Deep-Seated Racism At The Root Of Ferguson Police’s Handling Of The Mike Brown Shooting

Photo Courtesy of Billboard.com

Protesters in the city of Ferguson, Missouri are voicing their disgust after the shooting death of an unarmed young black man as the ugly truth rises as the citizens demand justice for the victim.

A video just minutes before the shooting of Michael Brown by officer Darren Wilson, showed a black man courtesy of the Ferguson Police Department shoving a smaller man in what appeared as a strong armed robbery, was not. According to a surveillance video, the video shows a black man, with the same features as the police video, apparently purchasing cigars. If the first video as stated by Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson is Brown, then question according to the interpretation would be in order…why was Brown a suspect?

Neither the store owner nor the employees called the police; hence the robbery never took place. According to the store owner’s attorney, Jay Kanzler

It’s not about them. They didn’t call the police, they didn’t ask the police to come and take the video.

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There was no crime. A customer may have called the police, but the owner never filed any charges. In order for a crime to have happened, the victim needed to make a report. The shoving of the store owner, which is a misdemeanor battery, cannot be used against Brown if he were alive.

Still, there is confusion leading up to the shooting, and it was the statement made by Jackson who said, “The officer who shot and killed Michael Brown last weekend, confronted Brown after the teenager was identified as the main suspect in a convenience store robbery that occurred Saturday morning” Jackson recanted the story, because, the store owner never pressed charges and Jackson said that the confrontation occurred because Brown and a friend were walking in the street and “blocking traffic.” Jaywalking is an infraction: cited and ordered to pay a fine or a misdemeanor which means, the convicted can serve jail time.

Apparently Jackson had to change his story because the Hacktivist group Anonymous hacked the Ferguson Police Department communications and uploaded the audio: Full Version. After hearing the audio, there was a call placed to Ferguson Police, but once again, there were no charges filed.

Another question that arose from the shooting was why did Wilson have to shoot Brown? According to right-winged websites, Brown “bum rushed” Wilson, but according to Dr. Michael M. Baden, the former chief medical examiner for the City of New York, who flew to Missouri on Sunday at the family’s request to conduct the separate autopsy said:

The bullets did not appear to have been shot from very close range because no gunpowder was present on his body [at least one foot away but the distance could have been as far as 30 feet.]. However, that determination could change if it turns out that there is gunshot residue on Mr. Brown’s clothing, to which Dr. Baden did not have access.

The county’s autopsy was never released so the family had to get a private coroner to find these results. Baden said that there were no gunshot residue on Brown’s body, so the “bum rush” would not be possible. On the other hand, if there were residue on Brown’s clothes, then there is evidence of said markings. Brown’s clothing is in the hands of law enforcement and has not been released to the family for further examination.

Tim From LA

Tim’s first experience into journalism was at East Los Angeles College. Then Tim was a stringer for a local Japanese American Newspaper in Los Angeles. He then completed his Bachelors in Business and RECEIVED his MBA, but his desire to seek the truth has not been assuaged by fear of the 1% or their followers. When Tim isn’t doing his liberal thing, he enjoys sitting back, relaxing and listening to Rush…the band folks!