Obama and The Missouri Situation
Offline After two nights of unrest and turmoil, The President is urging people to calm down. Sharpton is calling for peace.
Controversy begans over whether the guy was truly armed when shot to death or whether he had his hands raised.
I am a bit unfamiliar with all of the details up to now :
www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28764278
US President Barack Obama has appealed for calm in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting of a black teenager by police sparked two nights of violence.
He described the death on Saturday of Michael Brown as heartbreaking and added: "Remember this young man through reflection and understanding."
In two nights of unrest in the St Louis suburb, dozens were arrested, shops looted and tear gas fired by police.
On Tuesday night, anger had turned to reflection at a community forum.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon told a packed crowd at Christ the King United Church of Christ that the shooting felt "like an old wound torn fresh".
Ferguson's mayor and police chief also attended the meeting and were greeted with applause.
Earlier, the Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist, appealed for peace.
"To become violent in Michael Brown's name is to betray the gentle giant he was," he said, flanked by Mr Brown's parents.
He said no-one had the right to take Michael Brown's name and "drag it through the mud".
Police say Brown was shot several times after a struggle in a police car, but witnesses have said the unarmed Brown was shot when he had his arms raised.
Speaking after around 50 demonstrators marched on the police headquarters, Mr Sharpton joined others in demanding police reveal the name of the officer who shot and killed Mr Brown.
"The local authorities have put themselves in a position, hiding names, not being transparent, where people will not trust anything but an objective investigation," Mr Sharpton said.
Police say death threats on social media have prevented them naming the officer, who has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Protests during the day on Tuesday were peaceful if tense, but they came after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a large crowd in Ferguson the night before.
Police said the crowd threw rocks at officers and there was gunfire coming from the crowd.
Thirty-two people were arrested on Sunday night after people looted shops, vandalised cars and stores, and set a building alight.
The FBI is investigating the shooting and US Attorney General Eric Holder said the case deserved a "fulsome review".
The justice department has also sent its community relations team to the area.
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
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Any time Al Sharpton is involved with a situation I want to vomit.
Obama's an idiot. People have every right to get pissed off when cops shoot and kill unarmed kids. American cops are far too gun happy these days. It's like the police forces have been infiltrated by COD & GTA addicts. A few riots are well justified, though they should be rioting at police and government buildings instead of commercial and residential ones.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Um no, he's trying to prevent an all out riot. The county itself and law inforforcement are the ones trying to cover things up. The feds are involved.
Now, more people both the middle class and working poor are economically unstabel because wages are not keeping up with the cost of living. Secondly add to that the NRA and Manufacture's flooding our market with guns, suburban rual or city, the cops want to be armed themselves because they are traind to assume the worst every day. Maybe that would not be if society were not armed to the teeth itself and maybe if more people could pay their bills.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
And he's an idiot for doing so. The president has no authority to do anything at the local police level, and the US could use some widespread riots. It seems every other week some unarmed (thus negating your argument about guns in general) person or another gets shot to death by the very people charged to protect them. It's fucking ridiculous. Riots and protests are exactly what needs to happen. Democracy at its finest.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
I agree, but I find law enforcement overly nervous. I have a neighbor who is a sheriff and he is so wound up that he'd explode if you pinched him. He works a high crime area west of where I live; recently one of his rookies was shot to death by a drug dealer.
Damn Chinese! I blame them for all of the violence in the world.
I do not see how this makes Obama an idiot. Again, this has been a long term issue. Lack of economic stability and a paraniod police force. Shit like this has happened long before Obama.
If there were livable wages, and less guns floatinging around, you would not have to have the police armed to the teeth and trained to fear the worst.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
He's an idiot for focusing on an issue he has no control over instead of attempting to tackle the source of the problem. Granted, it's unlikely he could change anything there either, but he could at least get the ball rolling. Getting involved in a police issue only politicises it further. And telling people to be calm that an outrageous event occured is stupid. When something outrageous happens, people SHOULD be outraged. Displays of such outrage can actually encourage change. Passive acceptance of outrageous events is only likely to make such events more frequent. It's like the government is telling people "it's ok a kid was killed, everything's under control. We'll take care of it don't worry.". It's like 1984 coming to life.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
I agree, and I could easily side with them if they were focussing on the right targets. Our police forces have become authoritarian in many places, and St. Louis is especially bad in the area of police abuse. But WTF, burning down a gas station? Go burn down the courthouse or police station or jail. But given the poor state of our education system and the constant portrayal of corporations in media, I think these people might actually believe they are striking out against "the man". Then again, many of them might just be thugs taking advantage of the situation to get their freebies.
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X
Telling people to be outraged is a poor choice of words. I'd say appalled because you want to not provoke anger which can lead to violence.
LA riots.
Gun sales have gone up in St. Louis pursuant to the looting; apparently private individuals are opting to arm themselves to the teeth, rather than rely on the police.
The economic depression perpetrated by the looters will likely be blamed on "the man" in time.
There are no theists on operating tables.