Officer Not Charged In Michael Brown Shooting

An anonymous reader writes: A grand jury in Missouri has decided there is no probable cause to charge police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. "A grand jury of nine whites and three blacks had been meeting weekly since Aug. 20 to consider evidence. At least nine votes would have been required to indict Wilson. The Justice Department is conducting an investigation into possible civil rights violations that could result in federal charges." Government officials and Brown's family are urging calm in Ferguson after the contentious protests that followed Brown's death.

Comments

The "Protesters"

[KermodeBear]

The "protesters" in Ferguson right now are burning cars, breaking into stores, in general being asshats.

They're not interested in any kind of justice. They're only interested in revenge.

Re:The "Protesters"

[ClickOnThis]

The majority of the protesters are demonstrating peacefully. Of course, that doesn't excuse the asshats. Par for the course, sadly.

Re:The "Protesters"

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the media is hoping things get out of control. They probably have their "Ferguson In Flames" news overlay ready in anticipation.

Re:The "Protesters"

[jandersen]

They're not interested in any kind of justice. They're only interested in revenge.

And you are surprised? Isn't this the kind of society you have chosen to build? Isn't revenge a very central theme in the American idea of 'justice'? I mean, you have not just the death penalty, but you make sure that people sit for decades on death row, going crazy, and you finish it off by putting them through a ritual sacrifice that is designed to cause suffering. And so on - is that not about revenge, simply?

I can't comment on whether that is 'justice', but when society is so focused on revenge, how can it NOT teach everybody that revenge is the right thing to do, whenever you feel you have been treated unjustly? And on top of that, you have also set yourselves up with a situation where firearms are everywhere - how can that avoid escalating out of control? Widespread mistrust, revenge as the first resort and lots of guns - what could possibly go wrong?

Re:The "Protesters"

[tehcyder]

On slashdot, it's fine to advocate armed rebellion against a government which interferes with your internet browsing habits, but anyone who actually takes direct action against a failed justice system is just an asshat.

OK.

Re:The "Protesters"

[flyingsquid]

It's worth remembering that the protests started out peacefully. It was the police who escalated things by responding to peaceful protests with armored vehicles, police in body armor carrying assault rifles, launching tear gas at people exercising their constitutionally protected rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. You have a police force that has abdicated its responsibility to protect and serve the population, and is instead acting like an occupying army and oppressing the community they are sworn to help. And this is after years of targeting the black community. If you act like an occupying force, it's hardly surprising if people start acting like insurgents.

Flip Argument

[SuperKendall]

It's OK to try and harm someone just because they are wearing a badge and talking to you?

Equally disgusting...

Because that's what the physical evidence, and now a grand jury who had ALL the facts, said.

Re:Flip Argument

[apparently]

Wilson shot Brown in the car, which has never been disputed. How does blood in the car or on Wilson's clothes indicate in any way, shape, or form that the shots that generated that blood loss were justified? Your genius logic is now stating that a cop can shoot a person point blank for any reason, and the fact that the person's blood splatters on the officer's gun and clothing proves that lethal force was justified.

Re:Flip Argument

[bongey]

Which was started by his friend Dorian Johnson who was recorded in local media saying " I kicked the cops door" .For some reason the national news didn't play that one. Justice for Mike Brown, Dorian Johnson should be charged with manslaughter. See why Dorian Johnson might want to lie.

Re:Flip Argument

[Anonymous Coward]

And they made up the video of Brown in the store acting very abusively toward the shopkeeper?

And they made up all of the videos and photographs of blacks rioting in the aftermath of the shooting?

Right-o, bub.

Re:Flip Argument

[Rary]

It would seem that the shooting was, in fact, justified.

Which shooting was justified? The one that occurred at close range during a scuffle? Maybe yes, maybe no. But the fatal one that occurred 150 feet away from the original scuffle, after Brown had surrendered? Not a fucking chance.

Running from a police officer is not an offense worthy of public execution without trial.

Re:Flip Argument

[MightyYar]

But the fatal one that occurred 150 feet away from the original scuffle, after Brown had surrendered? Not a fucking chance.

There is a grand jury who disagrees with the version of events that you have imagined.

But you made up your mind about the officer a long time ago, so I'm wasting my time.

Re:Flip Argument

[Hamsterdan]

"and now a grand jury who had ALL the facts"

ALL the facts given by police?

Re:Flip Argument

[Bomarc]

Running from a police officer is not an offense worthy of public execution without trial.

Only problem was: The fatal shot was fired when he was running / charging in the direction of the officer. (If you bothered to listen to the forensic evidence... oh wait: you are one of those "I've already made up my mind, con't confuse me with facts.)

