Ferguson

Police Response In Ferguson Rooted In Systemic Violence And Militarism

August 27, 2014 Brian Trautman, www.commondreams.org Educate! Ferguson, militarism, Violence

The police response to public protests in Ferguson, Missouri in the wake of the deadly August 9 shooting of Michael Brown, Jr., an unarmed eighteen-year-old black man killed by a white police officer, was a prime illustration of the hyper-aggressive nature of policing in America today. The residents of Ferguson fed up with hostile and abusive police behavior continue to flood the streets to demand justice for Mike Brown and other victims of police brutality. They have been joined in solidarity by people of conscience in other cities (e.g., Oakland, NYC). Their anger and frustration was exacerbated by the heavy-handed tactics used against the mostly peaceful protestors in Ferguson during the first week or so of the demonstrations – tear gas, rubber bullets, smoke, deafening sirens as well as assault rifles fixed on protestors were some of the violent methods employed by law enforcement. In addition, a mandatory curfew imposed by the Missouri governor, verbal threats of physical harm from police, and arrests of journalists, among other ill-advised and counterproductive reactions, only escalated the tensions between protestors and police. The police action in Ferguson sparked a much-needed and long overdue national discussion about the rise of the police-industrial complex. One important outcome of this conversation has been an increased awareness among the American public of how local and state police became armed with equipment meant for war.

Minneapolis UPS Workers Protest Shipments To Missouri Police

August 27, 2014 Labor Notes, www.labornotes.org Resist! Ferguson, Labor, UPS

A dozen part-time UPS workers took protest action after discovering ties between Missouri law enforcement and a company whose shipments they handle each day. Some of us removed the company’s packages from trucks that would deliver them to law enforcement. Others, in solidarity, refused to ferry these packages to their intended trailers. Others posed with a sign reading “#handsupdontship.” The phrase “hands up, don’t shoot” has come to symbolize protest over the police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed, black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri. We decided we could not be silent while our work was contributing to the militarized violence that police are directing at Ferguson residents in the aftermath of Brown’s death. ‘Urban Street Violence’ Law Enforcement Targets is based in Blaine, Minnesota. The company produces cardboard, steel, and plastic shooting-range targets. Some feature photos of people for police to practice shooting at.

How CNN’s Coverage of the Ferguson Protests Became About CNN

August 27, 2014 James Woods, www.dcmediagroup.us Educate! CNN, Ferguson, Journalism

When Mike Brown was killed by Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson, no one could have predicted the social upheaval that was to follow. Police shootings have become a weekly occurrence in America that rarely stay in the public eye or the national news cycle for more than a day or two. But when Ferguson exploded, and it became apparent that the community would not be mollified by the standard response from elected officials, it quickly turned into a big story that left the mainstream media scrambling to provide coverage. During the first days of protest, the images and video coming out of Ferguson came from independent media, photographers, videographers, and live stream operators in the St. Louis area via social media sites. People like St. Louis Alderman Antonio French became a trusted “on the ground” media source as the events in Ferguson unfolded and showed the world that news coverage was no longer the province of corporate media juggernauts. As “rioting” and “looting” became the story, and video and images spread throughout the internet, news outlets started pouring into Ferguson. Overnight, dozens of news outlets appeared in Ferguson with their large cameras and production vans and created a large “media area” to establish their presence and declare to the residents of Ferguson that the media had arrived.

Protests Intensify Over Police Shooting Death Of Michael Brown

August 26, 2014 John Zangas, www.dcmediagroup.us Resist! Ferguson, Police, Protest, Race

The Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. reverberated chants and cries Saturday night as over a thousand protested the police shooting of Michael Brown. Brown an unarmed Black youth, was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. It marked the forth-major local protest in the District since the shooting death two weeks ago. The National Black United Front and the Answer Coalition were among the groups organizing the march. Among their demands were the prosecution of Darren Wilson, an end to police brutality, a stop to racial profiling, and a review of the demilitarization of local police forces across the country. The protestors’ objective was to shut down the major economic center and to force Chinatown businesses to focus on injustices of police brutality against minorities. “We need to change our spending habits,” said Kymone Freeman of We Act Radio. Freeman cited several corporations, which contributed to a legal fund that was set up to raise money for the officer who shot Michael Brown. “We need to identify targets we can hit in the pocketbook,” Freeman said.

