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Ferguson officer testified he feared for his life in confrontation with teen

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“Dillon Taylor, 20, who is from Salt Lake, was exiting 7-Eleven with his brother and cousin, Adam Thayne, around 7 p.m. on Monday, when Salt Lake City police arrived, responding to a report of a man waving a gun in the area. The officers ordered the men to the ground. Two of them complied, but Dillon, who police say matched the suspect’s description, did not go down. ‘It came in as a 911 call that there was a man with a gun,’ said South Salt Lake Police Sgt. Darrin Sweeten. ‘He was verbally challenged and ultimately was shot.’ Sweeten did not release further details on the shooting on Tuesday.”

Now, note the similarities to the Michael Brown story, except in this case there’s no evidence that the victim actually committed a crime, as there is in St. Louis. And note the total absence of any mention of race in this story. There is absolutely no mention of race. Now, from all accounts, Dillon Taylor didn’t obey the cop’s orders because he was wearing headphones. He may not have heard the order to “get down.” He reportedly was trying to pull up his pants in order to get down on the floor.

In any case, he didn’t resist. He didn’t hit the cop. He didn’t try to flee, and yet he was shot dead. The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, but in this story there was no reference whatsoever to race.

It is all a matter of race...that is what is important. Just ask Jackson or Sharpton.

Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/bristolpalin/2014/08/unarmed-white-kid-shot-and-killed-by-black-cop-in-salt-lake-city/#ixzz3K8ilGX5F

2 ( +6 / -4 )

This Wilson is one sick individual.

Funny thing: He claims he has the store robbers in sight, but never conveys that fact to his dispatcher, even though he says he's aware that other units are looking for them. When the first units arrive on the scene later, Wilson mentions the jaywalking, and absolutely nothing about them being suspects in a robbery.

The cigars and robbery suspect are details he fills in weeks later, after he's been coached. His entire testimony reeks of coaching.

This is why a standard police report was never issued within 24 hours, as is standard police procedure. It would have omitted many of these key "details" added later.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

"Brown landed two punches to his face, Wilson testified, adding that he feared a third could have been deadly."

“I know if he reaches me, he kills me,”

Something about these statements don't ring true.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Hey guys you have to stop playing detective. Get off the race bandwagon. When a cop says put your hands up 'just do it' and sort out thew issues when things calm down. Sorry, you are not going to win against a bullet no matter how tough you think you are.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

When a cop says put your hands up 'just do it'

Said in the true spirit of the Fascists. Do as you're told and shut up....

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

Hey guys you have to stop playing detective.

Why? Because we should wait for all of the evidence to be presented and scrutinized at the trial?.... oh, that's right, there won't be a trial because there was apparently absolutely no case to answer according to the grand jury.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Said in the true spirit of the Fascists. Do as you're told and shut up....

If a cop points a gun at me and tells me to put my hands up, what do I do? I need your advice pronto.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Said in the true spirit of the Fascists. Do as you're told and shut up....

Would you suggest that pointofview rush at the policeman and try to take the cops gun instead? Common sense and news reports would indicate that is a bad idea. But hey, I do believe in Darwinism.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

If Officer Wilson testified in front of the grand jury the way he conducted himself in that TV interview, he would had been an excellent testimonial witness. Clear and to the point - no wonder the jurors would be inclined to believe him.

Too bad the prosecutor didn't challenge Wilson enough on possible areas of contention - for example, the moment in between Brown started running away and Wilson recovering from the altercation in the car (like why he didn't choose to wait for the backup he called for, or follow Brown to keep an eye on him but at a distance while waiting for backup, instead of engaging in a confrontation).

It's just strange that a prosecutor trying to convince the grand jury to believe the DA's case was not pushing his case hard. Because a grand jury is purely the prosecutor's show - there's no defense attorney present to push back. Yet Officer Wilson was hardly cross-examined.

