“FERGUSON EFFECT”

Trevor Noah took aim at what has been described as the “Ferguson Effect” on Monday, sarcastically telling viewers that police are merely afraid of being treated unfairly because of whom they are and how they look.

“People following them around with cameras watching everything they do, suspicious that they’re always afraid to break the law, leaving police afraid to even get out of their cars for fear that someone might whip out a phone and brutally film them. Who can imagine how that must feel?” he said. “If you listen carefully, all the police are saying is, ‘Phones down, don’t shoot.'”

The term has been used to explain violent crime increases in some US cities, arguing that officers have been cowed into not doing their jobs “proactively” for fear that they would be recorded by witnesses and subsequently accused of using excessive force.

Last week, FBI Director James Comey described it as “a chill wind blowing through American law enforcement,” a statement that led to him being rebuked by President Barack Obama. Earlier in the day, Obama told NBC News that Comey was using “anecdotal” evidence, and that there was no statistical evidence backing up his theory.





Similarly, Noah cited a study by the American Psychological Association that stated that it is “too soon” to blame any crime increases on increased scrutiny of police, since crime has been declining for the past 20 years.

“But these are just facts,” Noah warned. “They don’t count. It doesn’t matter what the facts are. The only thing that matters is how the police feel.”

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Blogger-In-Chief

Roger West

AS TOLD FROM A COPS PERSPECTIVE

Former Baltimore cop who has since blown the whistle on abuse and corruption he witnessed on the force and called the prosecutor in the Mike Brown case corrupt.

Michael Wood, who was a police officer for 11 years before retiring with an injury last year, blasted onto the national scene last month when he began tweeting illegal and violent things he saw his colleagues do to citizens.

On Wednesday, Wood went on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast to discuss law enforcement. When discussing the need for due process in police shootings, Wood called Robert McCulloch, the prosecutor who led the investigation into the shooting by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson of unarmed black teenager Mike Brown, a criminal.

“He’s a criminal. He criminally covered up that indictment. There’s no way around it,” Wood said. “That’s what they did and no one seemed to care.”

When asked to explain by Rogan, Wood pointed to a saying that “you can indict a ham and cheese sandwich.”

The job of the prosecutor when pursuing an indictment is to “select the evidence that will get the charge,” he said.

“So the way that system actually is, is if there’s four of us in the room right now, if three of us think he did it and one doesn’t, we don’t even listen to the one that doesn’t,” Wood explained. “If you’re not a reliable witness you don’t even come in for the indictment.”

Instead, McCulloch selected unreliable witnesses that tainted it, when he should have brought in evidence and witnesses that were consistent, Wood said.

“And you would have had an indictment. And you would have had a trial,” Wood said.

The former cop said he believed Wilson ultimately would have been exonerated because from a law enforcement perspective, the shooting was justified.

“We would have at least heard the case. The problem is, the police walk away with nothing. That’s why when you see the indictments — South Carolina, there was no uprising,” he said.

In June, a grand jury indicted Michael Slager, a white South Carolina police officer, for murder. Slager was caught on video shooting unarmed Walter Scott in the back while he ran away.





Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream


Similarly, six police officers were charged by Maryland Attorney General Marilyn Mosby in the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who died of serious injuries while being transported in their police van.

Part of the problem with policing, he said, is that officers are ingrained with fear early on and feel everyone is a threat.

“They run around with fear, and they will shoot in a heartbeat because they are so afraid,” he said.

In a June interview with the Washington Post, Wood described an awakening he had while working as a police officer in which he realized he was part of a system that was biased and wrong. While doing surveillance, Wood discovered how much he had in common with people the police department often targeted.

“You start to see the cycle of how these kids get put in the system at a young age, often for doing nothing wrong, and how that limits their options, which pushes them into selling drugs or other crime,” he said. “You start to see that they never had a chance.”

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Blogger-In-Chief
Roger West

DORIAN JOHNSON SUES FERGUSON POLICE GETS ARRESTED FOR HIS EFFORT

This past Tuesday, Dorian Johnson filed a lawsuit against the Ferguson Police Department alleging that they assaulted him, inflicted emotional pain, and violated his constitutional rights during and after the incident in which he witnessed the shooting death of Michael Brown. The following day, Johnson and his brother were arrested by the neighboring St. Louis Police Metropolitan Department — for allegedly interfering with an arrest.

Police said they reported to the scene after they received a tip about a “large group possibly with firearms.” But he was also reportedly suspected of illegal narcotics, because he was holding a drink believed to be a mix of cough medicine and other illegal drugs. The mixture later tested negative for narcotics.

Lauren Trager, spokeswoman for the circuit, told the Riverfront Times that “A drug charge was brought to our office. It was refused by our office.”

Johnson was nonetheless arrested on misdemeanor charges of “resisting or interfering with arrest/detention/stop.” The charging document stated that Dorian, “ran toward PO N.S. and demanded that PO N.S. remove his hands from Demonte Johnson.”

“Dorian Johnson further stated that the police could not arrest any of them,” the officer’s probable cause statement explains. “I was then able to grab Dorian Johnson before he could make contact with PO N.S. Dorian Johnson then struggled with me and tried to pry himself away from me. I had to physically struggle with Dorian Johnson until I was able take him to the ground and get handcuffs on him.”

Johnson’s arrest fits with a pattern of witnesses to prominent police brutality incidents facing arrest, and many on Twitter immediately called it out as “predictable,” questioning the source of the original tip.