Michael Brown, Jr. Mourned

August 25, 2014 Elisa Crouch, www.stltoday.com Organize! Ferguson, Police abuse, police murder, Racism

Hundreds of mourners gathered at a St. Louis church this morning for the funeral of 18-year-old Michael Brown, whose shooting death Aug. 9 by a police officer began nearly two weeks of unrest in Ferguson. The service began a bit after 10:30 a.m. at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 5515 Martin Luther King Drive. The church can seat about 2,500 people. Those in the crowd included babies and the elderly, and the attire ranged from ladies in elegant hats to young men wearing t-shirts, shorts and ballcaps. Parked nearby were at least a dozen news satellite trucks. The Rev. Charles Ewing delivered the eulogy for his nephew. He said his message is to heal the hurt, not just in Ferguson but the whole nation. He asked for justice not only for Brown, but for Trayvon Martin, for victims of black-on-black crime, for the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.

The Uncivil War Escalating Across America

August 25, 2014 Michael Payne, www.nationofchange.org Educate! Ferguson, Police, Unrest, Violence

Americans are used to this nation’s military being engaged in wars across the world; wars against nations and enemies “over there.” But what we are not at all used to is what is happening here in America today as we witness more and more incidents of overly aggressive police actions using deadly force in situations that simply do not call for anything of the kind. I’m talking about what might accurately be described as an uncivil war. If you look up the definition of uncivil you will find that it means barbarous, uncivilized conduct, not conducive to civic harmony and welfare. Well those words could certainly be used to describe the many recent incidents involving extremely violent measures taken by police in this country against its very own citizens. Americans watch with an increasing sense of apprehension at what just happened in Ferguson, Missouri where Michael Brown, a black teenager, was shot and killed by a police officer who found him walking down the middle of the street and then confronted him. The latest reports indicate that this young man was shot six times, twice in the head. That community is on the verge of exploding, to the point that the Missouri National Guard has now been mobilized; and that’s another great mistake.

FBI Investigating Anonymous For Attacks On Ferguson Police Home Computers

August 25, 2014 Mark Sullivan, www.venturebeat.com Resist! Anonymous, Ferguson, Police

The FBI has launched an investigation into a series of attacks on the personal computers and online accounts of officers on the Ferguson, Missouri police department, CNN reports. CNN is citing three law enforcement officials, who apparently wanted to remain, uh, anonymous. The officials said the cyber attacks are believed to be from the ‘Anonymous’ group, a shadowy collective of hacktivists with no clear leader. The law officers targeted in the attacks are part of the city’s response to the ongoing demonstrations around the murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on August 9. The shooting of Brown set off a weeks-long series of demonstrations in Ferguson, which have been partly peaceful and partly violent. Anonymous launched a massive DoS attack on Ferguson’s city servers last Thursday, which caused the servers to crash and forced cops to use text messages to communicate.

Brown’s Father Asks People Not To Protest On Monday

August 24, 2014 Joel Anderson and Alison Vingiano, www.buzzfeed.com Organize! Ferguson, Police abuse, police brutality, police murder, Racism

The father of Mike Brown has asked that people call off all protests Monday, the day of his son’s funeral. “I would like for no protesting going on,” Michael Brown Sr. said during an interview on Hot 104.1 FM, a hip-hop radio station in St. Louis. “We just want a moment of silence that whole day. Just out of respect for our son.” Brown went on air this morning with the Demetrious Johnson Show, which runs from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Michael Brown’s funeral is set for 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 25, in a church in St. Louis that can accommodate up to 4,500 people. Three White House officials, Rev. Al Sharpton, and thousands of community members are expected to attend.

Ferguson Police Report For Michael Brown Death Is Blank

August 24, 2014 Saki Knafo, www.huffingtonpost.com Educate! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Ferguson, Police abuse, police murder, Racism

It’s been nearly two weeks since a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, shot and killed an unarmed teenager, but the police department has yet to offer a full account of the hazy circumstances surrounding Michael Brown’s death. An official incident report, which the American Civil Liberties Union obtained from police and released on Friday, answers none of the pressing questions that hang over the killing. If anything, it raises new ones. The two-page document is almost entirely blank. It includes the address, time of day and a handful of other bare-bones details, but does not include a description of the scene, quotes from eyewitnesses, names of the officers involved, or any other pieces of information normally found on such documents.