Nevertheless, even if Officer Wilson was indicted for a court trial, looking at the released evidence and testimony documents, there's hardly any prosecuting lawyer who thinks there's a chance of a conviction. It's one thing to convince a grand jury for the low bar of probable cause to go to trial - it's another thing getting a trial jury to convict beyond a reasonable doubt. Any prosecutor would be taking a case to court because he/she thinks he/she can get a conviction beyond reasonable doubt, not merely going to trial (and wasting resources) just because there's probable cause.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This Wilson is one sick individual.

@ yabits: He sure is. Just before this incident, he had responded to an infant not breathing call (black by the way) and assisted in helping getting the baby breathing again. So much for your belief that he was just riding around the "plantaion" looking for some "shiftless person" to harass and shoot in cold blood.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

To be fair, I haven't heard anything that says to me that Wilson was overtly racist. There may have been latent racism in his fear of Brown, but the fact that Brown was huge, aggressive, and attacking Wilson is likely the primary factor in his decision to shoot Brown, not any racist feelings that he may or may not have had.

If there is any racism, it's in the system. Although in this case, I still don't think that's the case. I think that the problem is the system's blanket refusal to hold police accountable for their actions on duty - both towards white people and black people.

The problem here isn't that a white officer shot a black suspect, it's that an officer shot and killed an unarmed suspect who was shot, and trying to escape.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Across the street, Brown stopped and turned to face Wilson. Wilson said he told Brown to get on the ground. Brown did not. Backing up rapidly, Wilson fired multiple rounds of shots. “I know if he reaches me, he kills me,” Wilson testified.

.... Some info seems to be missing or Wilson was facing Brown, neither moving( I assume some distance between them) then Wilson backs up rapidly while shooting Brown

My question is, at that point WHY did he fire his gun if NOTHING was happening..............

Can anyone fill in the gaps, if there are any to be filled?

Because if not it sounds like Wilson fired when he didn't need to.........am I missing something here?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Something about these statements don't ring true.

Michael Brown punched Wilson several times in the face and tried to take his gun. How is this not a deadly confrontation to you? If he landed another punch that knocked Wilson out and had full access to his gun, you think this would be a perfectly safe situation?

Fact of the matter is, you don't threaten a police officer's life and get to walk away unharmed, nor should you. The real victim in this case is Wilson who will have to go into hiding, probably give up his career over defending himself the way he was trained to do as a police officer and public servant.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

You are too much of a pussy to shoot me

Brown was the one trying to use his race as a weapon here. He knew Wilson would hesitate to shoot him because of his race.

That is the only reason he turned back after initially trying to run away, he thought his race was an armor.

A petty criminal is still a criminal, no matter what his race is. If that petty criminal tries to attack a police officer, snatch his gun, he deserves to be shot.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Much has been said that the officer was not a small man but also 6ft and healthy. Brown still had a few inches height and weight on him. After all, if you look at the sport of boxing, a person who may be 5 or 6 pounds heavier than another person can be put into a different weight class. So, there are a lot of issues at play with this case, and the GJ got to hear all of the evidence and made their desicion based on just the facts, and not any lawyer spinning.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

This isn't about Wilson, it isn't about Brown... it is about the ongoing racism and persecution of African Americans going on in the USA.

This persecution and racism has been well documented by hundreds of well-respected academics, both in American and Internationally.

Just a few weeks ago cyber-activists uncovered KKK members in the police force, and in senior positions in the US.... and nothing was done.

The people in Ferguson have been protesting peacefully for 6 months ... and nothing was done. Oh, wait, the governor illegally declared a state of emergency just before the verdict. Yeah, not suspicious at all. No hint of government interference in this trial at all!

The bottom line here is that peaceful protests, unmasking racists and demanding justice have come to nothing. I don't approve of the violence, but African-Americans have been second-class citizens since before the United States was unified, and I think after more than 200 years of discrimination they have a legitimate issue that is not being addressed.

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

it is about the ongoing racism and persecution of African Americans going on in the USA.

It is more about people with a persecuted mentality.

Its about people who feel that they have a right to commit crime just because there was persecution in the past.