Just last week, the man who filmed the police arrest of Freddie Gray was arrested without police offering an explanation or stating what the charges were. He was released later that night, but the two friends arrested with him from the group Cop Watch remained in custody.

And the man who filmed the police chokehold of Eric Garner was likewise arrested shortly after that video became public. Eric Orta was charged on two counts of criminal possession of a semiautomatic handgun and trying to give the firearm to a teenager on the street, and just released from jail last month, after supporters raised enough money for his bail through a crowd sourcing site. Both men say they were arrested in retaliation for their filming of the police. Orta even went on hunger strike in jail because he was afraid the staff would poison his food.

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Blogger-In-Chief

Roger West

DOJ LETS DARREN WILSON WALK EVICERATES FERGUSON POLICE AND COURT SYSTEM

FERGUSON PROTESTER BEING TREATED FOR TEAR GAS

Yesterday the Department of Justice announced they would not charge former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown last August. The Justice Department said that they could not prove that Wilson’s decision to shoot Brown was “objectively unreasonable.” To find that he was guilty of a civil right violation, they would have also had to prove that his actions were motivated by racial bias.




But the Department of Justice, in a separate investigation, did find a plethora of evidence of systemic racial bias throughout the Ferguson Police Department and local court system. Here are the 9 most egregious examples.

An African-American man lost his federal contracting job due to trumped up charges:

For example, in the summer of 2012, a 32-year-old African-American man sat in his car cooling off after playing basketball in a Ferguson public park. An officer pulled up behind the man’s car, blocking him in, and demanded the man’s Social Security number and identification. Without any cause, the officer accused the man of being a pedophile, referring to the presence of children in the park, and ordered the man out of his car for a pat-down, although the officer had no reason to believe the man was armed. The officer also asked to search the man’s car. The man objected, citing his constitutional rights. In response, the officer arrested the man, reportedly at gunpoint, charging him with eight violations of Ferguson’s municipal code…because of these charges, he lost his job as a contractor with the federal government that he had held for years. (2)

An African-American man was arrested because his wife asked officers a question:

In June 2014, an African-American couple who had taken their children to play at the park allowed their small children to urinate in the bushes next to their parked car. An officer stopped them, threatened to cite them for allowing the children to “expose themselves,” and checked the father for warrants. When the mother asked if the officer had to detain the father in front of the children, the officer turned to the father and said, “you’re going to jail because your wife keeps running her mouth.” (27)

An African-American man was tased for 20 seconds even though he made no aggressive movements and was unarmed:

In January 2013, a patrol sergeant stopped an African-American man after he saw the man talk to an individual in a truck and then walk away. The sergeant detained the man, although he did not articulate any reasonable suspicion that criminal activity was afoot. When the man declined to answer questions or submit to a frisk…the sergeant grabbed the man by the belt, drew his ECW, and ordered the man to comply. The man crossed his arms and objected that he had not done anything wrong. Video captured by the ECW’s built-in camera shows that the man made no aggressive movement toward the officer. The sergeant fired the ECW, applying a five-second cycle of electricity and causing the man to fall to the ground. The sergeant almost immediately applied the ECW again, which he later justified in his report by claiming that the man tried to stand up. The video makes clear, however, that the man never tried to stand—he only writhed in pain on the ground. (34)

A 14-year-old African-American girl who got into a verbal altercation with a classmate was tased by a School Resource Officer:

In one case, an SRO decided to arrest a 14-year-old African-American student at the Ferguson Middle School for Failure to Comply when the student refused to leave the classroom after getting into a trivial argument with another student. The situation escalated, resulting in the student being drive-stunned with an ECW in the classroom and the school seeking a 180-day suspension for the student. (37)

A Ferguson officer told an African-American man: “N*****, I can find something to lock you up on,” then slammed his face into a wall:

This documentary evidence of explicit racial bias is consistent with reports from community members indicating that some FPD officers use racial epithets in dealing with members of the public. We spoke with one African-American man who, in August 2014, had an argument in his apartment to which FPD officers responded, and was immediately pulled out of the apartment by force. After telling the officer, “you don’t have a reason to lock me up,” he claims the officer responded: “N*****, I can find something to lock you up on.” When the man responded, “good luck with that,” the officer slammed his face into the wall, and after the man fell to the floor, the officer said, “don’t pass out motherf****r because I’m not carrying you to my car.” (73)

Ferguson officers dismissed concerns about bias, blamed disparity on lack of “personal responsibility” among African-Americans:

Several Ferguson officials told us during our investigation that it is a lack of “personal responsibility” among African-American members of the Ferguson community that causes African Americans to experience disproportionate harm under Ferguson’s approach to law enforcement. Our investigation suggests that this explanation is at odd with the facts. (74)

A Ferguson officer called an African-American man standing outside of Wal-Mart a “stupid motherf*****,” while police lieutenant watched and did nothing:

In December 2011, for example, an African- American man alleged that as he was standing outside of Wal-Mart, an officer called him a “stupid motherf****r” and a “bastard.” According to the man, a lieutenant was on the scene and did nothing to reproach the officer, instead threatening to arrest the man. (80)

At the courthouse, a Ferguson officer mocked an African-American man as “hooked on phonics”:

In June 2011, a 60-year-old man complained that an officer verbally harassed him while he stood in line to see the judge in municipal court. According to the man, the officer repeatedly ordered him to move forward as the line advanced and, because he did not advance far enough, turned to the other court-goers and joked, “he is hooked on phonics.” (80)

Officers, court officials, and supervisors regularly exchanged blatantly racist emails:

• A November 2008 email stated that President Barack Obama would not be President for very long because “what black man holds a steady job for four years.”

