Speaking as not only a resident of St. Louis, but as a person who grew up in and around Ferguson:
I think the main issue in the Mike Brown shooting was largely overlooked by the black community: over-policing, rather than just police brutality. I said it then and I'll say it now: Mike Brown was stopped for no reason, but he acted dumb with the wrong cop and got shot. Officer Wilson was wrong to escalate the situation (and was known to have conduct issues when he worked for Jennings PD), but they both had their part to play in the situation.
The shooting was a result of a larger problem of police officers and legal officials being enabled to harass low-income African-Americans for the purpose of increasing revenues for many of the municipalities in St. Louis County. Officers were often encouraged to stop pretty much anyone in traffic or on the street to check for warrants and/or write tickets. I have been a victim of this as well, and I've personally paid over $1800 in fines to Ferguson, Florissant, and other municipalities since the age of 17 for traffic-related offenses.
Here's the DOJ report done on the Ferguson Police Department. I read the whole thing, and it was no surprise to me that they found gross misconduct among police and legal officials. It was this kind of environment that enabled Mike Brown to get shot in the way he did.
I think the main issue in the Mike Brown shooting was largely overlooked by the black community: over-policing, rather than just police brutality. I said it then and I'll say it now: Mike Brown was stopped for no reason, but he acted dumb with the wrong cop and got shot. Officer Wilson was wrong to escalate the situation (and was known to have conduct issues when he worked for Jennings PD), but they both had their part to play in the situation.
The shooting was a result of a larger problem of police officers and legal officials being enabled to harass low-income African-Americans for the purpose of increasing revenues for many of the municipalities in St. Louis County. Officers were often encouraged to stop pretty much anyone in traffic or on the street to check for warrants and/or write tickets. I have been a victim of this as well, and I've personally paid over $1800 in fines to Ferguson, Florissant, and other municipalities since the age of 17 for traffic-related offenses.
Here's the DOJ report done on the Ferguson Police Department. I read the whole thing, and it was no surprise to me that they found gross misconduct among police and legal officials. It was this kind of environment that enabled Mike Brown to get shot in the way he did.
Holy shyt what a cuck.
