Ferguson PD Released Michael Brown Robbery Video Against Objections of DOJ

Told Ferguson police chief it was “inflammatory”
US News • Views: 20,872

For those of us who thought it was irresponsible and unbelievably inflammatory for the Ferguson PD to release that irrelevant video of Michael Brown shoplifting: the Department of Justice had the same opinion. MSNBC contributor Goldie Taylor reported it first:

UPDATE at 8/16/14 11:18:44 am by Charles Johnson

Confirmed by CNN:

Friday’s release of the video came over the objections of federal authorities, a law enforcement official told CNN on Saturday.

Ferguson police had wanted to release the video Thursday, but it held off when the U.S. Justice Department asked it not to, arguing that doing so would increase tensions in the community, the source said.

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68 comments
1 KiTA  Aug 16, 2014 10:28:13am

So it was blatantly, absolutely blatantly, an attempt to incite riots and assassinate his character?

Holy crap some of these people need to go to jail. At what point does all this become an official attempt to cover up / protect a suspected murderer?

2 Backwoods_Sleuth  Aug 16, 2014 10:29:25am

“Idiocracy” now playing on the Comedy Channel.
Or at the Ferguson PD and St Louis County PD.
It’s confusing.

3 Backwoods_Sleuth  Aug 16, 2014 10:30:55am

I called this yesterday afternoon.
littlegreenfootballs.com

4 goddamnedfrank  Aug 16, 2014 10:31:06am

Youtube Video

5 nines09  Aug 16, 2014 10:37:23am

re: #1 KiTA

So it was blatantly, absolutely blatantly, an attempt to incite riots and assassinate his character?

Holy crap some of these people need to go to jail. At what point does all this become an official attempt to cover up / protect a suspected murderer?

Answer; A few days ago. It really makes you wonder just WTF Roll Call is like at that station house. “So just make sure you abuse your power, confront citizens with an attitude and demeaning words and turn to shit what ever it is you touch. Have a nice day.”

6 KiTA  Aug 16, 2014 10:41:08am

re: #3 Backwoods_Sleuth

I called this yesterday afternoon.
littlegreenfootballs.com

Oh, they were just a day late. Supposedly last night saw a group of people show up and do the whole loot and pillage thing — until the protesters from Ferguson stopped it AND cleaned up after them. There was talk about them supposedly not being from the area and showing up to exploit the situation, but I don’t know if that panned out.

Still, the media got their “zomg riots” headlines, so everything’s good, right?

7 Charles Johnson  Aug 16, 2014 10:46:34am

Jim Hoft is having a hate party at his ugly website.

8 Backwoods_Sleuth  Aug 16, 2014 10:49:12am

re: #7 Charles Johnson

Jim Hoft is having a hate party at his ugly website.

Is it his birthday or something?
:P

9 Cassidy  Aug 16, 2014 10:49:50am

re: #8 Backwoods_Sleuth

It’s a day ending in “y”.

10 Gus  Aug 16, 2014 10:51:03am

Got a pic of Darren Wilson. Over at Yahoo.

11 KiTA  Aug 16, 2014 10:52:42am

re: #10 Gus

Got a pic of Darren Wilson. Over at Yahoo.

Bit ghoulish, too — they snagged it off of his parent’s facebook page.

12 abolitionist  Aug 16, 2014 10:52:55am

“For those of us who thought it was irresponsible and unbelievably inflammatory.. “

From what I’ve seen of the police-state intimidation tactics on display in Ferguson this week, it was believably inflamatory.

13 Charles Johnson  Aug 16, 2014 10:53:06am

Thousands of openly racist comments at Breitbart “News” again.

14 allegro  Aug 16, 2014 10:54:16am

re: #10 Gus

Got a pic of Darren Wilson. Over at Yahoo.

He’s quite a light-skinned black guy, ain’t he. Wasn’t that the prevailing RWNJ story that the cop was black?

15 Charles Johnson  Aug 16, 2014 10:55:09am
16 Gus  Aug 16, 2014 10:55:24am

re: #14 allegro

He’s quite a light-skinned black guy, ain’t he. Wasn’t that the prevailing RWNJ story that the cop was black?

Someone had the wrong Darren Wilson. The usual.

17 A Mom Anon  Aug 16, 2014 10:55:43am

What is wrong with these assholes? Isn’t any of this horrific behavior on the part of the cops and the other officials involved illegal? I would like to hope we’ll see some frogmarching at some point, but history shows how unlikely that is. I hope every agency that can bring justice here is on the job and DOES the job. This is such bullshit.