Its also about people who cannot look beyond race and are actually the real racists.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

Michael Brown was a wannabe gangster.Gentle Giant??? LMAO Watch this video: http://www.ijreview.com/2014/11/203801-ferguson-set-explode-darren-wilson-verdict-heres-true-story-michael-brown/

1 ( +4 / -3 )

@Frungy This isn't about Wilson, it isn't about Brown... it is about the ongoing racism and persecution of African Americans going on in the USA.

You hit the nail resoundly on the head. Another one bites the dust. At this rate Black males in the US will soon become extinct. They should be put on the endangered species list.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Akai-Gurley-Peter-Liang-NYPD-Pink-Houses-Shooting-Homicide-Ruling-283696031.html

@John Constantine Dillon Taylor, was of mixed race. Hispanic and white. He was referred to as being white. The headlines I've read said, 'White man killed by non-white cop. The cop is not black, but is of mixed ethnicity just like Taylor. Don't know why you are spreading propaganda.

He drew his gun, which Brown had grabbed and twisted until it dug into Wilson’s hip, Wilson testified. “I said: ‘Get back or I’m going to shoot you,’” Wilson recalled saying.

Hulk had the gun pressed into the 6' 4 midget cop's hip and the cop never got shot. This cop who had a gun pressed into his hip told the youth to step back or he would shoot him?

Dead man tells no tale.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

-5 Good Bad

ulyssesNov. 26, 2014 - 04:05PM JST

it is about the ongoing racism and persecution of African Americans going on in the USA.

It is more about people with a persecuted mentality.

If you are legitimately persecuted then it is only natural and reasonable to feel persecuted.

Its about people who feel that they have a right to commit crime just because there was persecution in the past.

Two points here.

First, the persecution is ongoing. Numerous academic studies documenting police beatings, unlawful arrests, racial profiling, etc, of African Americans in the USA have been published as recently as this year.

Second, police officers in the USA commit crimes by beating and wrongfully arresting African Americans on a daily basis and nobody says a word. When the law is a already so thoroughly broken it becomes irrelevant.

Its also about people who cannot look beyond race and are actually the real racists.

People who deny the mass of international research testifying to ongoing racism in the USA are the real racists.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

If you are legitimately persecuted then it is only natural and reasonable to feel persecuted.

Wow, you introduce a new term here, legitimate , if a criminal commits a crime and he gets persecuted, is that illegitimate just because he is from a minority.

First, the persecution is ongoing.

Are blacks the only group feeling persecuted? Aren't there other minorities out there who probably feel the same but dont go about protesting each time a criminal from their group is killed. Academic studies are the view points of an academics who crunch up few facts and statistics, extrapolate them and fool the uneducated. If you started examining all the studies you would be surprised at what you would find.

nobody says a word.

So you mean people screaming themselves hoarse are actually not saying anything because they are screaming. You mean to say the animals burning down stores, some belonging to innocent minorities(blacks, latinos, koreans etc) are not really saying anything. The trouble is the exact opposite, people are saying a lot based on little fact.

Police is accused of being high handed everywhere, not only in the US. But US is the one of the few places(UK, France also come to mind) where killing an obviously dangerous criminal is considered a crime.

People who deny the mass of international research testifying to ongoing racism in the USA are the real racists.

So which other countries have published research about racism in the US, care to quote or are you just playing with words for sensational effect.

As I said before people who add a colour to every event are the real racists. I may get thumb downs from the clueless criminal apologists, but hey I am not running for office, am I?

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Frungy: This isn't about Wilson, it isn't about Brown... it is about the ongoing racism and persecution of African Americans going on in the USA.

And herein lies the problem. People want to look beyond the facts and prosecute Wilson based on historic racism. If you want to have a conversation about racism, then have it. Just don't do it as a way to judge a specific man's innocence or guilt in a very specific situation. If you want to look at history then we are all guilty no matter who we are, even if you support Brown. Any of us could find ourselves in a situation and be convicted due to history.