• A March 2010 email mocked African Americans through speech and familial stereotypes, using a story involving child support. One line from the email read: “I be so glad that dis be my last child support payment! Month after month, year after year, all dose payments!”

• An April 2011 email depicted President Barack Obama as a chimpanzee.

• A May 2011 email stated: “An African-American woman in New Orleans was admitted into the hospital for a pregnancy termination. Two weeks later she received a check for $5,000. She phoned the hospital to ask who it was from. The hospital said, ‘Crimestoppers.’”

• A June 2011 email described a man seeking to obtain “welfare” for his dogs because they are “mixed in color, unemployed, lazy, can’t speak English and have no frigging clue who their Daddies are.”

• An October 2011 email included a photo of a bare-chested group of dancing women, apparently in Africa, with the caption, “Michelle Obama’s High School Reunion.”

• A December 2011 email included jokes that are based on offensive stereotypes about Muslims. (72)

Hey Chief Justice Roberts, thought you said racism was over in America? 

Ferguson Police Department, you are this weeks worst people in the world! 

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Blogger-In-Chief

Roger West

GRAND JUROR IN BROWN CASE SUES TO LIFT GAG ORDER

FERGUSON PROSECUTOR BOB MCCULLOCH

A Ferguson grand juror who heard the case of Darren Wilson previewed potentially scathing criticism of St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch, in a lawsuit alleging that McCulloch skewed the views of jurors when he delivered a lengthy public presentation to announce that the jury wouldn't file any charges against Wilson for killing Michael Brown.

The juror filed a federal lawsuit Monday anonymously to challenge a gag order that prevents him from talking about the grand juror proceedings at all. But even in this lawsuit seeking more permission to speak publicly, the juror dubbed “Grand Juror Doe” reveals a host of significant concerns about the case, and asserts he would have a whole lot more to say if permitted.

Among Grand Juror Doe’s concerns are that Wilson’s case was treated dramatically different than hundreds of other cases he heard during his grand jury service. In addition to prosecutors devoting exponentially more time to the case than most, Grand Juror Doe also believes McCulloch made the “insinuation that Brown, not Wilson, was the wrongdoer” and placed much more emphasis on the victim than in any other case he heard.

He also questions “whether the grand jury was clearly counseled on the law.” And he believes the skewed picture of grand jury deliberations to the public was exacerbated by how evidence was released. With “heavy redaction's and the absence of context, those records do not fully portray the proceedings before the grand jury,” the lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri asserts.

“Plaintiff would like to speak about the experience of being a grand juror, including expressing Plaintiff’s opinions about the evidence and the investigation, and believes Plaintiff’s experience could contribute to the current public dialogue concerning race relations,” the complaint states. “In Plaintiff’s view, the current information available about the grand jurors’ views is not entirely accurate—especially the implication that all grand jurors believed that there was no support for any charges. Moreover, the public characterization of the grand jurors’ view of witnesses and evidence does not accord with Plaintiff’s own.”

The issues raised by Grand Juror Doe have been raised by others before. As McCulloch delivered his grand jury announcement in an ill-timed evening press conference, many balked at the lengthy presentation of evidence that not only felt to many like a defense of Darren Wilson rather than an attempt to file charges against him; it also purported to explain the grand jurors’ decision even though McCulloch was not a part of grand jury deliberations. As Grand Juror Doe points out, a decision not to indict simply means an insufficient number of jurors wanted to file charges; it doesn't mean that jurors could not have vehemently disagreed in their decision, let alone about the reasons why.

Grand Juror Doe’s concern that jurors were not properly briefed on the law is also grounded in some facts that have already emerged. Among the issues that have come to public light: Assistant prosecutor Kathi Alizadeh instructed grand jurors on how to decide the case based on a statute that was invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court two decades ago. Months later, she handed corrected instructions to the jury without ever explaining what the error had been in the first ones.

And the notion that this grand jury case was not treated like the vast majority of others in the criminal justice system was among the first evident differences in this case and other recent cases involving police officers. Most grand jury cases involving defendants without the power or influence of police officers last a few days at the most. Prosecutors often present 40 indictments in a day, albeit not necessarily in homicide cases. That’s because the prosecutor’s burden is merely to establish that probable cause exists such that jurors can decide whether to indict — not to try the case.

But some legal experts pointed out that the grand jury presentation was treated more like a trial than an indictment, which makes it a particular problem that the process was shrouded in secrecy, because trials are inherently public proceedings. As University of Illinois criminal law expert Andrew Leipold said:

“If my client killed someone tomorrow and claimed it was in self-defense, he would be arrested and required to post bond while awaiting a grand jury decision. Then, the prosecutor would not be allowed to bring both sides of the story into the building.”

Other problems have been raised that are not even the subject of Grand Juror Doe’s lawsuit, including that McCulloch admitted to putting a witness on the stand whom he knew was lying. But Gov. Jay Nixon said he won’t exercise his power to appoint a new special prosecutor to file new charges; and no one expects McCulloch to exercise his own option to do so. There is one other avenue that could yield new charges against Darren Wilson: Under Missouri law, the presiding judge in that district could appoint a new special prosecutor at any time if she determines that the case was tainted by bias or conflict.

