Missouri Riots

[Biscuit dunker]

Surprised this hasn't been posted already?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28793865

The issue of race has never really gone away in the southern states of the US and has bubbled to the surface once again.

Whilst the stats re % of the population who are African American vs the % AA in local Govt / Police is pretty stark I have to admit my first reaction was if 67% of the population were AA why weren't more putting themselves forward for election? Am I missing something? (genuine question rather than sarcasm)

[carinaman]

I am not sure St Louis is in the south. I thought it was known as the Gateway to the West?

[davepoth]

carinaman said:

I am not sure St Louis is in the south. I thought it was known as the Gateway to the West?

Yes, but it's also a sort of gateway to the south too. Look on Google Maps - anything south of I-64 (which passes through St. Louis) seems like the south to me.

[hidetheelephants]

Regardless of whether Mr Brown was a model citizen or a promising footballer, the dibble seem to have gone out of their way to inflame the situation.

Edit to add:

Ferguson has a population of about 21,000 which is 70% african american, but only 3 of the 53 officers of the police department are african american. Whatever way you cut it those numbers tell a tale.

Young Turks report

Edited by hidetheelephants on Friday 15th August 02:13

[hidetheelephants]

The reports this morning seem a little more positive, hopefully the highway patrol can calm things down.

Edited by hidetheelephants on Friday 15th August 12:44

[skyrover]

Striking similarities to the London riots

[CharlieCrocodile]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=af2_1407944916

This man talks a lot of sense, bit sweary for those at work.

[jogon]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Lol.. It would have been nice if our lot had even bothered to turn up.

[fido]

hidetheelephants said:

Regardless of whether Mr Brown was a model citizen or a promising footballer, the dibble seem to have gone out of their way to inflame the situation.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2014/aug/15/ferguson-police-officer-michael-brown-darren-wilson

Reports that he was involved in a store robbery earlier.

[croyde]

On the BBC news today there was a pic of the youngster looking like a chubby little kid and then they showed CCTV footage of him pushing a store clerk around where he was alleged to have stolen some cigars.

He was fekin' huge, a man mountain. Not saying he deserved to be shot but it made me think that he could very easily try to overcome an arresting police officer, unlike the lad in the BBC picture.

[Martin4x4]

In general I have a poor opinion of the American Police based on numerous news reports and videos of impropriety; however but they cannot be expected to stand by doing nothing while a riot is going on. I also don't see the point of rioting and destroying the amenities of your own community and often wonder how many of the rioters are 'outside opportunists' exploiting the situation.

In this case the two version of events differ so very markedly it will be possibe to determine which is true once the autopsy is complete & reported. Was he shot in the back or the front. The dead mans companion/accomplice says the officer shot him while he was running away, while the officer says he shot him in a stuggle for the gun inside the vehicle while on _his_ back.

The true will out in the end.

Edited by Martin4x4 on Saturday 16th August 15:58

[CharlieCrocodile]

croyde said:

On the BBC news today there was a pic of the youngster looking like a chubby little kid and then they showed CCTV footage of him pushing a store clerk around where he was alleged to have stolen some cigars.

He was fekin' huge, a man mountain. Not saying he deserved to be shot but it made me think that he could very easily try to overcome an arresting police officer, unlike the lad in the BBC picture.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=464_1408123040

[turbobloke]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Quite. 3000 first night, 4000 the second, then 6000. The next night had 16000 but it was too late and even then northern police services (not forces these days) still managed to show the Met how to manage rioting thugs on the street. In terms of similarity to MO London wasn't a race issue, it developed into an excuse for looting and arson.

[Mastodon2]

CharlieCrocodile said:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=464_1408123040

A shining member of the community then.

The comments about the police response being too "tooled up" are odd, when you've got a crowd of rioters with masked faces hurling molotov cocktails, what else do you do? Stand back and let them have at it? These morons needs protecting from themselves, much like the London riots where they turned uproar into an excuse to loot and pillage their own city, this Ferguson lot would have only ended up harming people and damaging property had they been left to their own devices.

[El Guapo]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

That's slightly unfair; loads of coppers turned up. They didn't do much policing but did observe proceedings.
Sarcasm aside, many of those responsible for theft or damage did subsequently face justice.

[Nickyboy]

So black guy robs store then gets into scuffle with Police officer and winds up shot dead, local residents riot in protest at their sweet & innocent friend who wouldn't hurt a fly who is now dead. They then burn and loot their own community??

Sounds pretty standard for African-American-Caribbean communities

[turbobloke]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes they did, impressively quickly and with sentencing more in keeping with offences for once, given that the criminals involved were participating in riots in one way or another.

[Godalmighty83]

Aren't people still (or until fairly recently) being arrested for the riots, I know at the time that the police said they would get round to all of them as room in the system was made but I honestly doubted they would bother.

[anonymous-user]

Nickyboy said:

So black guy robs store then gets into scuffle with Police officer and winds up shot dead, local residents riot in protest at their sweet & innocent friend who wouldn't hurt a fly who is now dead. They then burn and loot their own community??

Sounds pretty standard for African-American-Caribbean communities

Not sure that many African Americans have Caribbean lineage.

[turbobloke]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Not sure that was being suggested, it looks like a case of putting together two forms where the first one is already hyphenated.

African-American communities and Caribbean communities becomes African-American-Caribbean communities.