Ferguson police execute an unarmed 17 yr old boy (Update: Ferguson police chief to resign 3/19)

[Citi Trends]

they sent in ATF, FBI, PMCs, tanks, apc, 1500 police, the national guard, are using tear gas, high powered rifles and confusing people buying guns with bombs


if you just woke from a coma you would think the next 9/11 just fukking occurred, no a cop shot a kid and a few businesses windows were broken

this is at a point where its inevitable even if he was by a miracle indicted because they've even said they expect riots from fukking enjoyment

i fear the absolute worst right now

if even one bullet is fired from anyone....

 

[loyola llothta]

To our brothers and sisters in the Missouri National Guard:

We are writing to you as active-duty U.S. service members and veterans, most of us having served in the Iraq war.

You have a choice you can make right now.

The whole world is watching the Ferguson police with disgust. They killed an unarmed, college-bound Black youth in broad daylight, and subsequently responded to peaceful, constitutionally-protected protests with extreme violence and repression.

Countless constitutional and human rights violations by these police have been documented over the course of the Ferguson protests; from attacking and threatening journalists, to using tear gas against peaceful protesters, including children.

Now, Governor Nixon has again activated the National Guard to “support law enforcement.” But you don’t have to follow their orders—you can stand with the protesters instead.

Our true duty

When we signed up, we swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States.

The police in Ferguson are violating that Constitution.

The First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press.

These laws are, as we are taught our entire lives, our most cherished Constitutional rights—the whole basis for the “freedom” we are told makes us the greatest country on Earth.

It is undeniable that the Ferguson police has used extreme violence against peaceful protesters, suppressing the right of the people to free speech and the freedom to assemble. They have attacked crowds, with children in them, with rubber bullets, sound cannons and tear gas. People have been mass arrested for simply being at the protest.

Freedom of the press has also been severely infringed upon by Ferguson police. Journalists have been arrested; photo evidence shows riot police firing tear gas directly at reporters and tearing down their camera equipment; Ferguson police have been caught on video threatening journalists with violence if they don’t leave, and declaring that they are not allowed in the protest area.

With such important and dramatic events unfolding, the right of the people in the United States to have the truth covered by the press is essential to any so-called democratic society.

The people have the right to protest. If we were truly honoring our oath, we would be in Ferguson to protect the protesters against the repression of their rights by the police.

We don’t just have a legal obligation, but a moral one

Clearly, we would be within our legal rights to refuse to help the Ferguson police unconstitutionally suppress these protests. But beyond the constitutional case, we have a moral obligation to refuse to participate.

The Ferguson police are treating this like a war. And we know that not all wars are just.

These protests have done something very important in our society: they have raised the deep issues we face of inequality, poverty, racism and police misconduct onto a national stage. It has turned public consciousness to these real problems that plague our society.

Do you really want to be part of suppressing those civilians raising all these important issues on the national stage?

Racist police brutality is a real issue in America

The autopsy of Michael Brown confirms at least five eye-witness accounts that the young man—who was not even suspected by Darren Wilson of any crime—was shot while he had his hands in the air.

Those of us in the military—especially with combat experience—knows that this flies in the face of any Rules of Engagement, and we know that it is completely ridiculous to believe that Darren Wilson feared for his life in anyway whatsoever.

Increasingly, the issue of rampant police brutality in America—most frequently by white officers against people of color, with an African American killed every 28 hours by police—is garnering more and more attention on a national and international scale.

Outrage by the community against the state’s refusal to hold Darren Wilson accountable is entirely justified; the movement, led by Black youth, is a just movement.

History is unfolding, with the whole world watching. You have a decision to make on which side of history to be on.

You will make history, one way or the other

If you take part in the suppression of the protests for Michael Brown, we will be enshrined in history just as the National Guard soldiers who followed their orders to attack and repress civil rights actions, union pickets and anti-war protests. History has not looked kindly on them.

But you have the chance to make a different kind of history.

Imagine the powerful impact it would have if you abandoned your posts and marched with the protesters.

That single action could have the biggest possible effect on the crisis in Ferguson and the larger issues it represents in the entire country. It could be a major turning point in the fight against racism, inequality and police abuse.

You wouldn’t be alone. There is a whole community of service members, veterans and civilian supporters who would defend your right to do so. And now, in this critical moment, we are urging you to exercise that right.

Justice for Mike Brown! Arrest Darren Wilson!