Grand Juror Doe’s lawsuit suggests there may have been other problems with the case that could be illuminated if a court lifted the gag order. In several other racially charged cases that have been the subject of public scrutiny, jurors who participated in actual trials have had the freedom to come forward after the trial was over. And they spoke publicly how Stand Your Ground and other expansive self-defense provisions played a role in the deliberations in the trials of George Zimmerman, Michael Dunn, and others. Behind the cloak of grand jury proceeding secrecy, we know much less about the proceedings that yield indictments in almost every single case.

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STAFF WRITER

The Suborned Perjury

PROSECUTOR SAYS HE IS OK WITH WITH LYING WITNESS

Robert McCulloch In His Pompous Ignorance Says Has No Regrets Letting Non-Credible Witnesses Testify:

After the news broke that a witness lied under oath to the grand jury that did not indict Officer Darren Wilson of the death of Michael Brown, St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch had admitted that while she should not have testified, he didn’t regret letting her onto the panel.

“Clearly some were not telling the truth,” he said to local radio station KTRS 550, referring to Sandra McElroy, known as “Witness 40.” McCulloch acknowledged that this “lady clearly wasn’t present,” and that “she recounted a story right out of the newspaper,”

Video Courtesy of MSNBC

However, “early on I decided that anyone who claimed to have witnessed anything would be presented to the grand jury,” and therefore he let McElroy testify.

Earlier this week, The Smoking Gun revealed that not only was McElroy nowhere near the neighborhood where Brown was shot by Wilson on the day of his death, but that McElroy had an extensive history of lying to police about witnessing high-profile cases. She also has a history of mental illness, and admitted to the grand jury that a car accident left her with faulty memory. Nevertheless, her testimony was not only allowed, but cited by many as credible proof that Wilson’s story was correct — despite evidence that she was simply repeating media reports of his account.

McCulloch was heavily criticized for his handling of the Brown case, specifically for taking it to a grand jury in the first place, and in an unprecedented move, releasing all the available evidence to the public after the grand jury failed to indict Wilson.

Fact: McElroy was the only witness with a record of lying to the police about being a witness to shootings. Yes, she is pathological with lying to police. She was disproved by the feds and McCullough put her on the stand anyway. McElroy's testimony muddied the waters.

McCullough's job was to present factual evidence, either for or against. His job was to work ethically without malice aforethought. McCulloch operated more like Wilson's defense attorney rather than being an impartial entity. 

This prosecutors malfeasance ebbs into the absurd. McCulloch should be stripped of his elected office and he should be disbarred from ever being able to operate in the court of law again, that is unless he himself is being prosecuted for his wrongs. Sleep well Robert McCulloch, sleep well.

They ultimate suborned perjury.

Robert McCulloch, congratulations Einstein, you are today's worst person in the world.

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Blogger-In-Chief

Roger West

POLICE IN CLEVELAND DEMAND APOLOGY

ANDREW HAWKINS SUPPORTING TAMIR RICE AND JOHN CRAWFORD

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins became the latest player to join on-field protests against recent police shootings of black men on Sunday, when he walked onto the field with a t-shirt that read “Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford” over his jersey.

Rice was the 12-year-old who Cleveland police shot in November after they received calls that he was playing with a toy gun in a park near his home; Crawford was killed by police in August in an Ohio while holding an air gun in a Walmart. Both were black.

Now, the Cleveland police union is demanding an apology from Hawkins and the Browns, saying that players like Hawkins don’t understand the law enough to take a stand.

“It’s pretty pathetic when athletes think they know the law,” Jeff Follman, the president of the Police Patrolman Union in Cleveland, said in a statement to Cleveland news station newsnet5. “They should stick to what they know best on the field. The Cleveland Police protect and serve the Browns stadium and the Browns organization owes us an apology.”

“He’s an athlete. He’s someone with no facts of the case whatsoever,” Follmer said later, according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. “He’s disrespecting the police on a job that we had to do and make a split-second decision.”

The union statement is similar to one issued by the St. Louis police union after five Rams players walked onto the field before a game displaying the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture to protest a grand jury’s decision not to indict Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Mo. police officer who shot and killed black teenager Michael Brown in August. In that instance, the union called on the team and the NFL to discipline the five players. Though neither the Rams nor the NFL did so, the Rams last week made a donation to a local police charity.

The Browns responded to Follmer and the union in a statement, saying: “We have great respect for the Cleveland Police Department and the work that they do to protect and serve our city. We also respect our players’ rights to project their support and bring awareness to issues that are important to them if done so in a responsible manner.”

After the Rams players protested, similar gestures spread across sports, especially after a grand jury in New York declined to bring charges against a police officer in the death of Eric Garner, a black man who was choked to death by police in Staten Island. Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose took the court the next weekend wearing a shirt that read, “I Can’t Breathe,” which were among Garner’s last words and has become a rallying cry in protests across the country. Multiple NFL players, including Hawkins’ teammate Johnson Bademosi, wore similar shirts last weekend as the protests spread across the sports world. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and other players have worn the shirts too.

The protests continued through the week and into this weekend, spreading to the ranks of college basketball. Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team and Georgetown’s men’s team were among those that wore “I Can’t Breathe” shirts before a game this weekend. The University of California women’s basketball team took the court Saturday wearing handmade shirts that bore the names of black men and teens killed recently by police.

