The President Calls For Calm In Ferguson Missouri

President Obama appealed for calm in riot-wracked Ferguson, Missouri, today and promised an open investigation into the police shooting of 18 year old Michael Brown to ensure “justice is done.”

“Now is the time for healing. Now is the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson,” the president told reporters in Martha’s Vineyard, where he is on vacation with his family. “Now is the time for an open and transparent process to see that justice is done.”

“I expressed my concern over the violent turn that events have taken on the ground, and underscored that now’s the time for all of us to reflect on what’s happened and to find a way to come together going forward,” the president said.

This is the first time the president has spoken publicly about events in Ferguson since the Brown, 18, was shot by a still-unnamed police officer. Obama urged restraint by both law enforcement and protesters.

“There is never an excuse for violence against police or for those who would use this tragedy as a cover for vandalism or looting,” the president said. “There’s also no excuse for police to use excessive force


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“There is never an excuse for violence against police..." -----Really, NEVER? I can think of plenty of reasons for a person to be violent against the police (specific situations, not talking about randomly attacking the police, but if a cop uses violence against someone- unnecessary force- then I strongly believe that police officer shouldn't be surprised when someone responds to them in turn.

 

[SIZE=10.5pt]I concur believe me back 92’ during the LA riots I wanted to catch the first flight out of Logan Field to LAX to support the good citizens of Los Angeles in protest of the not guilty verdict.[/SIZE]



[SIZE=10.5pt]Hotwater[/SIZE]

 

Cops just shouldn't be surprised to find out they're not above either the law or vigilante style justice.

You know, I hadn't had the news on all day today-or yesterday because I was at an amusement park all day/night yesterday... and I just turned on the tv and cnn. I wasn't even aware this stuff was going on....yea, I knew about the cops shooting that kid. But I wasn't aware of the protests, riots, etc.

 

finally. I I think it's pretty clear things were getting a little too racial there.

 

But about Obama saying that statement- that's the kind of thing that a president pretty much has to say, whether they actually believe that or not.

 

[SIZE=medium]It’s bedlam in the heartland of America [/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]UPDATE: FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Hundreds of people protesting the death of a black Missouri teenager shot by a white police officer are marching through the streets of Ferguson.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]The protests come as the Missouri State Highway Patrol is taking over supervising security in the St. Louis[/SIZE] suburb amid criticisms of the police response.
[SIZE=10pt]Early Thursday evening, St. Louis County police and state troopers were walking alongside demonstrators. Several marchers stopped to shake hands with officers. One woman hugged Capt. Ron Johnson of the Highway Patrol, who is overseeing security.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]The scene stands in stark contrast to earlier this week when officers in riot gear and in military equipment clashed with protesters. Crowds have gathered since Saturday's shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Johnson told The Associated Press, "We all want justice. We all want answers[/SIZE]



[SIZE=10pt]Hotwater[/SIZE]

 

Hm yea, I'm seeing it on all the channels pretty much right now(well cnn and msnbc, all I checked)... switching soon to watching Last Comic finale but yea...apparently police were shooting off rubber bullets or something yesterday? Something like that. In any case, I wasn't aware either tonight that they weren't releasing the name of the cop who shot him until watching the news tonight. My question is...why not? For the protection of him I'm sure, but.. seems like that should be public info.

I do think that although you can't look at this case without looking at race (white cops, black teenager)- at the same time it would also be nice if something in general would change w the police in this country... I mean in the uk I believe the cops don't even carry guns/deadly force. I know that is not gonna be happening in the us, but I def 100 million % think something should be done in general about the excessive force the police are allowed to use. I mean, I'm not gonna go into the whole story of what happened to me (as a white female) many, many years ago- I'm sure some of you remember the story anyways.... but let's just say that no matter if someone is intoxicated and/or rude to the police (rude without being violent) the police should NOT be able to gang up on a person 5, 6, 7, or 8 to 1 and knock them to the ground and rough them up all they want and just say... oh, we are the POLICE and this person was RESISTING. (you can "resist" verbally by asking questions and then the police can legally gang up on you like those scenarios of 7 to 1.)---- Police in this country are WAY too rough and violent with way too many people- beating up homeless people til they die from the beatings... shooting unarmed people.... ganging up physically on girls.... and just, the whole good ole boy network where cops back each others stories up all the time to the point where... many or most people aren't gonna speak out about excessive force used against them because they know it is usually just their word vs the cops and cops have each others backs and it's very hard to fight them (legally, in court.)--- They just have WAY too much power and discretion about how much force they can use and it's a terrible system. It would be nice if there would eventually be a complete overhaul in the system or at least a lot of universal changes to us police forces.

 

Seriously, fuck the police, but if black people responded the same way when one of their own kills one of their own, we might actually begin to see a positive societal change,

 

Both very true statements.

I just finished typing a reply in the thread on this topic in the america attack's forum- someone had posted something there along the same lines as what you said-- only with a major difference- he was also trying to justify what the police did to this Michael kid. In that thread I just finished typing that those two topics are apples and oranges and just because gang violence(etc) is something that needs worked on it does not mean people should not get upset over police brutality.

So, knee jerk reaction was to think "apples and oranges" again. However, I am now amending that thought because in this case, to begin to see positive change to society... well, honestly the fact that black gang violence in places such as Chicago happens to the extent that it does without people doing something themselves to try to make things different- this all actually just feeds right into the machine that is the white police force use of excessive force on black, urban populations. Meaning... the police often use the fact that many of the urban black population IS killing each other right and left to JUSTIFY their use of force.

 

[SIZE=10.5pt]If the witnesses statements are to be believed then the police officer executed Michael Brown; how could anyone in good conscience argue the shooting of an unarmed citizen was justified?[/SIZE]


Hotwater

 

this whole thing is so fucked up.

i read that the police are targeting journalists now. people on the streets are getting sniper rifles aimed in their face by officers in full tactical gear. tear gas, rubber bullets....all being used on civilians.
then we have some store owners defending their store-fronts from looters with automatic rifles (with high capacity clips)


the police suck. but it would be so much worse if i was black. apparently, that would give me a 7 times higher chance of being sent to prison.
pretty fucked up that this is the current situation...

the way police in this country are trained needs to go back to what it was like around the 1970s - less like the military

and the private, for-profit prison system is one of the worst ideas ever.

 

[SIZE=10.5pt]Please don’t take this the wrong way but being black is preferable – more than you could possibly ever imagine [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]Hotwater[/SIZE]

 

I've been reading a lot about Huey Newton lately and I find black disenfranchisement incredibly interesting academically.

 

Maybe its time for some foreign politicians on the scene, giving a speech or two on "fighting for freedom".
Perhaps have them hand out cakes to violent extremists who want to overthrow the government. And give them a few guns and body armour?
I'm sure that would solve the problem! :-/

 

If "there is never an excuse for violence against the police" were true we would still be British subjects.

 

Unless ofcourse its violence against the cops that Obama himself is orchestrating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h93-EJ9KE_k
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/25/is_the_us_backing_neo_nazis_in_ukraine_partner/
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-06/fuck-eu-us-state-department-blasts-europe-revealed-alleged-mastermind-behind-ukraine

 

how so?
and preferable to what...being any other race?

 

Don’t we all believe our particular race is the apex of human biological evolution?



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