It's the same with sexism. A man gets accused of sexual harassment or assault. The process starts. The feminist leaders get involved. Articles pop up about assault against women. More articles pop up talking about men who aren't prosecuted. If the man is found innocent, then those who support him are painted as sexist men who are callous to women. The case in question gets swept under the carpet.

Brown isn't an example of racism. He was a thug who robbed a store and attacked a cop. Maybe someone else would have been in his sights if the cop hadn't stopped him. I feel duped by the sympathy I had for him before I read the testimony. I fought hard to defend Trayvon Martin who I believe was murdered in cold blood. Brown is not Martin. Brown is a piece of s***.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

People want to look beyond the facts

You could not argue the facts of this case if your life depended on it. You have no idea what the facts are.

Then there is the fact of the process known as the grand jury proceedings, which is different from the events on the street. It was manipulated to a foregone conclusion from the very start by the D.A., and that's a fact.

If you want to look at history then we are all guilty no matter who we are, even if you support Brown.

I have no particular affection for Brown. I have a keen interest and passion for trying to uncover the truth and achieving justice. I find liars and dupes disgusting in matters like this. I have witnessed posters here wanting to decry Dorian Johnson as a liar, when the store video tape clearly shows him putting cigars back on the counter and taking nothing -- not the move of a dishonest person. (Why are some people so willing to overlook that act -- which tells us something about his character? He had a clear opportunity to steal, and he didn't.)

I feel duped by the sympathy I had for him before I read the testimony.

If you're not feeling duped by Wilson's testimony, prepare to be duped yet again.

He was a thug who robbed a store

Hold on. Evidence that Brown robbed a store was out there right from the beginning. How did you dupe yourself into feeling sympathy for him after watching his actions at the store?

The people I feel sympathy for are his family and all those who witnessed this tragic event. For those who are burning with the awareness that Wilson is a complete liar, and that the Brown family had no advocate for their case in demonstrating the lies told by Wilson, and the lies told all along by a corrupt police department, I also have sympathy.

Remember the "friend" of Wilson who told the media about the "shattered eye socket?" A lot of mileage on that lie. Wilson fed right into it, "fearing that a third strike might be fatal." He's George Zimmerman all over again. They both drew on the same coaching. And now we've got posters claiming that Brown's blood was found 25 yards past his body. (The actual distance: between 20~23 feet..)

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Quite frankly, I have to side with the people that call Bull on this story. He might have gotten enough of the grand jury to not indict him but Wilson shouldn't have pushed his luck. I mean "I felt like a 5 year old holding onto Hulk Hogan"?

I don't know about you. But if I really feel I'm a 5 year old and the other guy is Hulk Hogan, I would have called for backup before confronting him.

As they point out, the idea that a guy that had just stolen would challenge a cop strains credibility. He holds his ground in the face of a gun, then decides to run, then decides to charge back? Uh ... really.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I don't know about you. But if I really feel I'm a 5 year old and the other guy is Hulk Hogan, I would have called for backup before confronting him.

If I ever felt I could conceivably compare myself to a 5-year-old going out among the Hulk Hogans of the world, I wouldn't choose policing them as my line of work.

Brown "the destroyer" strikes me from his photos to be more like the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man. He's overweight, and it ain't muscle. Seriously, look at Wilson's face. You have to look really hard to see anything. Rest assured, if any bruises set in over time, there'd have been photos to show that.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

ulyssesNov. 26, 2014 - 07:15PM JST

If you are legitimately persecuted then it is only natural and reasonable to feel persecuted.

Wow, you introduce a new term here, legitimate , if a criminal commits a crime and he gets persecuted, is that illegitimate just because he is from a minority.

Do the cops routinely assault African Americans on a daily basis and illegally racially profile them in the ghetto areas? There are hundreds of books, videos, and academic papers testifying to this ongoing discrimination. It is undeniable and illegal.

But you expect African Americans to stand by and obey the laws while the police break them on a daily basis? ... I'm sure that next you'll be arguing that during Apartheid the black people in South Africa shouldn't have broken the law by staging protests? Oh, wait, the USA was completely behind the ANC, including when the ANC blew up bars and planted bombs in schools. But when it happens in your back yard suddenly you expect black people in the USA to be all polite and law abiding and just take it.

Hypocrite.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Do the cops routinely assault African Americans on a daily basis and illegally racially profile them in the ghetto areas?

@ Frungy: What "ghetto areas" ahve you actually lived in? Also, are you Black? Well, I am and I have lived in some of the"urban" areas and let me point out a few things.

Yes some cops do profile, and the reason why is that if you have an area made up of predominately one race the bad people there are normally the ones that they stop. The communities relations to the cops does depend on how closely they work with the cops. If you have cases like rappers and others feeding the belief of "stop snitchin" and not telling the cops who are doing the crimes, then sad to say when they see young men in the middle of the day when they should be in school just hanging out, then something is probably amiss. Also, I have seen that if you see whites in certain areas that are predominately minority, they tend to get pulled over because they are either looking for drugs, or women (street walkers).

The problem in many of these commuities is not the police but Black on Black crime. More Black males are killed by other Black males in one month than all of the cop shootings that occur in a year. Look at the murder rate of Chicago and tell me I am wrong.

I know the mentality of some of these killer types, have a few in my family. Ready to blame the cops on what they did wrong, yet tend to overlook the fact that they were in custody for something that they did. I have a nephew in state prison with that same mentality. He believes that the charges against him are wrong and that the police set him up, but he seems to forget he was along with his "crew" when they chose to beat an innocent old man up, and his so called "homies" were smart enough to take a plea deal.

So spare me the "man is out to get the Black man" drivel, I have lived too long in the real world to realize that's not the main reason for these types of incidents.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Do the cops routinely assault African Americans on a daily basis and illegally racially profile them in the ghetto areas?

You cannot reason with racists,. who, by definition, are as stupid as they are deaf and blind. No white parent has to talk to their kids the way black parents do regarding public conduct. For example, as Jonathan Capehart writes: "How I should not run in public, lest I attract suspicion." Whites will cite the crimes committed by African Americans as the reason all of them must suffer the things that Capehart and millions of other young black men have to.

But this is not the real racism of th3 case of Brown vs. Wilson. It's a tragedy for the people of Ferguson that an arrogant, intimidating, petty thief and jaywalker crossed paths with a dishonest, cowardly and stupid cop. One with no common sense or conscience whatsoever -- who became like a "five-year-old" when faced with a tough situation that his own stupidity put him into.

The real racism comes in a system that is designed to protect dishonest, cowardly, stupid cops from the consequences of their actions, including murder. It centers around the two people who could have made all the difference in this: The D.A. and the Governor of the state.

While the legal system treats every accused person (or suspect) as innocent, the fundamental role of a prosecutor or DA is to treat every suspect as guilty of something and try to make the best possible case against them that they can. This is what DA's do every day -- even when they might carry a personal sense that the person accused might be innocent. When members of the community carry a strong sense that a wrong has been done, the DA has to be their advocate.

I used to work as a member of a professional organization that assists law enforcement on cases and techniques relating to digital forensics. I had to end my membership because the organization saw itself only as serving the prosecution and not the defense. (My belief is that digital evidence gathering should be neutral, and that anything that seems incriminating has to be carefully considered.) In the work, we were driven only to look for incriminating evidence and disregard anything that might let the suspect off the hook. So my views have been formed by this experience.

A unarmed kid lying 150 or more feet from a police vehicle -- shot dead over an initial stop for jaywalking -- should have stunk to high heaven. There would have been nothing preventing the DA from doing what he does with every other suspect: treating him and his story with suspicion. He was unwilling to do his job, and the governor was utterly derelict not to replace him with a special prosecutor. Someone who would actually play the role of a prosecutor.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

What many Americans don't understand is why blacks and white liberal democrats can fail entirely to admit and address the actual CAUSES of the problems blacks face in the U.S.