New ‘Hands Up United’ Issues Call To Action And Demands

August 24, 2014 Staff, www.popularresistance.org Organize! Ferguson, Militarized police, Police abuse

A new coalition called Hands Up United has formed around the events in Ferguson, MO that is working for accountability in the case of the police murder of Michael Brown and for new policies at the national level to reduce police brutality. According to their website, HandsUpUnited.org, the coalition includes "local organizations leading on the ground in Ferguson, such as Organization for Black Struggle, Missourians Organizing for Reform, Empowerment, and others. The National Demands reflect demands developed by organizations such as Freedom Side and Dream Defenders." They are calling for a nationwide student walk out on Monday, August 25, the day of Michael Brown's funeral which would have been his first day of college if he were alive. The website states: "Youth in Ferguson are calling for a student walkout to honor Mike Brown and protest police violence and racial profiling. On Monday, August 25th, stage a walkout on your campus. Commit to walking out for Mike Brown and create an event to invite others to join you."

D.C. Residents Call For Transparency In Ferguson

August 24, 2014 Robert Brune, www.dcmediagroup.us Resist! Ferguson, Police abuse, police brutality, police murder, Racism

More than 1,000 people marched through Washington, DC on August 23rd calling for justice, transparency and an end to police brutality. After several weeks of protests in response to the brutal murder of Michael Brown, individuals continue to question the system of policing and media reporting in the United States. Many have said that there is a “lack of justice” throughout the nation and have expressed outrage in how the media depicts victims of police brutality.

Senior MP Calls For Intl Commission To Assess US Domestic Crisis In Ferguson

August 23, 2014 RT, www.rt.com Educate! Ferguson, Police, Russia, UN

Deputy State Duma speaker Sergey Neverov has called for various international organizations to create a joint group to assess the US authorities’ handling of the ongoing protest in the town of Ferguson. Neverov, who also chairs the majority United Russia caucus in the Lower House, has told reporters that the international community must not remain indifferent to the crisis situation in the United States – the country that presents itself as a model for democracy. “The events in Missouri have demonstrated that the United States have serious problems based on racial discrimination,” Neverov noted in a comment to the Russian daily Izvestia. The politician said that United Russia wanted to set up a special commission manned with representatives of the UN, PACE and other international groups that would make contact with participants of the events in Ferguson, Missouri, and investigate the lawfulness of the actions of US authorities and law enforcers. Neverov added that the chairman of the Lower House committee for international relations MP Aleksei Pushkov (United Russia) could head the Russian part of the international commission.

Who Profits From Militarized Police?

August 23, 2014 Alex Kane, www.alternet.org Educate! Ferguson, Militarization, Police, Wars and Militarism

The tear-gas, rubber bullets and smoke bombs fired in Ferguson, Missouri have fed outrage over police militarization in the U.S. In response to the shocking images, Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill said, “We need to de-militarize this situation.” Journalists reporting live on the demonstrations sparked by the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown expressed befuddlement as to why the police needed high-caliber weapons better suited for war zones than protests in an American city. But one group of people is decidedly happy about the militarized response in Ferguson: those who work in the weapons industry. The array of police forces--the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the St. Louis county and city police and local Ferguson officers--that descended on the largely black Missouri city have used the products these corporations are selling in abundance. Tear gas, rubber bullets, smoke bombs, stun grenades, armored personnel carriers, sound cannons and high-caliber rifles have all been deployed to quell the unrest, though they have contributed to anger over police tactics.

Police Killing Of Yet Another Black Man Warrants Probe

August 23, 2014 Mark Weisbrot, www.truth-out.org Organize! Ferguson, Police, Violence

It is disappointing to see that there has not been more public outrage - especially in the major media - about the killing of Kajieme Powell. He was shot by St. Louis police on Tuesday just a few miles from where Michael Brown was gunned down. A very clear video of the entire incident was released yesterday, and as the Huffington Post accurately reported, it shows a very different story than the one told by St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson the day before. The video shows that the police pulled up over the curb, just a few yards from where Powell was standing and immediately drew their guns as they jumped out of the van. Within 15 seconds of their van arriving, they were shooting him. The first three shots sent him falling to the ground. Was it necessary to pump 6 more bullets into him, most of them when he was sprawled on the pavement, to make sure that he would die? This is a question that should be formally investigated. Then they tried to handcuff him though he was practically dead already. The police will not be charged with a crime, since Powell allegedly had a knife, and they claim to have recovered one from the scene.

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