…add your name to this open letter to the National Guard by emailing your name, branch and dates of service, and any deployments to info@marchforward.org

This appeal is signed by:

Post-911 veterans:
Kourtney Mitchell, US Army, 2011-present
Sara Beining, US Army, 2004-present (Iraq war veteran)
Kelsa Pellettiere, US Army, 2009-present
Anonymous Air Force Technical Sergeant, 2000-present (Afghanistan war veteran)
Jhassier Laurentes, US Navy, 2013-present
SSG Al Robinson III, US Army, 1999-present (Afghanistan war veteran)
Lisa Wnek, US Air Force, 2009 - 2014 (Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran)
Monique Salhab, US Army, 1997-2007 (Iraq war veteran)
Margaret Stevens, US Army, 1997-2004
Chantelle Bateman, US Marines Reserve, 2003-2009 (Iraq war veteran)
Mike Prysner, US Army, 2001-2005 (Iraq war veteran)
Sean McCrea, US Marines, 2005-2012 (Iraq war veteran)
William Felton, US Army, 2005-2012 (Iraq war veteran)
Kevin Benderman, US Army, 1987-1991 & 2000-2008 (Iraq war veteran)
Alynn McLellan, US Army, 2008-2012 (Iraq war veteran)
Danny Birmingham, US Army, 2009-2012 (Iraq war veteran)
Adam Fuentes, US Navy, 2007-2012
Ryan Endicott, US Marines, 2004-2008 (Iraq war veteran)
William Griffin, US Army, 2004-2010 (Iraq war veteran)
Jason Cardenas, US Army, 2002-2007 (Iraq war veteran)
Hart Viges, US Army, 2001-2004 (Iraq war veteran)
Ross Caputi, US Marines, 2003-2006 (Iraq war veteran)
Camillo Mejia, US Army, 1995-2010 (Iraq war veteran)
James Circello, US Army, 2001-2008 (Iraq war veteran)
Jayel Aheram, US Marines, 2006-2010 (Iraq war veteran)
Miguel Colon, US Marines, 2001-2006 (Iraq war veteran)
Wendy Barranco, US Army, 2003-2006 (Iraq war veteran)
Michael Sullivan, US Army, 2005-2007 (Iraq war veteran)
Kristen Walston, US Navy, 1996-2003
Vincent Emanuele, US Marines, 2002-2006 (Iraq war veteran)
Jeremy Berggren, US Marines, 1998-2004
Ken Braley, US Army, 2002-2005
Jessie Ryan, US Army, 2000-2006 (Iraq war veteran)
Nick Kallio, US Army, 2007-2013 (Iraq war veteran)
Joe Soel, US Army, 2006-2014 (Iraq war veteran)
Jami King, US Army, 2004-2005
Richard Stroder, US Marines, 2004-2009 (Iraq war veteran)
Anonymous, US Army, 2005-2010 (Iraq war veteran)
Jonathan Engle, US Army, 2007-2013 (Iraq war veteran)
Amber Royster, US Navy, 2000-2006
Michael Downs, US Army, 1985-2009
Zollie Goodman, US Navy, 2002-2006 (Iraq war veteran)
Kasey Keck, US Army (Iraq war veteran)
Curtis Sirmans, US Army, 2006-2012 (Iraq war veteran)
Michael Nelson Hanes, US Marines, 1994-2004 (Iraq war veteran)
Clifton Hicks, US Army, 2003-2005 (Iraq war veteran)
Aaron Myracle, US Army, 2002-2010 (Iraq war veteran)
Kelvin Rodeo, US Navy, 2007-2011
Danilo Deocampo, US Navy, 1997 - 2003
Nate Yielding, Virginia Army National Guard 2001-2007, Maryland Air Guard 2007-2011
Aaron Myracle, Washington Army National Guard, 2002-2010
Damien Boyd, US Army, 2001-2014
Victor Agosto, US Army, 2005-2009 (Iraq War Veteran)
Alec Stevens, US Air Force, 1999-2008
Jason Mizula, US Army &US Coast Guard, 2002-2008 (Iraq War veteran)
Daniel Fargason, US Army, 2005-2009 (Iraq war veteran)
David A Meyer, US Air Force, 1979 - 2001
Lara Gale, US Army & Air Force Reserve , 1999-2006
Andrew Dyer, US Navy, 2001-2012
Gloria A, Downey, US Air Force, 2002 - 2009 (Iraq war veteran)
German Martinez, US Marines, 2010-2014
James Poteet, US Army & National Guard, 1993-2001
Carmine Matlock, US Air Force, 2005-2010
Maggie Martin, US Army, 2002-2006 (Iraq War Veteran)
Robert Howell, Illinois Air National Guard, 1999 to 2011 (Iraq war veteran)
Ian LaVallee, US Army, 2005-2009 (Iraq war veteran)
Adam G. House, US Army, 2006-2010
Claire White, US Air Force, 2006-2012
Randall Mayhugh, US Army, 2003-2006
Jovanni Reyes, US Army, 1993-2005
Ramon Mejia, US Marines, 2001-2004 (Iraq war veteran)
Matt Stys, US Army & Penn. Army National Guard, 1990-1998, 2005-2009
Angela Hamnes, US Navy, 2001-2011
Joe Nunley, US Marines, 1997-2002
Justin Thompson, US Army, 2007-2010 (Iraq war veteran)