I just don’t get hatred and racism. I’m as white as you can get without being blonde and blue-eyed, and I see it all over the place. I cannot wrap my head around it, even being raised by racist people. I just never understood it and it never felt right to me. I judge people by who they are and their actions, nothing else.

18 wrenchwench  Aug 16, 2014 10:56:38am

Too bad Lawhawk’s out for Shabbat.

19 Dr. Matt  Aug 16, 2014 10:57:28am

re: #7 Charles Johnson

Jim Hoft is having a hate party at his ugly website.

In other words, it’s a typical day for Dim Jim.

20 Dark_Falcon  Aug 16, 2014 10:57:39am

re: #7 Charles Johnson

Jim Hoft is having a hate party at his ugly website.

That was the point of releasing the robbery video footage: It was the Ferguson PD’s way of creating a distraction, only instead of shouting “Squirrel” they were shouting “Coon!”. The object of the release was to make Brown look bad and get those white people who are disposed to doing so to think of Michael Brown as “just another black thug.”

Both the FPD (‘F’ standing for ‘Fuckers’, apparently) and Jim Hoft are playing the race card, and its quite obvious.

21 Backwoods_Sleuth  Aug 16, 2014 10:59:27am

re: #14 allegro

He’s quite a light-skinned black guy, ain’t he. Wasn’t that the prevailing RWNJ story that the cop was black?

That’s while they all thought it was the St. Louis (City) PD Sgt.

22 Gus  Aug 16, 2014 11:01:52am

Cue the RWNJ smelling salts for the pic of Darren Wilson being spread around as of now.

23 Dave In Austin  Aug 16, 2014 11:05:43am

Anyone want to bet percentages on a murder charge? My question is how long. The other is there was some chatter about Mr. Wilson leaving town? Is there any truth to that?

24 abolitionist  Aug 16, 2014 11:06:14am

re: #22 Gus

Cue the RWNJ smelling salts for the pic of Darren Wilson being spread around as of now.

It’s just another example of black-on-black crime. That’s why they shouldn’t be allowed to be policemen.

25 Charles Johnson  Aug 16, 2014 11:06:15am

Wingnuts on Twitter currently freaking out over this:

Damn right he was turned away. It’s an amusement park. There’s nothing amusing about a shirt with a logo telling you to shoot people.

26 BeachDem  Aug 16, 2014 11:06:49am

re: #3 Backwoods_Sleuth

I called this yesterday afternoon.
littlegreenfootballs.com

And I agreed with you, and added Hoft and Loesch (and of course, they both came through as expected.)

27 Dr. Matt  Aug 16, 2014 11:07:43am

Listening to MMfA radio earlier today, the RWNJ talking points have been revealed as 1) Wilson knew Brown was a suspect in the “strong-arm robbery”, that’s why Brown was stopped, 2) It doesn’t matter if Wilson knew Brown was wanted; Brown was a bad guy….end of story.

28 Gus  Aug 16, 2014 11:09:01am
29 A Mom Anon  Aug 16, 2014 11:15:25am

Also, how is what occurred in the video considered a robbery? Wouldn’t it be shoplifting? I’ve ONLY heard the media describe this as a robbery. Who robs a store for a package of mini cigars and nothing else?

Yeah, it’s a real fucking mystery why predominately minority neighborhoods are pissed off by this endless stream of stereotyping and bullshit. If the cops were targeting white suburban kids I’m sure no one in those neighborhoods would be upset at all.

Here’s what scares me though. My son is white. He’s 20 yrs old, has really long hair, dresses like most metal heads (black band t-shirts, jeans, etc) and is autistic. I get scared shitless thinking about the cops stopping him and he isn’t able to articulate something properly or look the cop in the eye while answering questions. Or if he just plain got scared and tried to run. He looks like the typical white pot smoking troublemaker stereotype, even though he’s totally opposite of that. While he most likely would not be treated like a minority kid his age, I still have that nightmare scenario in the back of my head. I can only imagine how much more scary it is for a minority parent of a son that age. And it’s 2014, ain’t that some shit?

30 Dr. Matt  Aug 16, 2014 11:15:45am

re: #25 Charles Johnson

But, but, but, but,

FREE MARKETS! CAPITALISM! RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE TO ANYONE!

31 BeachDem  Aug 16, 2014 11:19:47am

This was the tweet that broke my heart last night.

No matter how many Ferguson residents and protesters tried to stop the looters; no matter how much they took it upon themselves to do right, the ugly, hate-mongering racists won’t stop. I can see them—Hoft, Loesch, Hannity, etc. rubbing their hands together in glee and smiling. They make me sick.

