Michael Brown & Ferguson, MO

[In the Corn]

Surprised I could find a thread about this.

With the decision by the Grand Jury not to indict, I think everyone anticipated some protests and riots. The protests certainly make sense, as we have the right and need to share our displeasure with something we feel is unjust. The rioting and looting only makes matters worse.

As I have read some of the reports about the decision, I was taken a back by this one comment this morning by Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, D-Ohio, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

"The decision is slap in the face to Americans nationwide who continue to hope and believe that justice will prevail."

"This decision seems to underscore an unwritten rule that black lives hold no value; that you may kill black men in this country without consequences or repercussions.

I find it disheartening that a leader in our country would come and speak out against the legal system that is in place to bring about blind justice. The only people who know everything and the thoughts of the Grand Jury are the 12 people on that jury.

Do we have race issue in America...without a doubt, but this comment seems to stoke a misguided view, IMO.

[The Feral Slasher]

Surprised I could find a thread about this.

With the decision by the Grand Jury not to indict, I think everyone anticipated some protests and riots. The protests certainly make sense, as we have the right and need to share our displeasure with something we feel is unjust. The rioting and looting only makes matters worse.

As I have read some of the reports about the decision, I was taken a back by this one comment this morning by Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, D-Ohio, chaithe Congressional Black Caucus.



I find it disheartening that a leader in our country would come and speak out against the legal system that is in place to bring about blind justice. The only people who know everything and the thoughts of the Grand Jury are the 12 people on that jury.

Do we have race issue in America...without a doubt, but this comment seems to stoke a misguided view, IMO.

I find it disheartening that so many leaders ignore or support what is obviously an unequal system of "justice"

[nots]

Getting an indictment really isn't that difficult. There simply must not have been any credible evidence presented.
Much different than the Trayvon Martin situation, where there obviously was enough presented that a trial was warranted.

[In the Corn]

eld, serious question. Why the harshness on blind justice? I'm just thinking of the whole idea of justice in America is suppose to be blind, so no one is more or less important.

[DMT]

eld, serious question. Why the harshness on blind justice? I'm just thinking of the whole idea of justice in America is suppose to be blind, so no one is more or less important.

Do you honestly believe that our justice system is blind?

[Erik]

I'm just thinking of the whole idea of justice in America is suppose to be blind, so no one is more or less important.

That's not how it works in reality. Especially for minorities, but often for non-rich white people as well.

[Moonlight J]

We have an undarmed citizen that was fired at 12 times half a football field away and killed. And we have hundreds of thousands of Americans that are fine with this, and it isn't difficult to see why.

This isn't...well, this is America

[nots]

We have an undarmed citizen that was fired at 12 times half a football field away and killed. And we have hundreds of thousands of Americans that are fine with this, and it isn't difficult to see why.

This isn't...well, this is America

Don't let the lack of a grand jury indictment get in the way of your own narrative.

[onejayhawk]

I find it disheartening that so many leaders ignore or support what is obviously an unequal system of "justice"

Why "obviously unequal"? Should this have been shut down before the Grand Jury? That would ahve been unjust in my opinion.

Don't let the lack of a grand jury indictment get in the way of your own narrative.

No facts please.

I'm in Constitutional Rights class right now, as coincidence would have it, so my answer will have to wait a bit. Suffice to say that "supposed to" and "is" are very, very different.

They are only cousins and don't talk much.

J

[The Feral Slasher]

Don't let the lack of a grand jury indictment get in the way of your own narrative.

Well, if his narrative is that a grand jury might be biased in favor of police and against blacks, then the lack of grand jury indictment really doesn't counter his argument does it ? My statements earlier in the thread didn't necessarily apply to this case, but it seems obvious to me that police frequently get away with crimes of violence. Do you disagree with that assessment ?

[nots]

Well, if his narrative is that a grand jury might be biased in favor of police and against blacks, then the lack of grand jury indictment really doesn't counter his argument does it ? My statements earlier in the thread didn't necessarily apply to this case, but it seems obvious to me that police frequently get away with crimes of violence. Do you disagree with that assessment ?

I do in case this for sure.
this isn't Rodney King or even the upcoming case in Staten Island--this is a Tawana Brawley situation ginned up by the folks that need racial strife to make their living (looking at you Reverend Sharpton) and the anti-police folks.
I expect to see an indictment in Staten Island where the facts (and video) are far more damning to the officers involved. That should be the case for discussions about police brutality and marches for justice--not this one.
But narratives gonna narrate I guess.

[The Feral Slasher]

I do in case this for sure.
this isn't Rodney King or even the upcoming case in Staten Island--this is a Tawana Brawley situation ginned up by the folks that need racial strife to make their living (looking at you Reverend Sharpton) and the anti-police folks.
I expect to see an indictment in Staten Island where the facts (and video) are far more damning to the officers involved. That should be the case for discussions about police brutality and marches for justice--not this one.
But narratives gonna narrate I guess.

I haven't seen enough of the details of this case to make a judgement. One of the issues seems to be if police frequently get away with violence, it is difficult to have faith in the process and believe the results are fair.

[Fresno Bob]

Obama should issue an executive order that all police officers will have cameras on them, or will the GOP call that socialism or a handout to the camera lobby?

[TranaGreg]

Obama should issue an executive order that all police officers will have cameras on them, or will the GOP call that socialism or a handout to the camera lobby?

I know LA does this in a limited way ... we have a pilot up here to test them out as well.

My personal issue with this is that they will all be 1080p ... storage & transmission is going to be a nightmare to manage.

[gcstomp]

If only the kid were a ham sandwich....

Former New York state Chief Judge Sol Wachtler famously remarked that a prosecutor could persuade a grand jury to “indict a ham sandwich.” The data suggests he was barely exaggerating: According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. attorneys prosecuted 162,000 federal cases in 2010, the most recent year for which we have data. Grand juries declined to return an indictment in 11 of them.