…add your name to this open letter to the National Guard by emailing your name, branch and dates of service, and any deployments to info@marchforward.org

Pre-911 veterans:
Daniel Craig, US Army (Gulf war veteran)
Gerry Werhan, US Marines, 1971-1994 (Gulf war veteran)
Curt Schaiberger, US Army, 1987-1991 (Gulf War veteran)
Michael T. McPhearson, U.S. Army 1981-1992 (Gulf War Veteran)
Forrest Schmidt, US Army, 1994-2000
John Fortier, US Air Force, 1952-1955 (Korean war veteran)
Bill Perry, US Army, 1967-1968 (Vietnam war veteran)
Matt Dubuc, US Army, 1994-1997 (Bosnia veteran)
Sanfod Kelson, US Army, 1963-1966
Alexis Fectaeu, US Airforce, 22 years
Benny Harris, US Navy, 1973-1993
Eric Meyer, US Navy, 1967-1971 (Vietnam war veteran)
Victoria Marx, US Navy, 1969-1976 (Vietnam war veteran)
Charles SHelton, US Coast Guard, 1969-1972
Annzala Pitt, US Army, 9 years
Leonard Vernon, US Army, 1964-1966
Tom Adams, US Army, 1971-1973
Paul Appell, US Army, 1968-1971 (Vietnam war veteran)
Derrick Wilson, US Army, 6 years
Danny McGregor, US Navy, 21 years
Douglas Ryder, US Navy, 1964-1967 (Vietnam war veteran)
Arlene Edwards, US Army Nurse Corps, 1966-1970 (Vietnam war veteran)
Tommy Griffin, US Army, 1976-1999
Gary Lail, US Navy, 1964-1968
Selena Vincin, US Army, 1995-1997
Danny Fry, US Army, 1970 (Vietnam war veteran)
Albert Sargis, US Marines, 1956-1962
Dave Logsdon, US Navy, 1966-1970
Ken Ashe, US Army, 1969-1971 (Vietnam war veteran)
Sven Pihl, US Navy, 1986-1990
William Holcomb, US Navy, 1946-1949
Daveed Williams, US Navy, 1987-1990
Nick Velvet, US Army, 1967-1969 (Vietnam war veteran)
Harold Donle, US Marines (Vietnam war veteran)
Paul Turner, US Air Force, 1981-1988
Jamie St. Clair, US Navy, 4 years
Allie Thorpe, US Navy, 4 years
Bill Graffam, US Navy (Korean war veteran)
Mike Madden, US Air Force, 1973-1979
Ron Arm, US Army, 1966-1971
Tarak Kauff, US Army, 1959-1962
Tom Palumbo, US Army, 1978-1993
Patrick McCann, US Air Force, 1970-1972
Mark Foreman, US Navy, 1966-1968 (Vietnam war veteran)
Gerry Condon, US Army, 1967-1975
Ron Arm, US Army, 1966-1971 (Vietnam war veteran)
Mike Budd, US Army, 1968-1971 (Vietnam war veteran)
Amos Sunshine, US Army, 1952-1955
Glenn Wright, US Air Force, 1962-1974
James Domenico, US Navy, 1973-1976
Janice Josephine Carney, U.S. Army 1969-1972 (Vietnam war veteran)
Russell Brown, US Marines, 1966-68
Priscilla J Leach, US Coast Guard Reserve, 1982-94
Ray Reese, US Marine Corps 1956-1962
Ray Albrecht, US Army, 1974 - 1977
Christopher G. Wales, USN, 1980-1986
Marlon Moore, US Navy, 1990-1999
James C. Branch, US Navy, 1985-1996
Thomas Easley, US Army, 1972-1974
Dennis Lambert, US Army, 1992-2000
Douglas A. Stuart, US Army, 1968-1970 (Vietnam war veteran)
Gary E. May, US Marines, 1967-1968 (Vietnam war veteran)
Emanuele Vorso, US Air Force (Retired)
William Miniutti USMC 1968-1970 (Vietnam war veteran)
James Reagan Marcroft-Clark, US Marines, 1996-2000
Maxwell Burgess, US Navy, 1979-1984
April Adams, US Army, 1990-2000
Tom Palumbo, US Army & Reserves, 1978-1992
Russell Bates, US Navy, 1967-1970
Tariq Khan, US Air Force, 1996-2000
Paul Appell, US Army, 1968-1971 (Vietnam war veteran)
Reese Forbes, US Army, 1968-1970
Vernon Haltom, US Air Force, 1986-1992
George Waldman, US Air Force, 1960-1969
Carolyn Rowan, US Air Force, 1976-1978
Steven M Cross, US Army, 1970 – 1972 (Vietnam war veteran)
Michael Mangini, US Army, 1979-1983
Deston Denniston US Army, 1988-1990
Nate Goldshlag, US Army 1970-1972
M. Lara Hoke, US Navy, 1990-1994
Colin Jenkins, US Army, 1994-1998
Bill Mattis, US Marines, 1969 - 1971
Adolph L. Biel II, US Navy, Vietman Era
Aubrey Deloney, US Navy, 1996-2000
Charles Dean Pleasant Jr., US Air Force, 1972-1976
Jeannie Ramsey, US Navy, 1974-1976
George R. Jenkins, US Army, 1965-1967 (Vietnam war veteran)

