Because it has been brought up, and because it is a terrible and important event taking place right now, I feel moved to voice my strong and unconditional support for the people of Ferguson, MO, in their struggle against a tyrannical police force that is even now violating countless foundational principles relating to our way of life. An unarmed teenager was shot in the head and chest multiple times by an officer whose name has not been released- which is first and foremost a huge problem. The public has a right to know these things. People who claim that we dont know the whole situation are missing the most important point- an unarmed teen is dead with multiple gunshots to his chest and head. Beyond that, we need know nothing. There was a failure here on the part of law enforcement, and not the sort of failure that people can or should ever sit down and accept. Beyond even that, media suppression has taken place in Ferguson. Live feeds are not allowed, and three networks attempting to set them up have been forcibly prevented. Journalists have been arrested. A no fly zone has been put up over the area, which is unthinkable. Four days of riots have taken place, resulting in a lot of property damage, but we get little or no coverage of it. Police- in extreme military apparel, and with military-grade hardware, have sealed off areas of the city. They have fired rubber bullets and tear gas on protestors who were standing perfectly still, violating no laws, exercising their right to peaceably assemble in public. The slain young mans body was left for hours in the middle of the street. No ambulance came immediately; for hours he lay there, in his own blood. He was not alone when he was shot; he had a friend with him, whose eyewitness testimony is nothing short of harrowing. The FBI has taken over the handling of this investigation, and President Obamas speech was rather lackluster considering the situation. The only way a situation like this will lead to any good outcome is if these people in Ferguson refuse, flatly refuse, to just go away and act peaceable. The only way the needed attention will be brought to bear on this complex crime is if more buildings burn down, more riots break out, and more national resources are required to contain the situation. To go quiet and peacefully like everyone is urging these people to will only aid those responsible for these crimes in their mop-up job. Their community was savagely attacked, and a teenage boy murdered. They have a natural right to seek meaningful redress, and meaningful redress is the last thing the police department, or any government body will want to give them unless they have no other choice. And the more negative media attention that gathers around this situation, the better for the wronged parties. The simple act of media suppression has already opened a wider door of scrutiny than any of the responsible parties ever would have wanted. This is not something that will just go away. The people of Ferguson have a right to know the name and address of the man who did this to the slain young man. Transparency isnt just a good idea; it is the way these things must be. They have a right to see the murderer put on trial for murder or manslaughter. Whatever the outcome of that, he must never hold a position of any sort of authority again, nor be allowed to own a firearm. They have a right to see the men responsible for giving unlawful orders to disperse peaceful protestors likewise charged with crimes. The police chief of Ferguson _must_ step down, never to hold a position of authority again. The family of the slain man is entitled to considerable compensation from the police department- and I do mean considerable. The policemen charged with police power over Ferguson are 53 in number, but 50 are white- while Ferguson is a two-thirds African American community. The police department _must_ be compelled to repair this disparity, and retrain all their officers on use of force. They must understand that a thin blue line will not protect them from unlawful and criminal use of force. Police agencies- especially absurdly militarized ones like in Ferguson- will _never_ behave according to basic standards of law and justice until they realize that their violations will result in riots and in this kind of incident hitting the media. This is what it takes. jezebel/ferguson-disgrace-police-fire-on-unarmed-crowds-attac-1621352164
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 18:59:06 +0000
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