It should be a cold day in hell before this inept derelict police department gets an apology from anyone, let alone the Cleveland Browns. 

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Blogger-In-Chief

Roger West

WHO KILLED MICHAEL BROWN?

ALL REASONS WHY MICHAEL BROWN DIDN'T DIE

VIDEO COURTESY OF MARK FIORE



It seems that everyone but Darren Wilson is responsible for the death of Michael Brown. It’s Michael Brown’s fault, black-on-black violence is at fault, it’s a culture of disrespect and lawbreaking that’s at fault, take your pick. Perhaps the best spew of logic came from Rudy Giuliani, who essentially said, if you black people didn’t kill yourselves so much we wouldn't have to send so many white cops down there to kill you as well.

Yes, crime in black communities is bad. Yes, white police officers killing unarmed black people is bad. Are we not capable of holding two thoughts in our collective head at the same time? It sure seems that many people only talk of “black-on-black” crime when they are defending a white police officer.

Now that another tragedy has happened in the blink of an eye and the police officer who choked Eric Garner to death on camera was not indicted (who you gonna’ believe, your lyin’ eyes or the police union?), let’s hope the growing outrage continues to spotlight police brutality and brings an end to these all-too-frequent killings.

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Blogger-In-Chief
Roger West

BOB MCCULLOCH

FERGUSON PROSECUTOR BOB MCCULLOCH

McCulloch has been widely criticized for burying the long-awaited announcement in a lengthy press conference, revealing the outcome only after he criticized the role the media and social media played in the public perception of the case. “The most significant challenge encountered in this investigation has been the 24-hour news cycle and the sensational appetite for something to talk about, following closely behind with the rumors on social media,” he said.

Rachel Maddow outlined [Like we blogged yesterday] how St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch discredited the witnesses in the case while announcing the grand jury ruling.

Video Courtesy of MSNBC

Ben Trachtenberg, an associate professor of law at the University of Missouri School of Law, said the entire announcement “read like a closing argument for the defense,” while Susan McGraugh, an associate professor at the Saint Louis University School of Law, said she was “furious” when she watched it.

“Bob McCulloch took a very defensive posture,” McGraugh said. “It was a poor choice to be so confrontational in presenting a grand jury verdict that he had to know would upset a large number of people. He should have left out the editorializing.”

Marjorie Cohn, a professor of criminal law and procedure at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, said the way McCulloch presented the facts to the public was unlike anything she had ever seen. 

“In 98 percent of cases, the prosecutor would just announce the grand jury decision and that’s it,” she said. “He would not characterize the evidence defensively, or attack the media.”

One common critique of McCulloch’s prosecution of Wilson was his use of the grand jury process. Typically, grand juries exist to determine if there is probable cause to charge a suspect with a crime, a fairly low legal threshold that allows for some uncertainty. But McCulloch, attorneys said, treated the grand jury proceedings as a criminal jury trial by presenting them with all available evidence both for and against charging Wilson.

Leipold said he thinks McCulloch made the decision to “not hold anything back” because of the intense media scrutiny.

“This is an example of the prosecutor saying…no matter what the outcome is, if we don’t present witness X or present the forensic reports, people are just going to say this is an inadequate investigation and either we’re railroading the police officer if we indict or we’re covering up if we don’t,” he said. “Let’s just present it all and let the chips fall as they may.”

But the presentation of all of the evidence to the grand jury struck other legal experts as inappropriate.

“[McCulloch] put the grand jury in the role of being a try-er of fact, which is not its role,” Cohn said. “The grand jury was put in the position of basically being a jury, but in a one-sided, closed proceeding. The only people inside the grand jury room are the grand jury and prosecutors.”

In contrast, she said, “In a trial, there are lawyers on both sides, witnesses, and the evidence is presented in an adversarial way.”

Making the grand jury weigh evidence and question witnesses also shrouded that process in secrecy—a factor that led to the “rampant speculation” McCulloch criticized in Monday’s night press conference, McGraugh said.

“People could do nothing but speculate because he was using a secret grand jury proceeding,” she said. “He didn't acknowledge that people had to speculate as a result of his own actions.”

She added that even within the realm of grand jury proceedings, the case spoke to a lack of “equal treatment under law.”

“The law was not applied to Officer Wilson the same way it would be applied to someone who wasn’t a police officer,” said McGraugh, who previously worked as a trial attorney and spent eight years at the Missouri State Public Defender’s Office. “If my client killed someone tomorrow and claimed it was in self-defense, he would be arrested and required to post bond while awaiting a grand jury decision. Then, the prosecutor would not be allowed to bring both sides of the story into the building.”

I am glad I am not the only one who found this prosecutors actions as grandiose showboating for the officer.


RELATED: Bob McCulloch has ties to Officer Darren Wilson fundraising

The Ferguson grand jury was never intended to bring an indictment

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Blogger-In-Chief

Roger West

Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson In Talks To Resign

While this resignation may tamper the burning beast that is the Mike Brown protesters, nothing less of indictment - will satisfactorily end this fiasco of a cop killing an unarmed African-American.

I wonder when Wilson resigns, will the Ferguson Police Department be wearing "I am Darren Wilson" patches and bracelets in a show of support?