…add your name to this open letter to the National Guard by emailing your name, branch and dates of service to info@marchforward.org

Source:

Open letter: Veterans' appeal to National Guard: "Stand with Ferguson protesters, not the police!" →marchforward.org

 

[loyola llothta]

 

[loyola llothta]

ALWAYS remember In 1999, Missouri Gave the KKK An Adopt-A-Highway Sign.

Vandalized Rosa Parks highway sign in St. Louis County to be replaced

January 20, 2012

A highway sign honoring civil rights figure Rosa Parks on Interstate 55 in south St. Louis County was repaired this morning after it was discovered spray-painted with the letters, "KKK."

Kara Price, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Transportation, said a portion of the sign along southbound Interstate 55 south of Interstate 270 was reattached after workers removed the damaged part and removed the paint.

Price said police discovered the vandalized sign about 10 p.m. Thursday and called MoDOT. Price said workers then removed the lower half of the sign where the initials for the Ku Klux Klan had been painted. The defaced part of the sign was cleaned and went back up this morning.


A new sign will be made to replace the repaired sign, Price said. Making and installing the sign will cost about $275, which is expected to take a couple of weeks. Price said the sign will be replaced because it still shows some damage. The sign had dents and holes but police weren't sure if they were caused by vandals.
"They want to get that sign replaced in respect to her," Price said.


Parks was a black woman who refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus in 1955, a move that marked a crucial chapter in the civil rights movement.


Supporters and opponents of the KKK clashed for years over the group's "adoption" of highways in Missouri. Groups that adopt highways are supposed to pick up litter in exchange for getting a sign crediting them for their efforts.

In 1994, the state denied a request for a stretch of I-55 in St. Louis to be named after the KKK. After a protracted court fight, the state installed a sign noting the KKK's adoption of a stretch of I-55 in south St. Louis County on Nov. 30, 1999. Someone sawed it down that night.


On Feb. 10, 2000, a few hours after the state put the sign back up, a man from Park Hills, Mo., sawed it down again. Police arrested him, but the state never replaced the sign.
A few weeks later, state lawmakers named that stretch of highway after Parks. The U.S. Supreme court later ruled that Missouri could not stop the KKK fro

Source:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...9bb30f31a.html

 

[loyola llothta]

Audio: https://www.dropbox.com/s/b7rn8n6hhv...18.14.m4a?dl=0

 

[NSSVO]

I can't say do some radical things, especially being on the other side of the world, but I do salute and commend others doing what they have to do to be heard. Be safe and be fearless for those who can't. God bless brothers.

 

[loyola llothta]

Repost

 

[loyola llothta]

Repost

The 10 Kinds of Trolls You Will Encounter When Talking About Mike Brown

If you're paying attention to the events unfolding in Ferguson -- and by God, you better be -- then you probably already know there is a group of people in this country of ours who are determined to change the focus of the conversation about the killing of Mike Brown and the subsequent protests, attempting to shift the lens away from the Constitutional rights of U.S. citizens and the killing of a black teenager. If you're reading this, you probably already know the folks I'm talking about. But here they are. #Staywoke .

The Full-Blown Racist Troll
Block on sight. Some of them are friends of your Facebook friends -- block them. Some of them are your Facebook friends. Many of them are accounts like the one I have screenshotted below: anonymous and relying on blatantly racist language, such as blackface imagery, monkey references, use of the N-word, etc. These have exploded over the last week. We're talking hundreds. I've been using Twitter avidly for years and I can't recall ever seeing quite this much racist bile taking over an event-related hashtag (#Ferguson ) as I have this week. Block them and report them for spam immediately.

The "Wait for Evidence" Troll
This troll may or may not be anonymous and pretends to be focused on respecting and upholding the law. "We don't know what happened yet," they say, "wait for evidence before you lambast an officer of the law." They pretend that things like racism, police brutality, police corruption, etc. don't exist and insist that if concrete evidence is released, they will be swayed to feel "sympathy" for Mike Brown. But they won't. When evidence arises, they find objection to its relevance or veracity. They then transform into The "Mike Brown Shouldn't Have [insert human action here]" Troll, to follow.

The "Mike Brown Shouldn't Have [insert human action here]" Troll
This troll (and the others as well) will go great lengths to justify the taking of black life. "He shouldn't have run," "he shouldn't have been sagging," "he shouldn't have been walking down the middle of the street," "he shouldn't have stolen something." These trolls come in all races and will insist that when a police officer (or a homeowner, or a security guard) assaults a person of color, that person must have done something to deserve it. The fact that Mike Brown was shot at least 6 times doesn't register as overkill, even when two of those shots were in the head. They will also extend effort to paint Ferguson as a ghetto, where this kind of thing happens all the time. Nope. Ferguson, Missouri had zero murders.

The "Police Are the Good Guys" Troll
These folks have a blissfully naïve version of police in their heads, the one fed to them since they were children that says police are the good guys and that no matter what they do, they must have had a reason. These people have no concept -- or pretend to have no concept -- of the depth of white supremacy and the way it is ingrained in every facet of our culture... even our police. Because they believe the police are always right -- and usually because they also believe that groups of black people are inherently violent -- they have no qualms about police dressed in military gear, sitting on tanks and tear-gassing American citizens. 'Murica. You may also hear these trolls say, "What about due process?" Well... we would proceed with due process. If they would actually arrest Darren Wilson. Which they haven't. So...

The "Violence Just Begets More Violence" Troll
These people are the riot-shamers. They roll out the word "looters!" at every chance and are not interested in the fact that only a small number of people at the protests have actively looted, or that Ferguson protestors actually locked arms to prevent said looting. These trolls hide behind anonymous accounts, they masquerade as sane coworkers, and they work for CNN and other major media outlets. They focus on the "unrest" in Ferguson and talk about it out of context in an attempt to 1) divert attention away from the killing of an unarmed black teenager and/or 2) disguise their lack of critical thought. As Mia McKenzie of Black Girl Dangerous said so well in this post:"a community pushing back against a murderous police force that is terrorizing them is not a 'riot.' It's an uprising. It's a rebellion. It's a community saying We can't take this anymore. We won't take it. It's people who have been dehumanized to the point of rightful rage. And it happens all over the world. Uprisings and rebellions are necessary and inevitable, locally and globally. This is not to say that actual riots don't happen. White folks riot at sporting events, for example. Riots happen. But people rising up in righteous anger and rage in the face of oppression should not be dismissed as simply a 'riot.'"

The Concern Troll
These are among the more passive aggressive trolls you will encounter. They not only target victims like Mike Brown with statements like "I wish he hadn't stolen those cigars: he might be alive," but target the community as well, saying things like "Should they really be out there protesting with little kids? I worry about that kind of parenting."
Let me make one thing clear in case you weren't sure: these people aren't worried about the children of Ferguson. They're not actually "concerned" at all," despite their title. These people employ words like "worry" and "I wish" and "concern" to communicate their disapproval of black people doing anything besides playing the Martin Baker role. If they were actuallyconcerned, they would see the images of police with hidden badge numbers, tear-gassing eight-year old girls, and be concerned about the escalation of violence police in Ferguson are responsible for.

The "But What About Black on Black Crime!" Troll
Yes, 85 percent of violent crime against black people is perpetuated by other black people. But guess what? The exact same is true for violent crime committed against white people: the vast majority of those crimes are committed by other white people. People who use the term "black on black crime" either 1) work for Fox News, 2) are seeking to portray black people as violent and out of control, and/or 3) seek to portray black people as only caring about black lives when there is a way to blame white people. Let's run that back: 1) If they work for Fox News...you already know. 2) If we're going to make sweeping statements about people being violent and out of control, perhaps we should focus on young white males. 3) Anyone who would fit with#3 is not interested in facts, otherwise they would be aware of the vast number of organizations and movements to end gun violence in black neighborhoods... spearheaded by black people. The real motivation behind this troll (and all of them really) is to distract from the matter at hand, and that's that an unarmed black teen is dead.

The "Don't Make This A Racial Issue!" Troll
These are the pearl-clutchers. "This could have happened to anyone! Let's not make this a racial issue and instead focus on getting this cop off the street!" Yes, we should focus on getting this cop off the street, but we must also focus on the conditions that made this killing possible, and that is one of racism, white supremacy, and police violence that has been being built and rebuilt since the birth of this country. No, this wouldn't have just happened to anyone. A black male is killed by police every 28 hours in America. This is a racial issue.
These trolls will also accuse you of being racist for talking about racism and start quoting to you all the times black people perpetuated "reverse racism" against white people. Suggested action? Block and keep it moving.

The Misinformation Bots
These are particularly dangerous and I have seen a lot of them in the past week. I won't speculate on where they come from -- although I have a fairly good idea -- but their sole purpose is to spread misinformation about Mike Brown and Darren Wilson, targeting people tweeting under the #Ferguson and #MikeBrown hashtags and sending them to false articles on homemade websites about alternate eyewitnesses that saw Brown attack Wilson, etc. Don't engage with these people: they likely get paid for it. Report them as spam and, you guessed it: keep it moving.