Re:Flip Argument

[cheezedawg]

I submit to you that you do not know what happened. Don't feel bad- very few people outside of the 12 members of the Grand Jury have heard all of known facts of the case. I certainly don't know what happened.

But please keep this in mind. Things that you accept as fact are not really facts. Case in point: your assumption that Brown had surrendered. Some of the sworn testimony that was released tonight following the prosecutor's press conference indicates that Brown had not surrendered, and in fact was charging the police officer "like a football player" with his head down and fists clenched. And at the same time, as the prosecutor detailed in his press conference, much of the early eye witness accounts that indicated that Brown had surrendered did not hold up under further scrutiny.

As I said, I don't know what happened, but I think this is enough to move the narrative that Brown had surrendered out of the "fact" category.

Re:Flip Argument

[roman_mir]

7 witnesses (black) collaborated cop's story. Brown was running at the cop, after beating him and pulling his gun, which then went off in the car. The cop did the correct thing by trying to stop the offender and as the offender charged at him, the cop fired multiple rounds, hitting Brown in the hands and torso, which didn't stop the charge and so the cop finished off the offender by firing into his head. If somebody attacked me (and I am not a cop and never will be) and tried taking my gun away and tried beating me and then charged at me from a distance, I would have shot him as well, would have emptied the entire clip and the colour is absolutely irrelevant.

Re:Flip Argument

[ArmoredDragon]

So just because the victim is a minority means they ARE wrong?

If not, what are we supposed to do, just ignore the justice system every time some people don't like the result?

Present without comments

[mwn3d]

I don't even know why comments are enabled on this one

I just don't understand

[dirk]

I'm not going to rant about how guilty Darren Wilson was. To tell the truth, I don't know if he was guilty. But I just don't understand how there wasn't enough evidence to at least take this to trial. There were multiple witnesses saying that Mike Brown had his hands up and was not attacking Darren Wilson when he was shot. This alone to me is enough to at least take it to trial and see all the evidence to try and figure out exactly what happened.

Unfortunately, all of the emphasis has been on everything except what it should have been. It doesn't matter what Mike Brown was doing before the confrontation, or if he smoked pot. It doesn't even matter what happened with the struggle at the car (whether Mike Brown dove through the window trying for the gun or Darren Wilson grabbed him and pull him in the window). The only thing that matter is what was going on when Darren Wilson shot Mike Brown. If Mike Brown was standing (or kneeling as some reports say) with his hands up and not attacking anyone, then Darren Wilson murdered Mike Brown. If Mike Brown was charging to attack Darren Wilson when he was shot, then is was a good shooting. Unfortunately, with this grand jury decision, we will never get an answer to that. I just don't understand how with the witnesses that have come forward, they couldn't find enough evidence that maybe there was wrong doing to want all the evidence to come out so we can have answers.

Re:I just don't understand

[jbolden]

There were multiple witnesses saying that Mike Brown had his hands up and was not attacking Darren Wilson when he was shot

The problem is those witnesses were discredited by the investigation. Their statements contradicted physical evidence and some admitted they had fabricated their testimony when crossed.

I just don't understand how with the witnesses that have come forward, they couldn't find enough evidence that maybe there was wrong doing to want all the evidence to come out so we can have answers.

The prosecutor is releasing all the evidence.

Re:Pathetic

[Anonymous Coward]

The prosecutor threw the case.

There is a saying that a grand jury will indite a ham sandwich. The prosecutor could easily have only presented the witness testimony that Brown had his hands up.

The prosecutor didn't do this because he didn't want an inditement. If the shooter hadn't been a cop, there would have been an inditement. This is yet another example of high vs. low justice and a good example of why this country is on the verge of falling apart.

Re:Pathetic

[Anonymous Coward]

It's ok to be a murdering thug if you wear a badge, right?

Disgusting.

I think everybody is missing the important distinction here. We're mad at what happened instead of being mad at the policies and laws that allow this kind of thing.

The grand jury didn't indict him because hes a cop. Cops are allowed to, expected to use lethal force. Cops are not required to risk themselves for members of the public. When I feel like I'm being threatened by somebody I'm required by law to try and leave, Cops are allowed to pull a gun and shoot. And to the legal system they are a part of, they see that as routine. "I shot a suspect who rushed me" is the end of the investigation for them.

We need those attitudes and policies changed by lawmakers, the problem isn't that Police are acting badly, its that they are allowed to act badly.

Re:MOD PARENT RACIST

[Anonymous Coward]

Taco, can we get a -1 RACE CARD mod on Slashdot?

Re:MOD PARENT RACIST

[x0ra]

When a white guy beats up a black guy, it's racist. When a black guy beats up a white guy, it's social justice... Your morality stinks.