Ferguson; Where We Are Now
August 18, 2014 11:11 PM   Subscribe

A continuation of the Don't Shoot Me thread. Links found by other Mefi members: The protests over the shooting of Mike Brown can be watched via VICE News live feed here. Brown's family commissioned an autopsy, the partial results of which are discussed here, and assistant's discussion of the results here. A map of the protest area can be found via this article. Here is a direct link to the map. KSDK news has reported that the National Guard has arrived and is currently stationed near the command center, not near the protesters.
posted by Shouraku (20 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Asking Phire to post the more in-depth version! -- taz



 
The previous thread was crashing the server, so mathowie requested that a new thread be made.
posted by Shouraku at 11:16 PM on August 18, 2014




Thanks for this, Shouraku
posted by triggerfinger at 11:19 PM on August 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


Live audio feed right now, people are being tear-gassed. They say the police are "speeding by and throwing six or seven cans of tear gas" into any crowd they see.
posted by cmyk at 11:19 PM on August 18, 2014


In case anyone missed it, John Oliver did an excellent piece last night on Ferguson, MO and Police Militarization.
posted by homunculus at 11:19 PM on August 18, 2014 [2 favorites]


(NB: MeFites active in MeFi Chat discussing this as well)
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 11:20 PM on August 18, 2014


Beat me to it. Here's the FPP I was writing - I tried to cover the substantive points, but it's late and I'm tired and there's just been so damn much.

We are now entering day 10 of protests in Ferguson, MO, protesting the murder of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by local law enforcement officer Darren Wilson on August 9th.

On August 15th, the Ferguson PD revealed the name of the officer who shot Michael Brown as Darren Wilson after much delay and demand, and released a surveillance video of someone they allege is Michael Brown involved in an altercation with a store clerk. The police initially claimed that this robbery to be the reason for the initial contact between police and Michael Brown. The Ferguson chief of police has since confirmed that Darren Wilson had no knowledge of the robbery prior to approaching Michael Brown, and later amended his statement to say that Wilson stopped Brown for blocking traffic. A lawyer representing the Ferguson market portrayed in the video has stated that the owner did not call the police. This video was released alongside a 16-page incident report of the robbery, against the advisement of the Department of Justice that it would incite further violence. The press conference also revealed that Darren Wilson had left the area 'days ago'.

An initial autopsy conducted of Michael Brown's body showed no sign of struggle, and six bullet wounds. Michael Brown's family has commissioned a second autopsy, citing a desire for independence and objectivity from the Ferguson police, and the Department of Justice will be conducting a third autopsy.

Amnesty International has sent in observers, marking the first time the human rights organization has deployed a team in the United States.

Part of the excessive militarization of the police is being attributed to military supply donations to the local police, which must be used within a year or else forfeit. "When more police departments get SWAT teams, they conduct more SWAT raids."

John Oliver has delivered a scathing take on the situation in Ferguson on his HBO show, Last Week Tonight. (Fanfare thread.)

Governor Jay Nixon declared Ferguson an emergency state on Sunday, August 17th, and called for a curfew of 12 AM - 5 AM. However, police crackdown on Sunday began well before curfew, firing off tear gas and blaring LRAD at the protestors. (Tear gas, incidentally, is banned in international warfare under the Geneva convention.)

Barack Obama met with the Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the situation, and gave a televised address to the nation on August 18th, confirming that Holder will be traveling to Missouri. Ezra Klein makes an argument for why a strong show of passion from the President would only make things worse. The National Guard was deployed to Ferguson, but have largely been employed guarding the "command post" rather than engaging with protestors.

Meanwhile, protests have continued nightly, with escalating tension and use of force. Police have become increasingly hostile towards the media and even Amnesty International. Several journalists have been detained and subsequently released, including Getty photographer Scott Olson, who has been steadfastly documenting the events in Ferguson.

Other resources: posted by Phire at 11:20 PM on August 18, 2014 [39 favorites]


Wow, nice job phire.

My main question still though, is what ever happened with the guy who got shot last night? That one just never popped up agian.
posted by emptythought at 11:23 PM on August 18, 2014


Many of us don't use Chat so thanks for the new post!
posted by futz at 11:24 PM on August 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


The last ten days in Ferguson, Missouri have seen teenager Michael Brown killed by police, a peaceful protest met with dogs, a heavy handed crackdown, reporters arrested, some semblance of order restored, a return to chaos, a state of emergency declared and curfew imposed, the FBI canvassing the neighborhood, the activation of the National Guard, and more reporters threatened and arrested. Yet in all that's followed, one inevitable fact remains: 18-year-old Michael Brown is dead, and his parents must live through that.


P.S. That was going to be my attempt. I think Shouraku's post is better because… I'm unable to write an unbiased post on this subject. Thanks for posting it, Shouraku.

My only criticism is that it needs a "MichaelBrown" tag, and I would add "JusticeForMikeBrown" but like I said, I'm biased.
posted by ob1quixote at 11:25 PM on August 18, 2014 [4 favorites]


I was more just trying to make a neutral post with basic information that didn't promote my opinion. I didn't think to put in a summery.
posted by Shouraku at 11:25 PM on August 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


here is one of probably many twitter feeds
posted by robbyrobs at 11:26 PM on August 18, 2014


Here's a pretty comprehensive collection of all the places you can donate to, petitions you can sign, upcoming protests, etc.
posted by triggerfinger at 11:26 PM on August 18, 2014


Any pictures of any molotovs, weapons in the crowd, people shot other than by police yet?
posted by Artw at 11:29 PM on August 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


What's with the Getty reporter being arrested? Insane.
posted by Nevin at 11:30 PM on August 18, 2014


I believe that technically when they let you go so there isn't a record it's called being "detained".
posted by Artw at 11:31 PM on August 18, 2014




Artw: not a single one, no. Echoes of WMD.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 11:33 PM on August 18, 2014


Oh, shoot, I totally meant to include this but forgot:

There has been an official petition on WhiteHouse.Gov to enact a Mike Brown law, requiring all state, county, and local police to wear a camera at all times. The petition has over 119K signatures so far, which means it will receive an official response from the white house. Rialto County in California outfitted its officers with Bodycams in 2012; complaints against the police department fell by 88 percent and use of force fell by 59 percent in just one year.
posted by Phire at 11:33 PM on August 18, 2014


Mod note: Hey guys, going with Shouraku's suggestion we are going to go ahead and close this and ask phire to make her post, since it's less of a "continue here" thing and a really good summation of where things stand now. Sorry for the trouble, please repost in new thread when it's posted!!! Update: new post here.
posted by taz (staff) at 11:34 PM on August 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


« Older Spidey Spidey Awesome: The World of Disneycartoys   |   Don Pardo, 1918-2014 Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments