re: The Shooting of Michael Brown: Focus on the Police State; NOT racism

quote:

---

never forget Boston

---

When are talking about? The man hunt?

More looting??

quote:

---

i've heard it's a lot cheaper to leave, blow up, and make more than to ship back stateside 

---

A lot of it was left overseas. But there is still a lot of MRAPS here stateside. 10s of thousands in mothballs in fact. The military has decided it doesn't want to keep these on the books. They were built specifically for Iraq and Afghanistan. They are extremely heavy and a logistical burden. The military still plans and trains for a conventional fight, which MRAPS are pretty much useless in. So the government is selling used gear to local police departments. Now I'm sure the MIC is getting some lucrative maintenance and training contracts out of it though.

It began with the California bank robbery years ago. Cops completely outgunned. Won't happen again.

The riot defenders are coming out:

quote:

---

@edeweysmith: It's hard to control the emotions of a people who've been consistently dehumanized & disenfranchised! #Ferguson #MikeBrown

---

quote:

---

@CandiceBenbow: "Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots....

---

quote:

---

@marclamonthill: I'm amazed at all the people who are "outraged" and "disgusted" at the loss of property, yet don't lose any sleep over a dead teenager.

---

quote:

---

@marclamonthill: I don't endorse the riots in Ferguson. Again, I think they instigate State violence. But I won't spend a minute criticizing people's anger.

---

And it's funny how the familiar names of the Trayvon case have started to pop up again. Here's our old friend Skolnik:

quote:

---

@MichaelSkolnik: "A riot is the language of the unheard." ~Martin Luther King, Jr. #Ferguson

---

Not to mention the kid's parents just retained the same lawyer that Trayvon's parents had.

quote:

---

@attorneycrump: Media Advisory: Family of Michael Brown Retains National Civil Rights Attorney, Benjamin Crump, in MO Shooting Death.

---

No police state looks like this maybe?

quote:

---

The riot defenders are coming out:

---

I will say this, not so much as a defense, but as a point in opposition. The STL county police chief repeated the Ferguson police account of the incident verbatim as the gospel truth. He then proceeded to say that Ferguson obviously didn't have anything to hide as evidenced by the fact that they were brought in to investigate quickly (despite no statement being made by police for almost 24 hours). And then the Ferguson police chief says that the investigation from the county PD will be transparent and totally unbiased.

It strains credulity.

quote:

---

You're potentially risking the lives of every other bystander. You're also potentially saving the lives of every other bystander. Trouble is its kinda hard to tell which is which without hindsight.

---

and what does this have to do with choosing to resist an arrest or run from cops? nothing

if you engage in THOSE behaviors, understand you're putting your life at risk. that's the point

quote:

---

You can't play if you can't pay Its a straight up criminalization of poverty.

---

if they go through "the system" they have to pay probationary fees on the back end. you will pay that money one way or another

quote:

---

if you engage in THOSE behaviors, understand you're putting your life at risk. that's the point

---

I'm not sure the police have a good idea of what "resisting" is. In the case of Luis Rodriguez (Oklahoma) and Eric Garner, I believe they felt that a person who was struggling to breathe was resisting arrest.

But he was only, in my mind, technically resisting. He didn't swing on a cop. He didn't run. He was arguing. If that's worthy of a "resisting" charge, then I'd argue that the resisting charge is meaningless.