The "I Wish We Could All Just Get Along" Troll
These trolls might mean well. They might. But that doesn't mean they're not trolls. You post/tweet an article and they tweet back, "This is all really bad, but I wish this wasn't happening. Can't we all just get along?" They're trolling you. We all wish we could get along. But right now a boy is dead and is receiving no justice by the system that supposedly exists to protect him. Injecting Pollyanna-isms aren't helping anyone. If you really want to help and the frontlines aren't for you, just donate to the Michael Brown Memorial Fund. And stay out of the way.
This isn't an exhaustive list. When a black person is killed in America, trolls come out of the woodwork in an attempt to justify or distract from the taking of that life. After finishing this post, I'm not even sure "troll" is the right word, but I'm not sure if I have a better one either. Weights, perhaps. Cinder blocks shackled to the rising tide of Americans who want better, believe in better; who see the killing of another black kid in America and say "enough." These people are not merely trolls. "Troll" implies something harmless, a faceless entity in the underbelly of the Internet. These people are not harmless. They are part of the problem. Unfortunately I don't have a solution for the problem they pose: they are not interested in self-education. They are not interested in empathy. They are not interested in challenging the worldview that has tucked them in at night and told them the police are here for our protection and that black people deserve what they get. They are interested only in standing very still, while the rest of us move forward. All I can say is this: move on without them. Block, report, and move on without them. Even when they're friends.

Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia...?utm_hp_ref=tw

 

[loyola llothta]

2 Men Walk Free After Nearly 40 Years Behind Bars


Two men imprisoned for nearly four decades walked free on Friday after being exonerated in a 1975 murder because the key witness against them ? a then-13-year-old boy recanted his testimony.

Earlier a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge dismissed the cases against Ricky Jackson, 57, and Wiley Bridgeman, 60. The witness recanted last year and said Cleveland police detectives coerced him into testifying that the men, along with Bridgeman's brother, killed businessman Harry Franks on May 19, 1975.

Cuyahoga County prosecutors on Thursday filed the motion to dismiss all charges against the three men, who initially were sentenced to death. Ronnie Bridgeman, 57, who is now known as Kwame Ajamu, was released from prison in January 2003. He attended the other two men's hearings Friday.

When he dismissed Jackson's case, Judge Richard McMonagle said, "Life is filled with small victories, and this is a big one."

"The English language doesn't even fit what I'm feeling," Jackson said as he exited the building Friday. "I'm on an emotional high. You sit in prison for so long and think about this day but when it actually comes you don't know what you're going to do, you just want to do something."

Bridgeman, 60, said he never lost hope that he would be freed for good.

"You keep struggling, you keep trying," he said.

Bridgeman embraced his brother Ajamu as he walked out of the courthouse. He seemed overwhelmed by the whirlwind of the past few days, saying he wasn't sure what the future holds, outside of a celebratory fish dinner.

"Stick with me. You'll be all right," Ajamu said. "I ain't never going to let you go."

Jackson and his lawyers planned to celebrate Friday at a hotel. Asked where he was going to live, Jackson replied: "It's ironic. For 39 years, I've had a place to stay. Now, you know, that's precarious."

Ajamu said in an interview Thursday that the prospect of the three being together again is "mind boggling." Ajamu spent his 18th birthday on death row and was in prison when his mother, a brother and a sister died.

"The idea that my brother ? both of those guys are my brothers ? are getting out? I don't even care about me," Ajamu said.

The three were sentenced to death under an Ohio capital punishment law that was declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978.

The Bridgemans' death sentences were commuted to life in prison after the ruling. Jackson's sentence was commuted in 1977 because of a mistake in jury instructions.

The three-year process that led to their exonerations began with a story published in Scene Magazine in 2011 that detailed flaws in the case, including Eddie Vernon's questionable testimony. Vernon, now 52, did not recant until a minister visited him at a hospital in 2013. Vernon broke down during a court hearing for Jackson on Tuesday as he described the threats by detectives and the burden of guilt he had carried for so long.

Attempts to locate Vernon for comment on Friday were unsuccessful.

Jackson said he holds no animosity toward Vernon.

"It took a lot of courage to do what he did," he said. "He's been carrying a burden around for 39 years, like we have. But in the end, he came through, and I'm grateful for that."

The Ohio Innocence Project took up Jackson's cause after the Scene article even though there was no DNA evidence, the hallmark of Innocence Project cases. A Cleveland attorney represented Bridgeman and Ajamu.

Joe Frolik, a spokesman for county prosecutor Tim McGinty, declined to comment on Thursday except to reiterate a statement McGinty made Tuesday: "The state concedes the obvious."

 

[Nefflum nigga]

what makes that even more powerful,
during slavery in st.louis.

they sold, tortured and lynched black and mulatto slaves in front of that very courthouse....