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Blogger-In-Chief

Roger West

DARREN WILSON VIDEO SHOWS NO EVIDENCE OF "EYE SOCKET FRACTURE" OR ANY OTHER INJURIES FOR THAT MATTER

All the hyperbole over whether Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson had a "broken eye socket" from his "brief" encounter with Michael Brown - all claims can now be quashed as unequivocally false!

Below is Darren Wilson, his union lawyer Greg Kloeppel, and two police officers leave the Ferguson police station for the hospital at 2:08 p.m. on Aug. 9, the day Wilson shot Michael Brown Jr.

THE MURDERER JUST AFTER THE KILL




WILSON RETURN BACK TO STATION




The brief encounter with Brown happened at 12:02 noon time, the first video above with Wilson is exactly two hours and six minutes removed from the killing. Either Darren Wilson cleans up very well or his healing powers are immaculate.

Often if a story smells like shit, it is shit.

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Blogger -In-Chief

Roger West

FRANK ANCONA, KKK IMPERIAL WIZARD SUGGESTS LETHAL FORCE AGAINST FERGUSON PROTESTERS

TWITTER FEED SHOWING KKK FLYER

The Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a Missouri KKK group, has been distributing flyers around the St. Louis area promising to take potentially violent action against Ferguson “terrorists” who might get violent in the coming days.

Frank Ancona, the Ku Klux Klan's Imperial Wizard of Missouri steps up on Chris Hayes' show last night facing an incredibly amazed Chris Hayes. Ancona told him they’re very concerned about “random attacks on whites” and “sniper-type shootings.” Hayes had to point out the irony of threatening violence with… well, more violence and potential incitement.

Chris Hayes Video Courtesy of MSNBC




Ancona alleged that people “feel much better” about what they’re doing to create an obviously safe environment with such dire threats. Ancona also said that the Ferguson protesters are:

"the best recruiters" since Obama

Taken from RAWSTORY:

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and local officials have issued various statements this week telling protesters that violence would not be tolerated following the grand jury’s decision. St. Louis American columnist Lizz Brown criticized such remarks, saying they set an overly aggressive tone. 

“Protesters haven’t shot and killed anyone,” she said. “Protesters haven’t harmed people. So why are we responding to them? Because it’s ‘these types of protesters.’ You’re setting the tone that ‘these type of people’ need to be responded to in this way, and that opens the door for the Klan to go in and to recruit people. I lay it at the feet of law enforcement — how they prosecuted this case, how they responded to peaceful protesters, I lay it at their feet. This is their fault.” 

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson did not directly address Ancona’s allegation about “off-the-record” conversations with officers. 

“The first guest didn’t help the conversation and the dialogue at all that’s going on in St. Louis,” Dotson told Hayes, only alluding to Ancona’s appearance. 

He also responded indirectly to Brown, saying reports indicating that police had spent thousands of dollars on “cluster grenades” and other equipment were being taken out of context. 

“To characterize it as an offense is not correct at all,” he said. “Really what it is is the tools that we have to keep us all safe in our community.”

Is this more proof that the Ferguson police department is racist, for if not, wouldn't they coral and stop these intimidating fliers from being distributed?

The sixty four thousand dollar question is, how many cops will 'fear for their lives" and shoot down Ancona and his ilk?

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

FOX NEWS MOUTHPIECE BERNIE GOLDBERG SAYS:

FOX NEWS MOUTHPIECE BERNIE GOLDBERG

"FACTS MEAN SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO BLACK LIBERALS " IN MICHAEL BROWN SHOOTING

Bernie Goldberg is as loathsome toad, much Bill-O and Charles Krauthammer. They speak in tea bagger coded language that impresses their illiterate base - however, upon further examination, Goldberg is full of vacuous, endless, pointless meanderings of the mind.

Bernie Goldberg, congratulations Einstein, you are today's asshat of the day. 

NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

FERGUSON MISSOURI HAS A LARGE INCREASE IN VOTER REGISTRATION

Voter registration jumped 30 percent in Ferguson, Missouri between August 9 — the day unarmed teenager Michael Brown was fatally shot by Officer Darren Warren — and September 30. As protests and clashes with police continue, the town’s residents want to see more race representation in their local government in the near future.

Approximately 3,300 citizens in the town of 21,000 registered to vote after Brown’s death, totaling two-thirds of new voters in St. Louis County. Currently, 5 of 6 Ferguson council members are white, but roughly 70 percent of the city’s population is black. And Ferguson’s mayor is white Republican James Knowles.

Recent voter registration is due, in large part, to community efforts to boost civic engagement. Organizations like the NAACP and League of Women Voters, in addition to sororities and fraternities, are actively involved in registering the city’s residents. Other community members are handing out registration cards for voters to mail them in.

But some are not pleased with the surge of registered voters. In August, Matt Wills, the executive director of Missouri’s Republican Party, denounced protesters’ voter registration efforts, saying, “If that’s not fanning the political flames, I don’t know what is. I think it’s not only disgusting but completely inappropriate…Injecting race into this conversation and into this tragedy, not only is not helpful, but it doesn't help a continued conversation of justice and peace.”

Nevertheless, residents are bracing for elections on November 4. The most important race for voters is between Republican State Representative Rick Stream and Democrat County Councilman Steve Stenger, who are both vying for the St. Louis County’s executive position. Elections next April are also on new voters’ minds, with 3 open seats on Ferguson’s city council.

