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BamaD -> RE: The Grand Jury has decided in Ferguson (12/1/2014 9:17:34 PM)
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ORIGINAL: Zonie63
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ORIGINAL: kdsub
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Some people seem to want the same thing here for America, where the police can go around and shoot anyone they want and no one should question them for it.
The Ferguson police were and are an excellent department that received an excellent score from the citizens of Ferguson when polled just before this incident.. Things do not change overnight. Police are not the problem. The kid was a criminal and a punk that thought he could bully a cop the same way he did the store clerk...Evidence supports the story of the police officer and all fair minded people understand this.
I was mainly referring to the comparison made to the Soviet Union and similar societies in which the police were given a great deal of deference. We question our government in the United States. We scrutinize the mechanisms and apparatus of state power to such a degree that's absolutely unheard of in genuine police states and places where they actually have "show trials." To imply that questioning the actions of the police or making them accountable for what they do is something they only do in police states is a pretty ludicrous argument to make in such a discussion.
Now, for whatever reason, whenever someone makes pointed criticisms of the police or questions their use of force, there are those who choose to take offense at this. This is something I just don't understand. I just don't understand the "mystique" behind the police that some people seem to have for them, as if they're somehow supposed to be viewed as far and above us mere mortals.
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This was however the catalyst that released the frustration of African Americans in Ferguson and those in similar circumstances throughout the country. What they fail to realize is that the problems are with them... not outside. Change does need to happen and only they can do it for themselves. Their situation in life will not change until they keep their children in school... keep them off the street... teach them respect for all people including the police...Aid the police in solving crime...and VOTE and above all stop blaming white people for their problems and learn to solve them themselves.
Butch
Butch, I don't think it's as specific as this particular community or even something that has to become racial. I think the media are playing up the racial aspects far too much here. If an ATF agent shot an 18-year-old white kid in rural Texas, I would see it just the same way. I would expect the relevant government agencies to investigate and demonstrate beyond the shadow of a doubt that there was absolutely, positively no other way of dealing with the situation which led to the confrontation and shooting.
I think the public wants and deserves to get honest answers and a transparent government. But as far as the problems being "with them" and "not outside," what does that mean? Granted, Ferguson Missouri might be over 1000 miles from me and four states away, but it's within the same country in which I live. If it was in Mexico or China, then it might be different. Then it would be a problem for "them" to fix, not for "outsiders" like us. But in this case, there is no "them" here. It's all "us" and we're all on the "inside."
The two of us who have spoken most about show trials were saying at the beginning of this to wait till all the evidence came in. I, at least, and Aylee I believe, neither attacked nor defended Wilson. Now the evidence has come in and the courts have spoken. Two of those who are saying that they want an open trial have admitted that the Wilson case isn't the point and want the trial to go after what they see as systemic problems in law enforcement. When you have a trial not because of the incident the trial is alleged to be about but to showcase a political view that is a show trial. This is the kind of trial we are talking about. If and individual officer commits an offense they are just as culpable as anyone else. If you want to change the department VOTE, don't riot and don't try individuals to make a grander political point.
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