32 A Mom Anon  Aug 16, 2014 11:20:32am

re: #25 Charles Johnson

OFFS. Seriously? Who the hell would even wear that except someone looking to start some bullshit?

Maybe someone should invent a special magical dick ruler where one inch=one foot and hand them out to these idiots to make them feel a little better about themselves. There seems to be a whole lot of overcompensating going on these days.

33 Targetpractice  Aug 16, 2014 11:23:14am

re: #28 Gus

[Embedded content]

That’s what this video’s release was about, tainting the jury pool. Everything FPD has done has gone towards making it impossible to try Wilson in Ferguson, with the end goal of trying him in a much whiter community where the county prosecutor can seat a jury more favorable to ruling Wilson’s actions lawful.

Rodney King was unavailable for comment./

34 Kragar  Aug 16, 2014 11:27:51am
35 Dark_Falcon  Aug 16, 2014 11:28:22am

re: #32 A Mom Anon

OFFS. Seriously? Who the hell would even wear that except someone looking to start some bullshit?

Maybe someone should invent a special magical dick ruler where one inch=one foot and hand them out to these idiots to make them feel a little better about themselves. There seems to be a whole lot of overcompensating going on these days.

He’s a Marine veteran who saw combat during Operation: IRAQI FREEDOM. Such a man may have his judgement questioned but never his manhood. Unless the questioner has been through the same equally challenging training and battle him or herself.

36 Kragar  Aug 16, 2014 11:30:51am
37 jamesfirecat  Aug 16, 2014 11:33:09am

re: #35 Dark_Falcon

He’s a Marine veteran who saw combat during Operation: IRAQI FREEDOM. Such a man may have his judgement questioned but never his manhood. Unless the questioner has been through the same equally challenging training and battle him or herself.

Real masculinity is not found in the actions that “prove it” but in feeling a lack of need for them.

The entire point of McBeth is that sucessful militiay leadership /service is exactly that, sucessfully military leadership/service it should not be blindly extrapolated into saying anything else about someone’s character one way or the other.

38 Ace-o-aces  Aug 16, 2014 11:37:35am

re: #29 A Mom Anon

Also, how is what occurred in the video considered a robbery? Wouldn’t it be shoplifting? I’ve ONLY heard the media describe this as a robbery. Who robs a store for a package of mini cigars and nothing else?

From the video, it looks like he was going to buy it when he got into some kind of fight with the clerk. Also notice that his friend put his box of cigars back on the counter before leaving. It’s not real clear what happened.

39 Dark_Falcon  Aug 16, 2014 11:38:05am

re: #33 Targetpractice

That’s what this video’s release was about, tainting the jury pool. Everything FPD has done has gone towards making it impossible to try Wilson in Ferguson, with the end goal of trying him in a much whiter community where the county prosecutor can seat a jury more favorable to ruling Wilson’s actions lawful.

Rodney King was unavailable for comment./

To be fair, the judge who ordered the trial of the LAPD officers involved in king’s beating out of the LA media market, but his instructions were not followed (Semi Valley gets LA local TV. It’s also the place where that loathsome woman beater “War Machine” was caught yesterday.)

40 A Mom Anon  Aug 16, 2014 11:38:26am

re: #35 Dark_Falcon

I’m sorry, but being a veteran doesn’t mean you can’t be questioned. Nor does combat service make someone a man all by itself. I appreciate his service, but it’s not a free pass to be an ass either.

41 Dark_Falcon  Aug 16, 2014 11:41:28am

re: #37 jamesfirecat

Real masculinity is not found in the actions that “prove it” but in feeling a lack of need for them.

The entire point of Macbeth is that sucessful militiay leadership /service is exactly that, sucessfully military leadership/service it should not be blindly extrapolated into saying anything else about someone’s character one way or the other.

That’s not the entire point of Macbeth, James; It’s one of the points Shakespeare makes with the play. The play is also a lesson in how a good man can go bad, and how evil deeds beget more evil deeds in an attempt to stave off the consequences of having done evil.

42 Kragar  Aug 16, 2014 11:43:00am

re: #35 Dark_Falcon

He’s a Marine veteran who saw combat during Operation: IRAQI FREEDOM. Such a man may have his judgement questioned but never his manhood. Unless the questioner has been through the same equally challenging training and battle him or herself.

As a Marine veteran allow me to say, they are plenty of shit talking assholes who are combat veterans. Question away everybody.