Despite a black majority, black voter turnout in Ferguson was significantly lower than white voter turnout in 2013. Only 6 percent of eligible black voters participated in municipal elections. In contrast, 17 percent of eligible white voters took to the polls. This trend persists in part because Ferguson’s white residents are older, and older voters generally outnumber younger voters come Election Day, according to a Pew Research Center study.

Ferguson’s black residents also tend to rent homes, and voter participation strongly correlates with home ownership. The current political landscape also reflects a national pattern in which white leaders govern cities with black majorities.

But in light of Brown’s death, and a history of racial tension between white and black citizens, election day turnout will likely see a significant demographic shift.

NFTOS
STAFF WRITER

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE REIGNS IN FERGUSON POLICE

A Department of Justice letter sent to the Police Chief Tom Jackson of Ferguson, Missouri on Friday instructed all officers to stop wearing “I Am Darren Wilson” bracelets. Another letter issued on Tuesday ordered members of the police department to wear readable name plates, after officers were seen wearing unidentifiable tags or none at all.

Protests have not stopped in Ferguson since officer Darren Wilson shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed, in August. And in response to civil unrest, which gained steam again after Brown’s memorial was burned to the ground on Tuesday, and the use of the slogan “I Am Mike Brown,” officers were photographed wearing the bracelets supporting the officer who killed him.

The DOJ letter sent to Jackson explained that the bracelets contributed to an “us versus them” mentality and “upset and agitated” others.

In a separate letter, the DOJ also said that officers must stop violating name tag protocol by obscuring or altogether not wearing their name tags. The practice, DOJ said, “conveys a message to community members that, through anonymity, officers may seek to act with impunity.”

Ferguson police previously drew national attention for the militarization of officers, which made the town look like a war scene and resulted in the arrest and attempted censorship of journalists on the ground. And clashes between police and protestors haven’t stopped.

Although Jackson gave Brown’s parents a video apology and joined protesters in the streets this week, Darren Wilson still hasn’t been charged, raising questions about the justice system and politics in the town. Ferguson has a history of racial tension, and research shows that justice is hard to come by for victims of police brutality. For example, a Supreme Court ruling gives police legal deference to determine “reasonable” force. But protesters say civil unrest will continue until the officer is held accountable.


RELATED:

FERGUSON OFFICER SHOT

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

MICHAEL BROWN KILLING IS "HIGHLY ENTERTAINING" TO ST. LOUIS POLCE ACADAMY

The deadly police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager, in Ferguson prompted nationwide outrage and weeks of protests. But police in the area apparently still have a lot to learn.

The St. Louis County And Municipal Police Academy, which encompasses Ferguson, is offering a “Continuing Education” course in October entitled “OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING — YOU CAN WIN WITH THE MEDIA.” The classis billed as “fast-paced class is jam-packed with the essential strategies and tactics, skills and techniques” and includes a “detailed case study of Ferguson.”

Learning about how to manipulate the media after a police officer shoots someone can be a blast, according to a flier produced by the academy promoting the course.” The training is also highly entertaining,” the flier says, “You will learn a lot, and you’ll have fun doing it!”

The course is recommended for “All upper-echelon law enforcement professionals who ever expect to face media contact will benefit. This includes top-level decision-makers, command staff, supervisors, and subject-matter experts…”

Here is the full flier for the course, which is scheduled for October 24:

Just when you think this sorry assed - despicable police department has reached the lowest point possible... hey, look, a new low.

Ferguson Police Department, you are both today's asshat of the day- and worlds worst people of the day. Congratulations Richard Craniums!

NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West

RACE/OFF

At long last, Jon Stewart and The Daily Show crew are back. Jump below the fold to see Jon take the "Ferguson Protest Challenge" and then unleash a powerful tirade on the Fox News coverage of the Michael Brown shooting.

First up, in a quick intro, Jon Stewart accepted and took the Ferguson challenge! Watch as he endures mace and a pepper spray!

FERGUSON CHALLENGE

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive

RACE/OFF

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive

Thank God Jon's back, nobody shames Faux News like Jon!

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

RACISTS FUNDRAISER FOR OFFICER DARREN WILSON?

RACISTS CONTRIBUTORS TO OFFICER DARREN WILSON

Ferguson police admitted they were working with the originator of the fundraiser to coordinate it, even as racist comments were rolling in with the money.

That fundraising page has been taken down and transferred to a new one sponsored by a non-profit organization. The Wire:

The GoFundMe crowd-sourcing fundraiser for the Ferguson police officer who killed Michael Brown has been taken over by Shield of Hope, a charity run by the local police union. Since Shield of Hope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, all donations from here on out will now be tax deductible. The original fundraiser had raised over $235,000 before passing on the torch to Shield of Hope. The new Shield of Hope-run page has raised over $11,000 on its own. Originally called the Fraternal Order Of Police Lodge 15 Charitable Foundation, Shield of Hope was founded in late 2011. (The name was changed shortly after.) According to a filing with the Missouri Secretary of State's office, the charity's board of directors include the Ferguson Police Department's Public Relations Officer Timothy Zoll, Missouri State Rep. Jeffrey Roorda (a former police officer), and Florissant City Council member Joe Eagan.

UNKNOWN FEMALE STANDING FOR DARREN WILSON

So let me get this straight, these folks were working with the original founders who had no problem leaving the racist comments up there and taking donations, having party with food and guns - and taking money from pasty white racists. Racism much?