Of course there are fewer jobs in black communities. For starters, it should be common sense that a business owner would not locate a business in a place like Ferguson knowing that what we've seen on television for two days is far more likely than in a white neighborhood. There is invariably higher crime in communities with higher concentrations of black people - that's just a fact. There is a disdain for education and "acting white" among far too many black people in America. But the reason most responsible for black poverty and despair is the breakdown of the family at an accelerated rate compared to whites. You can't have an out-of-wedlock birth rate of 75% and raise kids to be totally dependent on welfare and expect good results.

What I don't understand is how more blacks have not come to realize that the only way these problems will ever improve is if they fix them from within and stop blaming Whitey for everything. Whites don't make blacks have kids out of wedlock. Whites don't make blacks fail to do well in school or value education. Whites don't make blacks destroy businesses in their communities when something like Ferguson happens.

Unless and until blacks and white liberals can be honest and admit that Michael Brown had a criminal record as a juvenile, came from a broken home, had a role model stepfather whose disgusting behavior was seen by all on the podium inciting riots and burning down the businesses of innocent, hardworking people with his pants falling off of his behind. Michael Brown chose to rob a store that day and then walk in the middle of the street, even when asked to move to the sidewalk by law enforcement. He then chose to assault a police officer. Michael Brown's choices were 100% responsible for Michael Brown's death that day..

The story of Michael Brown was not about racial profiling or race at all from the police perspective. I have no doubt that if a 6'5" 278-pound white person had attacked Wilson that day as Brown did, he'd be dead too. The only difference is, we'd have never heard a word about it. The story of Michael Brown is about a young man raised in the exact same environment as many young black males who chose the path taken by most black males - which is a path of failure.

When blacks and white liberals can be honest about the fact that less than 2% of the population (young black males aged 16-24) commit more than half the nation's murders, and that it's not profiling nor stereotyping that is the problem - but rather the FACT that white citizens and police alike would be ignorant to not have higher suspicions of young black males than elderly white women, then and only then might the light bulb go off and necessary change happen..

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@lucabrasiNOV. 26, 2014 - 01:20PM JST When a cop says put your hands up 'just do it'

Said in the true spirit of the Fascists. Do as you're told and shut up....

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Ex[lain your definition of fascists. Japan was in fascisom but xops did not have guns. They has Konbohs/ Maybe in Geramny ir Italy?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@ Shanique Smith, You missed the point.........I merely pointed out the similarities and the differences. Point being it apparently only matters it the Cop is White and the deceased is black. Other wise said other story would be all over the media.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

All accounts agree that Brown ran and then turned back 20 feet, but to attack or surrender? He was running for his life and just got shot and turned around and didn't try to reach for anything, but was shot multiple times again. Wilson approached Brown because he was walking down the middle of the street, blocking traffic. Where was a traffic? The officer tells the young men abusively to get on the sidewalk out of the street. They refused to and were yelling back, saying we're almost where we're going and there was some cussing involved. At that time, Wilson should've tried to diffuse the situation rather than becoming a aggressor. What did officer Wilson do next, drives away but then puts the car in reverse in a aggressive manner and backs up rapidly. The car slants, almost hitting Johnson and Brown. Why was Wilson's Chevy Tahoe so close, almost inches away, that when Wilson tried to open his door aggressively, the door ricocheted both off Johnson and Wison's body and closed back on the officer? Is this a proper police procedure in Ferguson in a situation that is already confrontational? Wilson wanted a confrontation for shop lifting and appears to be the instigator. Wilson handle the situation that resulted in a physical confrontation. Sure, Brown allegedly physically assaults the police officer and there is a struggle over the officer's gun. Wilson and Brown were tussling through the window. But remember, who is the real instigator?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Public attention to this killing has frequently focused on the fact that Brown was unarmed. But whether or not Brown had a weapon makes little difference under Missouri law. State law says officers can act with deadly force when they believe it is necessary to arrest a person who has committed a felony or who may "endanger life or inflict serious physical injury."

The jurors asked about this deadly force standard Friday shortly before they began deliberating. One asked whether a person's hands could be considered a weapon, and was told yes....end paste.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Is this a proper police procedure in Ferguson in a situation that is already confrontational?