43 Dr. Matt  Aug 16, 2014 11:43:46am

re: #35 Dark_Falcon

He’s a Marine veteran who saw combat during Operation: IRAQI FREEDOM. Such a man may have his judgement questioned but never his manhood. Unless the questioner has been through the same equally challenging training and battle him or herself.

Bullshit, I don’t give a fuck what anyone has done in their life……it doesn’t mean their “manhood” cannot be questioned.

44 Dr. Matt  Aug 16, 2014 11:45:11am

re: #42 Kragar

As a Marine veteran allow me to say, they are plenty of shit talking assholes who are combat veterans. Question away everybody.

As a Navy veteran, I served with and roomed with many asshole combat veterans.

45 CuriousLurker  Aug 16, 2014 11:46:16am

re: #25 Charles Johnson

Wingnuts on Twitter currently freaking out over this:

[Embedded content]

Damn right he was turned away. It’s an amusement park. There’s nothing amusing about a shirt with a logo telling you to shoot people.

This isn’t the first time. I don’t remember them getting all freaked out about the other instances.

Texas: Six Flags Asks Inked Customer to Cover Tattoos

New Jersey: Photographer Denied Access From Six Flags For Wearing An ‘I Shoot Raw’ T-Shirt

Here’s the Plan Visit > Park Policies page for Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ that clearly states their dress code. I went to their national homepage and looked up about half a dozen different parks—all of them use the same basic template for their sites, have the same navigation menus, and all have dress codes (though they’re not all exactly the same).

47 CuriousLurker  Aug 16, 2014 11:52:52am

re: #35 Dark_Falcon

He’s a Marine veteran who saw combat during Operation: IRAQI FREEDOM. Such a man may have his judgement questioned but never his manhood. Unless the questioner has been through the same equally challenging training and battle him or herself.

Well, then I guess that makes the ISIS, Boko Haram, and other jihadis unquestionably… Wait… what? //

48 Charles Johnson  Aug 16, 2014 11:56:05am

Here’s what that Marine with the “return fire” shirt had to say:

“I was walking in through the gate with my wife and kids, who were in front of me, when a security guard grabbed me and said: ‘I can’t let you into the park with that shirt on. That shirt’s offensive,’” Alejandro said on Tuesday. “I said that it’s not offensive, it’s a military shirt. I told him that I am an Iraq veteran… I served in the war. But he said: ‘I don’t care, you have to take that off… or you need to buy another shirt to put over it.’”

Bullshit. That’s no “military shirt.” And yes, it is offensive.

49 Dark_Falcon  Aug 16, 2014 12:04:11pm

re: #47 CuriousLurker

Well, then I guess that makes the ISIS, Boko Haram, and other jihadis unquestionably… Wait… what? //

Those of them that stand fire and keep on attacking through it aren’t cowards either, not in a physical sense anyways. There are many different forms of courage, after all. Moral courage is rarer than physical courage and of that the Jihadis possess none.

50 wrenchwench  Aug 16, 2014 12:06:18pm

re: #49 Dark_Falcon

Those of them that stand fire and keep on attacking through it aren’t cowards either, not in a physical sense anyways. There are many different forms of courage, after all. Moral courage is rarer than physical courage and of that the Jihadis possess none.

And the asshole in the shootem shirt? Moral courage?

51 Backwoods_Sleuth  Aug 16, 2014 12:10:59pm

re: #35 Dark_Falcon

He’s a Marine veteran who saw combat during Operation: IRAQI FREEDOM. Such a man may have his judgement questioned but never his manhood. Unless the questioner has been through the same equally challenging training and battle him or herself.

So, that gives him a license to be an asshole and that’s just fine with you?
Good to know.

52 Cassidy  Aug 16, 2014 12:37:10pm

First thing out of the dude’s mouth was that he’s a vet? Professional veterans should be shunned just for being pathetic.

53 Sionainn  Aug 16, 2014 12:37:17pm

re: #25 Charles Johnson

Wingnuts on Twitter currently freaking out over this:

[Embedded content]

Damn right he was turned away. It’s an amusement park. There’s nothing amusing about a shirt with a logo telling you to shoot people.

Just because someone is a Marine veteran doesn’t not make him an asswipe.

54 Sherlock Hound  Aug 16, 2014 12:45:15pm

re: #35 Dark_Falcon

You can’t question a veteran for anything?

It’s sensitive for me because I could not have served if I wanted to, and I’ve read Twain’s “The War Prayer”, so when I hear that I should kiss someone’s boots because he served, I take the hidden meaning, which is worse.

If the man were not a veteran, would it be then good to refuse him entrance?