 

[Nefflum nigga]

Repost

The 10 Kinds of Trolls You Will Encounter When Talking About Mike Brown

If you're paying attention to the events unfolding in Ferguson -- and by God, you better be -- then you probably already know there is a group of people in this country of ours who are determined to change the focus of the conversation about the killing of Mike Brown and the subsequent protests, attempting to shift the lens away from the Constitutional rights of U.S. citizens and the killing of a black teenager. If you're reading this, you probably already know the folks I'm talking about. But here they are. #Staywoke .

The Full-Blown Racist Troll
Block on sight. Some of them are friends of your Facebook friends -- block them. Some of them are your Facebook friends. Many of them are accounts like the one I have screenshotted below: anonymous and relying on blatantly racist language, such as blackface imagery, monkey references, use of the N-word, etc. These have exploded over the last week. We're talking hundreds. I've been using Twitter avidly for years and I can't recall ever seeing quite this much racist bile taking over an event-related hashtag (#Ferguson ) as I have this week. Block them and report them for spam immediately.

The "Wait for Evidence" Troll
This troll may or may not be anonymous and pretends to be focused on respecting and upholding the law. "We don't know what happened yet," they say, "wait for evidence before you lambast an officer of the law." They pretend that things like racism, police brutality, police corruption, etc. don't exist and insist that if concrete evidence is released, they will be swayed to feel "sympathy" for Mike Brown. But they won't. When evidence arises, they find objection to its relevance or veracity. They then transform into The "Mike Brown Shouldn't Have [insert human action here]" Troll, to follow.

The "Mike Brown Shouldn't Have [insert human action here]" Troll
This troll (and the others as well) will go great lengths to justify the taking of black life. "He shouldn't have run," "he shouldn't have been sagging," "he shouldn't have been walking down the middle of the street," "he shouldn't have stolen something." These trolls come in all races and will insist that when a police officer (or a homeowner, or a security guard) assaults a person of color, that person must have done something to deserve it. The fact that Mike Brown was shot at least 6 times doesn't register as overkill, even when two of those shots were in the head. They will also extend effort to paint Ferguson as a ghetto, where this kind of thing happens all the time. Nope. Ferguson, Missouri had zero murders.

The "Police Are the Good Guys" Troll
These folks have a blissfully naïve version of police in their heads, the one fed to them since they were children that says police are the good guys and that no matter what they do, they must have had a reason. These people have no concept -- or pretend to have no concept -- of the depth of white supremacy and the way it is ingrained in every facet of our culture... even our police. Because they believe the police are always right -- and usually because they also believe that groups of black people are inherently violent -- they have no qualms about police dressed in military gear, sitting on tanks and tear-gassing American citizens. 'Murica. You may also hear these trolls say, "What about due process?" Well... we would proceed with due process. If they would actually arrest Darren Wilson. Which they haven't. So...

The "Violence Just Begets More Violence" Troll
These people are the riot-shamers. They roll out the word "looters!" at every chance and are not interested in the fact that only a small number of people at the protests have actively looted, or that Ferguson protestors actually locked arms to prevent said looting. These trolls hide behind anonymous accounts, they masquerade as sane coworkers, and they work for CNN and other major media outlets. They focus on the "unrest" in Ferguson and talk about it out of context in an attempt to 1) divert attention away from the killing of an unarmed black teenager and/or 2) disguise their lack of critical thought. As Mia McKenzie of Black Girl Dangerous said so well in this post:"a community pushing back against a murderous police force that is terrorizing them is not a 'riot.' It's an uprising. It's a rebellion. It's a community saying We can't take this anymore. We won't take it. It's people who have been dehumanized to the point of rightful rage. And it happens all over the world. Uprisings and rebellions are necessary and inevitable, locally and globally. This is not to say that actual riots don't happen. White folks riot at sporting events, for example. Riots happen. But people rising up in righteous anger and rage in the face of oppression should not be dismissed as simply a 'riot.'"

The Concern Troll
These are among the more passive aggressive trolls you will encounter. They not only target victims like Mike Brown with statements like "I wish he hadn't stolen those cigars: he might be alive," but target the community as well, saying things like "Should they really be out there protesting with little kids? I worry about that kind of parenting."
Let me make one thing clear in case you weren't sure: these people aren't worried about the children of Ferguson. They're not actually "concerned" at all," despite their title. These people employ words like "worry" and "I wish" and "concern" to communicate their disapproval of black people doing anything besides playing the Martin Baker role. If they were actuallyconcerned, they would see the images of police with hidden badge numbers, tear-gassing eight-year old girls, and be concerned about the escalation of violence police in Ferguson are responsible for.

