless proven otherwise, the Guard will protect the lawful authority. 

    The folks that are rioting, have proven they are uncontrollable, They went on a rampage before any trial.  Unreasonableness, chaotic   

    Must restore order. 


    by Resistance on Mon, 08/18/2014 - 10:08am

    Based on past decisions, the community doesn't trust the local prosecutor

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/objectivity-of-prosecutor-in-miss...


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 08/18/2014 - 11:02am

    Remember when Group Captain Mandrake tried to open a Coca-Cola machine to get a dime to phone the President that Colonel Ripper was starting a nuclear war (in Dr. Strangelove)?

    What was the response of base Military Police?

    To stop Mandrake and protect the property of the Coca-Cola Corporation of America, of course.

    Well......there is a MacDonalds at risk here......


    by NCD on Mon, 08/18/2014 - 10:45am

    Ha! Sad.


    by Michael Maiello on Mon, 08/18/2014 - 10:54am

    I did some searching to find the demographic breakdown of the National Guard. With no facts to back up my guess, I suspect that the Guard is much "whiter" than the U.S. military as a whole which is about thirty percent minority. Government/military PDF's listed ethnicity in their table of contents but no mention of ethnicity that I could find.  did come across a series of tweets by Billmon which I find interesting, more so when following his links, which reinforce my opinion that the Guard may be a poor choice for controlling civil disturbances among a [rightfully] pissed off black population.

    The National Guard Does Ferguson

    Nothing--and I mean NOTHING--I'm learning about the MO National Guard is making me feel better about what's about to go down in .

     

     


    by A Guy Called LULU on Mon, 08/18/2014 - 11:23am

    I don't understand the reasoning behind deploying the National Guard and lifting the curfew. One action seems at odds with the other.


    by barefooted on Mon, 08/18/2014 - 2:59pm

    National Guard will be put in place to protect property. They will guard businesses. You won't see them doing much crowd control. 


    by trkingmomoe on Tue, 08/19/2014 - 1:46am

    After this Ferguson incident, will this now be the norm, so that the Guard will not step in to protect a persecuted minority group? 


    by Resistance on Tue, 08/19/2014 - 1:56am

    Like after Brown v. Board?


    by Michael Maiello on Tue, 08/19/2014 - 9:03am