St Louis police murder scandal (PLUS: riots, idiotic press conferences, etc.)

[J. J.]

Unfortunately, Obama needs to steer clear of this. The day he spoke out about Trayvon Martin was that George Zimmerman became a hero to most Republicans. We don't need that again.

I'm sure the cop who shot the kid and the cops shooting rubber bullets into crowds of protestors are already heroes to most Republicans regardless of what Obama does or doesn't do.

No.  I think the local police should have held back that tape and should have released information.

The original shooting might not have been racial (though unjustified), but the police response has been.

[J. J.]

Wait... police are using flamethrowers? What the heck?

Ah, he is either firing a CS gas or smoke grenade.  That is a grenade launcher and those are grenades.

While it looks like a big gun, it is non lethal.  So far, the police are not using particularly damaging methods of arrests (i.e. nightsticks). 

[J. J.]

Btw, both the City of Ferguson's as well as the St. Louis County's official websites have been offline for a couple of days now due to a suspected Anonymous hacks.

http://www.fergusoncity.com/

http://www.stlouisco.com/

The State of Missouri, the Missouri National Guard, and the City of St. Louis are still there though.

I was on both yesterday. 

[J. J.]

I don't have the playbook you guys are using, but I think you're supposed to ignore the above and show pictures of white guys with guns again...maybe add some ignorance like "THEY USING BIPLANES ON THE PEACEFUL PROTESTORS NOW!?!?" or try and explain how the rioting really isn't rioting because they have an excuse.


or the always popular "attack the poster who disagrees with you with insults because you're not smart enough to discuss things with people you disagree with".

I think there is a lot of that on this thread. 

I do empathize with the police in the riot situation, at least since Johnson took over.  Look at some of the police rushing in situations.  Yes, they are mobbing one individual, but that individual is one who did something like throw something.  The are not doing with the people that were peacefully protesting standing one or two feet away.  When the get the single individual, they are not clubbing him with nightsticks, or punching him, but immobilizing him, holding him and then arresting him. 

Now the assault vehicles and rubber bullets were wrong, but Johnson seems to have some idea how to do this.  So do most of the protestors.