If there was any further doubt that the Ferguson police department has a problem? LGF:

It's truly disturbing how effective this propaganda machine has been at creating the narrative of a policeman busting a suspected "strong-arm" shoplifter and heroically gunning him down after he turned violent. Albeit there is not one shred of evidence that their scenario is accurate, and there's a ton of evidence that it's wrong, but that doesn't even slow it down. So many of those comments are just parroting the Blaze, Fox, Rush, and, disturbingly, the New York Times.

Propaganda works best on ignorant people, now enters the low info voter of Faux News, and the money givers to Ofc. Wilson.

Take a look at the "hoards" [Snark] of supporters for Ofc Wilson at any video taped environment, notice any African-Americans" I say not!

Only thing missing from these supporters.......the white coned dunce caps of the KKK.

RELATED:

Tea Bagger Extraordinaire and dead Breitbart flunky Dana Loesch gets punked.

NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

OFFICER DAN PAGE

DON LEMON BEING BULLIED BY OFFICER DAN PAGE

Don Lemon reports that the officer who shoved him out of the way and who also ranted at an Oathkeepers gathering has been suspended from duty.











Mr. Page has now been relieved of duty and ordered into psychological counseling.

How many cops does this make form the Ferguson case to be wrangled in and suspended? Yet the African-Americans are the one that are out of control? Is the the culture of all police in this department?

Its hard to fathom that no other officer he works with - that they where not aware of this sociopaths ways. Now enters the "police code of silence", which is the idea of an unwritten rule that exists among police officers not to report on a colleague's errors, misconducts, or crimes.

Officer Dan Page needs to be in straight jacket, in a padded cell for the remainder of his natural born life. At a minimum he is never to wear a badge as a peace officer!

For officer Dan Page its time to bring back Nurse Ratched and an18 wheeler stuffed with Thorazine darts.

And police have the gumption to wonder why they are not trusted?

Cue the wing-nuts whining about how he's being deprived of his First Amendment rights, yada, yada .......

Officer Dan Page, you are today's most disgusting human of the world! Congratulations asshat!

NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

"SCENES FROM BAGRAN"

HEDY EPSTEIN HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR ARRESTED IN FERGUSON

CNN's Jack Tapper comparing Ferguson to Bagran Afghanistan



Get ready, everyone: This is your government's vision for every city in the U.S., Police occupation. Obama's good intentions mean nothing. Public speaking and marching means nothing. The U.S. Constitution means nothing.

All that matters is, is that the Military-Industrial Complex has decided that the U.S. police forces need to be armed like battalions in the Army. And when the cops are indeed equipped like soldiers, they see every one of us as an insurgent, not as a community.


"WHEN WILL WE CHANGE AS A BLACK PEOPLE"

Jonathan Gentry - "his own words"




I do not post Mr. Gentry's rant because I agree with him.

I would imagine from his rant, that he wakes up every morning and wishes he was white.

Why should African Americans always be the ones to "humble" themselves before white people? Why can't both sides treat each other as equals and just be humane in treatment of each other?

Why would Mr. Gentry mock his own kind in front of the world?

I say it to haters of my blog daily in emails - its easy to be bold and brazen from behind a computer screen, or your back yard, from your self tapped video from your smart phone alone - its another to stand for your convictions in the heat of the battle, where the line in the sand is drawn, between Militarized police and angry citizens.

All of the poverty and the income inequality in America today towards African Americans could probably be traced and or attributed to racism and slavery. The police and other state apparatus underpin the very system that is building more prisons than schools. Economics, racism and the history of this country explain many of the things that are happening in Ferguson today.

African Americans in the US are suffering from social exclusion and institutionalized racism - and have been since their arrival to America. American history is filled with hatred and discrimination, just ask the native Americans. Our founding fathers raped slaves and their pictures are embossed in our currency. How can this country not be racist nation - when the very fellows we coddle and attribute our countries foundation to, where deeply entrenched in racism. It would appear to this blogger that Gentry's African American view is shaped by fox news.

This turmoil in Ferguson should embolden those calling for the transparent treatment by police on African Americans.

Only when the police stop "occupying" both Ferguson and African Americans, can we start to move forward.

I am truly in the belief, that Michael Brown's death is a defining time stamp in this country - where a line in the sand for this country is drawn. Where enough is enough. 

SAME BAT TIME, SAME BAT CHANNEL

Three days after Michael Brown's death St. Louis Robber breaks policeman's hand and he lives to tell about it. Shame that Michael Brown didn't get the same treatment and have the right to tell his side of the story.



Why didn't Michael Brown get the same treatment?

If there is one thing we could implore to officer Darren Wilson, if indeed Michael Brown was fighting for your gun - One shot keeps Michael Brown from grabbing your gun, five more shots, keeps him from telling his side of the story.

Jared Lee Loughner killed six people, shot a judge and Congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords. Loughner was taken into custody without being shot or killed.

James Holmes, the Aurora Colorado movie shooter who killed 12 movie goers - was taken into custody without being shot or killed.

I [we] expect better from our police - both the murder of Michael Brown, and the aftermath, the occupation of this militarized police zone that has now gone on for ten days, needs to stop now.

Rightly so, we hold officers of "peace" to a higher standard, and in this instance alone, they are not meeting the measurements required.

If you are a police department in the United States of America, let the Ferguson fiasco be a training lesson in what not to do!

RELATED:

Fox News can't get KKK to speak on Ferguson, so they get the next best thing -Mark Furman

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West