I just responded to a comment in the Front Page diary titled Chief Jackson contradicts Chief Jackson on details of robbery, shooting of unarmed teen.
I am posting that comment and my response below the squigly and asking everyone to FIRST view the video that ALLEGEDLY shows him stealing from a convenience store before consuming any additional media about this case. The spin is most definitely ON.
However, as my response to the commenter in the front page diary indicates, the video is anything but conclusive. Here is the comment I responded to
"Jackson is clearly connecting the two events" (0+ / 0-)
I'm in the minority feeling there may be some connection and therefore, it's not unreasonable to provide such a chronology of events since there seems to be a concern with rioting and a rush to judgement in some media circles.
Before I start, for clarity, I don't care what a criminal has done. If they are unarmed and put their hands up to surrender, they shouldn't be shot or shooting should stop immediately.
Having said that, some stuff I'd read before today suggested Mike Brown was a nice, honest, gentle student. The video of the robbery (now posted on CNN) strongly suggests otherwise.
http://www.cnn.com/....
It demonstrates three things to me:
A) he's a thief - not the nice honest guy previously portrayed
B) he's capable of using his size to assault and/or intimidate another person - he's not the gentle giant some portrayed him as
C) he'd just committed a crime before he came into contact with the police officer who shot him
Mike Brown's friend Johnson, who was with him at the time of the shooting and at that store with Mike, and Mike Brown's own family have ID'd Mike Brown as being the thief in that video.
So what does that have to do with the shooting?
1) It supports the notion that Mike Brown may not have been respectful or nice to the police officer and that might have contributed to starting an altercation between them
2) It supports the notion that Mike Brown was capable of assaulting the police officer and may have
3) It provides a motive for Mike Brown to behave in such a way to evade apprehension for the robbery, even though the police officer had not ID'd him for it yet at the time - but Mike Brown may not have known that or feared it when the officer backed up his cruiser
4) As stealing was not below Mike Brown, it provides the possibility Mike Brown tried to take the officer's gun
The above points are unproven conjecture or merely possibilities.
Again, none of that provides the right for an officer to shoot an unarmed man with his hands up to surrender (as some accounts say that happened but remains to be proven beyond reasonable doubt).
But if 1-4 happened, then the punishment for the police officer if he shot an unarmed man with his hands up should be less than if they didn't happen.
With concerns about public safety and rioting and maybe now for the safety of the police officer, the above being release might give some pause that there might be another side to this story to allow justice to take it's proper course.
by cleduc2 on Fri Aug 15, 2014 at 06:13:43 PM EDT
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Here is my response, followed by a correction to part of my comment
Watched video AFTER reading your comment and (0+ / 0-)
it wasn't at all what I expected based on your description and the tone of your remarks.
First of all, I will take you at your word that the person in the video, who we see only from the waist down, is Milke Brown (since you say the family doesn't dispute that...link?).
HOWEVER..you neglect to note that the store clerk grabs Mike FIRST and tries to block him from leaving the store. Mike then pushes him out of his way and tries to leave. Since we don't KNOW that Mike stole anything (Mike's "friend" may or may not be telling the truth about Mike stealing and Mike is DEAD so he can't tell his side of the story), Mike's REACTION to the store clerk may or may not have been justified.
Second, even if it we were certain that Mike did steal the cigarillos and push the clerk after being physically confronted, it DOES NOT necessarily follow that he was brave enough or stupid enough to be "capabable of assaulting a police officer".
Finally, even IF we were certain that "stealing was not below Mike Brown" (your choice of words is interesting), it is quite a leap to think he "tried to take the officer's gun".
The only thing you said that we can all agree on is your assertion that
The above points are unproven conjecture or merely possibilities.
Again, none of that provides the right for an officer to shoot an unarmed man with his hands up to surrender.
- The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood. Martin Luther King, Jr. -
by FreeWoman19 on Fri Aug 15, 2014 at 06:52:33 PM EDT
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Correction: We can see Mike's face in parts (0+ / 0-)
of the video but my comment stands as I took it as a given that Mike is the person in the video.
- The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood. Martin Luther King, Jr. -
by FreeWoman19 on Fri Aug 15, 2014 at 07:03:12 PM EDT
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Let's not be distracted by the spin and character assassination and continue to call for JUSTICE. Chief Jackson can start by producing officer Wison's incidence report. He did submit one, right Chief?