The "But What About Black on Black Crime!" Troll
Yes, 85 percent of violent crime against black people is perpetuated by other black people. But guess what? The exact same is true for violent crime committed against white people: the vast majority of those crimes are committed by other white people. People who use the term "black on black crime" either 1) work for Fox News, 2) are seeking to portray black people as violent and out of control, and/or 3) seek to portray black people as only caring about black lives when there is a way to blame white people. Let's run that back: 1) If they work for Fox News...you already know. 2) If we're going to make sweeping statements about people being violent and out of control, perhaps we should focus on young white males. 3) Anyone who would fit with#3 is not interested in facts, otherwise they would be aware of the vast number of organizations and movements to end gun violence in black neighborhoods... spearheaded by black people. The real motivation behind this troll (and all of them really) is to distract from the matter at hand, and that's that an unarmed black teen is dead.

The "Don't Make This A Racial Issue!" Troll
These are the pearl-clutchers. "This could have happened to anyone! Let's not make this a racial issue and instead focus on getting this cop off the street!" Yes, we should focus on getting this cop off the street, but we must also focus on the conditions that made this killing possible, and that is one of racism, white supremacy, and police violence that has been being built and rebuilt since the birth of this country. No, this wouldn't have just happened to anyone. A black male is killed by police every 28 hours in America. This is a racial issue.
These trolls will also accuse you of being racist for talking about racism and start quoting to you all the times black people perpetuated "reverse racism" against white people. Suggested action? Block and keep it moving.

The Misinformation Bots
These are particularly dangerous and I have seen a lot of them in the past week. I won't speculate on where they come from -- although I have a fairly good idea -- but their sole purpose is to spread misinformation about Mike Brown and Darren Wilson, targeting people tweeting under the #Ferguson and #MikeBrown hashtags and sending them to false articles on homemade websites about alternate eyewitnesses that saw Brown attack Wilson, etc. Don't engage with these people: they likely get paid for it. Report them as spam and, you guessed it: keep it moving.

The "I Wish We Could All Just Get Along" Troll
These trolls might mean well. They might. But that doesn't mean they're not trolls. You post/tweet an article and they tweet back, "This is all really bad, but I wish this wasn't happening. Can't we all just get along?" They're trolling you. We all wish we could get along. But right now a boy is dead and is receiving no justice by the system that supposedly exists to protect him. Injecting Pollyanna-isms aren't helping anyone. If you really want to help and the frontlines aren't for you, just donate to the Michael Brown Memorial Fund. And stay out of the way.
This isn't an exhaustive list. When a black person is killed in America, trolls come out of the woodwork in an attempt to justify or distract from the taking of that life. After finishing this post, I'm not even sure "troll" is the right word, but I'm not sure if I have a better one either. Weights, perhaps. Cinder blocks shackled to the rising tide of Americans who want better, believe in better; who see the killing of another black kid in America and say "enough." These people are not merely trolls. "Troll" implies something harmless, a faceless entity in the underbelly of the Internet. These people are not harmless. They are part of the problem. Unfortunately I don't have a solution for the problem they pose: they are not interested in self-education. They are not interested in empathy. They are not interested in challenging the worldview that has tucked them in at night and told them the police are here for our protection and that black people deserve what they get. They are interested only in standing very still, while the rest of us move forward. All I can say is this: move on without them. Block, report, and move on without them. Even when they're friends.

Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia...?utm_hp_ref=tw

we have encountered every troll on that list....in these two ferguson threads

 

[loyola llothta]

Ferguson 2014

1,000 police officers, 400 National Guard troops, 100 FBI agents, Homeland Security vehicles, and a state of emergency all before the grand jury’s decision is announced.

Mike Brown was murdered 105 days ago. Darren Wilson hasn’t been arrested.

VonDerrit Myers was murdered 44 days ago. Jason Flanery hasn’t been arrested.

Kajieme Powell was murdered 96 days ago. The TWO (still unnamed) officers haven’t been arrested.

 

[loyola llothta]

we have encountered every troll on that list....in these two ferguson threads

We about to see more in the coming days

 

[loyola llothta]

Nov. 21

• Police lied. Mike Brown was killed 148 ft. away from Darren Wilson’s SUV
• Darren Wilson in talks to resign; grand jury decision nears
• Michael Brown Sr. discusses moving STL forward (video)
• Ferguson grand jurors are not barred from following news about Fergusonbut are only allowed to use evidence they’ve seen in session to reach a decision
• These Ferguson protesters have become some of the movement’s most prominent voices

 

[loyola llothta]

Nov. 21 Part2

• Long before Ferguson, authorities feared riots at MLK’s March on Washington
• FBI sends 100 agents to Ferguson ahead of grand jury decision
• AG Holder frustrated with Gov. Nixon over actions before grand jury decision
• AG Holder issues new police guidance
• "Assata Taught Me" hoodie. Proceeds go to Millennial AU.
• Kansas City students walk out of Gov. Nixon’s speech