55 1Peter G1  Aug 16, 2014 2:20:12pm

re: #29 A Mom Anon

It is considered a robbery because he both laid hands on and threatened the clerk who objected to the theft. Lay hands on someone and that is an assault. So much for the gentle giant. The relevance is obvious and key to what happened later as much as many would like to pretend it does not. Michael Brown did not know what the officer knew and doubtless assumed that he was about to be arrested for both robbery and assault. Which gave him all the motive in the world for assaulting the officer and trying to escape. And that is true regadless of what the officer knew or suspected.Which makes this whole lot more complicated than anyone would like to believe.

56 Varek Raith  Aug 16, 2014 2:29:54pm

re: #55 1Peter G1

It is considered a robbery because he both laid hands on and threatened the clerk who objected to the theft. Lay hands on someone and that is an assault. So much for the gentle giant. The relevance is obvious and key to what happened later as much as many would like to pretend it does not. Michael Brown did not know what the officer knew and doubtless assumed that he was about to be arrested for both robbery and assault. Which gave him all the motive in the world for assaulting the officer and trying to escape. And that is true regadless of what the officer knew or suspected.Which makes this whole lot more complicated than anyone would like to believe.

Yeah, so let’s totally shoot an entire clip in to him.
That’ll learn ‘em!
e_e

57 abolitionist  Aug 16, 2014 2:55:05pm

re: #55 1Peter G1

Ever hear of something called due process?

58 1Peter G1  Aug 16, 2014 3:01:40pm

re: #56 Varek Raith

Wow. That’s an interesting conclusion. With which I in no way agree. I, on the other hand, think you had better prepare your angst ahead of time because no one here may want too many facts after relentlessly demanding them but they would be bound to come out at trial should it come to that. You could not prevent the defense from pointing it out or the jury hearing it. I think the DoJ was wise to try and suppress this until things calmed down. As ironic as it is for cries for he DoJ to suppress the truth.

59 1Peter G1  Aug 16, 2014 3:03:36pm

re: #57 abolitionist

Yes. So why are you now trying to prevent that from being supplied to the subject officer. Why the cries for evidence suppression now? It was the worst thing in the world last week.

60 abolitionist  Aug 16, 2014 3:08:51pm

re: #59 1Peter G1

About the officer who left town several days ago, please show me where you think I’ve advocated suppressing evidence.

61 1Peter G1  Aug 16, 2014 4:02:08pm

re: #60 abolitionist

Well here’s your chance to go on record. The evidence from the convenience store robbery should or should not be in the public record. Yes or no? I’ll go first. Yes it should as always. In a timely manner.

62 wrenchwench  Aug 16, 2014 4:04:46pm

re: #55 1Peter G1

Lay hands on someone and that is an assault.

Nope. That’s battery. Threatening to do it is assault.

63 1Peter G1  Aug 16, 2014 4:06:03pm

re: #60 abolitionist

Oh and kindly show me where I’ve demonstrated a lack of understanding of due process?

64 abolitionist  Aug 16, 2014 4:20:38pm

re: #61 1Peter G1

Well here’s your chance to go on record. The evidence from the convenience store robbery should or should not be in the public record. Yes or no? I’ll go first. Yes it should as always. In a timely manner.

In a timely manner? That didn’t happen. And to the best of my knowledge, a primary witness to the shooting still has not been interviewed by the FPD.

65 abolitionist  Aug 16, 2014 4:36:40pm

re: #63 1Peter G1

Oh and kindly show me where I’ve demonstrated a lack of understanding of due process?

Here:
re: #55 1Peter G1

Even if everything you think you know about MB were true, he’s dead. Where was due process for him? Where was due process for the people of Ferguson over the next hundred hours or so? Where are the cameras and phones confiscated at the scene?

66 1Peter G1  Aug 16, 2014 5:43:35pm

re: #62 wrenchwench

re: #65 abolitionist

And nowhere did I suggest for even a moment that this killing was in any way justified. I merely point out the obvious and that is that any jury that hears about the convenience store incident will have all the reason they need to believe that Mr Brown was capable and had motive to do as the officer claims and assault him. Pretending it is not relevant is ludicrous. Should the officer be put on trial there is no way any judge will prevent that evidence from being presented.

67 abolitionist  Aug 16, 2014 7:01:39pm

re: #66 1Peter G1

Granted, cross-examination of Mr Brown as a hostile witness, as to his motives, could be a problem.
/Do I need this?

68 1Peter G1  Aug 17, 2014 6:26:54am

re: #67 abolitionist

It is the cross examination of Dorian Johnson that will be the problem. It is testimony that will be impeached.


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