Only if the police want to escalate it -- which they did. Which he did.

Keep in mind Wilson testifies later that he thinks these two are the robbery suspects and he never even turns on his flashers. He's a total liar.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

But you expect African Americans to stand by and obey the laws while the police break them on a daily basis? .

It is general, irresponsible statements like these which show the intellectual bankruptcy of your arguments. If there is more crime in a particular segment of the society then that segment will surely be targeted more.

Do you want the police to have search quota's? It might lead to situations like 'We've already searched 50 blacks today, so even though we know that the next one is a murderer we cannot touch him, lets go search whites'

I'm sure that next you'll be arguing that during Apartheid the black people in South Africa shouldn't have broken the law by staging protests?

Wow, this level of argument has not been seen on this forum for a long time, but go on.

But when it happens in your back yard suddenly you expect black people in the USA to be all polite and law abiding and just take it.

Take what??? A punishment for a crime?Do you expect America to declare general amnesty for all blacks?

A hypocrite is somebody who at least knows what he is arguing about and ignores what is not convenient to him.

But you cannot call clueless anything other than clueless!!!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Ok I have now seen Wilsons tv interview.............

The way he said it went down should be backed up by evidence at the scene, I am not privy to that evidence but assuming it was gathered and analyzed it should prove or disprove what Wilson said happened.

Even after hearing it from Wilsons mouth I some serious doubts about his version, I want to believe him BUT we have all seen cops lie, obfuscate etc.........

My gut says both Wilson & Brown made mistakes that led to all this but Wilson likely made more that determined the outcome........... for me it just seems Wilson COULD have handled this better & SHOULD have been able to handle this while waiting for back up & likely never having to even consider reaching for his gun, I mean WTF he was checking potential suspects for stealing from a combini NOT looking for someone who just shot or knifed some one.

With the limited & biased info out there I say Wilson screwed up, Brown was clearly no angel not by a long shot BUT there was no need for this kid to have been shot imo.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I want to believe him BUT we have all seen cops lie, obfuscate etc.........

So just because you have seen cops lie, you dont want to believe Wilson.

Brilliant!!!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

What gets me is that if Wilson hadn't been in possession of a gun, Brown would still be alive. British cops don't have guns, and faced with a similar situation they would use their fists or their truncheons. Nobody has to die.

It seems to be a perfectly workable system... Surely it's not beyond the wit of America to re-think the way its police officers operate.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Ulysses,

His story seems too well coached, this whole has dragged out too long(not saying that's Wilsons fault), his side should have been out there much earlier in order to be more credible

And as I said even with his story I still think Wilson screwed up, I mean he had already shot Brown, Brown was fleeing, at that point Wilson should have waited for backup, sure he didn't HAVE to but he should have!

Both were clearly at fault in this BUT is was decisions that Wilson made that resulted in death, if Wilson had done this differently than Brown would be alive, its not rocket science

Right now Brown should be awaiting trial for stealing & assaulting a police officer not dead.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

if Wilson had done this differently than Brown would be alive,

If Brown had not tried to snatch Wilson's gun, run away and then again turn back to attack Brown, he would have been alive.

If Brown had stuck to being a petty criminal, robbing stores, beating up store clerks, he would still have been alive.

But he believed that his colour made him invincible and tried to take matters too far and paid for it with his life.

If the police allow themselves to be beaten up by every small time thug then you will have anarchy on the streets. There is nothing wrong in Wilson's actions, the Grand Jury, the Police Force and FBI(which also interviewed him) believed it.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Looking in from the outside, it seems to me that a lot of people make up their mind simply based the race of the victim/shooter, and then twist reality to match their point of view. I find that quite sad.

I also have the feeling (as others have pointed out) that the American press has a tendence to identify people by race if the victim is black and shooter is white, but omit any mention of race in the reverse case. Is that really standard operating procedure? If so, whiy is that accepted? It seems like obvious bias.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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