Current Event 5: Ferguson. Alex Newkirk: 12/5/14 All across the nation, in the news the black community has been making their voice heard, in regards to white police brutality, and murder against the unarmed black community. Many of these brutal attacks and flat out murders of unarmed black people haven’t been largely prosecuted, some officers have even been acquitted of any wrong doing or murder. This has led to outrage in the African American community at large. The shooting of an unarmed black teen named Michael Brown caused the racial strain in this country to break. August 9th 2014, Ferguson Missouri, an unarmed black teen Michael Brown was shot, and fatally wounded by a white police officer by the name of Darren Wilson. …show more content…
In Wilsons trial 60 different people were heard for witness testimony. In a regular trial testimony is only heard from. In Officer Wilsons trial case the county prosecutor Robert McCulloch released the information after the Grand Jury had made their decision in Officer Wilsons Trial. Missouri law dictates that Grand Jury activity is to be kept a secret; however evidence can be presented in a different trial at a later date. (Buchanan, et. al. 2014)
The trial seemed very unfair and slanted in the police man’s favor; even certain state laws were blatantly ignored. In a predominantly African American community this seemed like a huge miscarriage of justice on behalf of the justice system of Missouri. In Ferguson about sixty seven percent of the population is black. The black community also makes up about eighty six of the people that get stopped by the officers. In the Police force, it is predominantly white; there are only 3 black officers on the force at this time. (Simmons 2014)
Some witnesses accounts make mention of them Brown with his hands in the air before being shot by Officer Wilson. However, Officer Wilson’s testimony is very different. Officer Wilson testified that he was in his patrol car during August ninth. This is when Brown came up to the squad car and started to assault him by punching him. (McClam 2014)
Brown then fought to take the gun from Officer Wilsons hand and pointed it in his hip at one point; it is now that
In the Ferguson, Missouri case involving a white police officer (Darren Wilson) shooting an unarmed African American teenager (Michael Brown), the worldwide media immediately claimed that the officer shot Michael Brown for no reason besides the color of his skin. Many rumors and assumptions spread like wildfire after white police officer Darren Wilson was found innocent by a judge of having purpose to shoot Brown.
August 9, 2014 Michael Brown, a 18- year old black man was shot and killed, brutally at the hands of police officer Darren Wilson. Brown was leaving the gas station when he caught the attention of Wilson, who was supposed to be responding to another call. He thought Brown looked suspicious because he was a big, black “intimidating” man. Wilson “claimed” Brown was reaching for a gun so he fired twelve unnecessary shots at Brown while his hands were up. It turns out that Brown was not in possession of a weapon. Darren Wilson made up this allegation to make it seem like self defense, and to make Brown seem at fault for the shooting taking place. When Wilson went to trial the court found him not guilty. White police officers are not beingg held accountable so these police shootings are becoming more brutal and frequent. The Mike Brown
All across the nation, in the news the black community has been making their voice heard, in regards to white police brutality, and murder against the unarmed black community. Many of these brutal attacks and flat out murders of unarmed black people haven’t been largely prosecuted, some officers have even been acquitted of any wrong doing or murder. This has led to outrage in the African American community at large. The shooting of an unarmed black teen named Michael Brown caused the racial strain in this country to break.
In August 2014, a young Michael Brown was shot and killed by Darren Wilson. What is
Racial injustice against people of colour is an immense, ongoing issue that has not only targeted lives but has also taken many innocent lives. In America, these racial divisions date back to the days of slavery, where black people were denied of their basic human rights because of discrimination. In present day, some individuals view America as a post-racial environment, due to such victories as electing a black president; but the brutal, fatal and unjust events in Ferguson, Missouri prove that these divisions are still present. On August 9th, 2014, an unarmed, 18 year old black teen was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. The events that led to the death of Michael Brown occurred on an early morning where Mr. Wilson stopped Michael Brown and a friend after leaving a convenience store. An altercation occurred which prompted Mr. Brown to flee and officer Wilson to begin shooting. The death of Mr. Brown caused the city to stand up against police brutality through peaceful protest, looting, and even violence, to gain justice for Mr. Brown and his family. As the protests grew, the police used military tactics such as, tear gas, to “maintain order” during the unrest of the city. In recent, news the grand jury decided that Officer Darren Wilson was not responsible for the death of Michael Brown, which led to a larger public outrage not only in America, but also across the
The shooting of sparked a nation-wide movement not only demanding justice for Mike Brown, but also protesting the racial discrimination deeply embedded in the criminal justice system as well as various institutions in the larger American society. Furthermore, jfdkjfjdakljk something about international recognition. Similar protests and riots have been springing up in other cities since 1960s, and police killings of unarmed black men happen once every 28 hours (Kahle, 2014). However, Michael Brown’s killing has led to the most sustained uprising against police violence in at least two decades, centered among the African American residents of Ferguson, and has rallied significant nationwide support as well as international attention (Kahle, 2014; Taylor, 2014). The killing of Michael Brown is by no means an isolated event, and presence of racial tensions, especially in the St. Louis area, was already present long before. The large-scale pushback that the killing of Michael Brown has set in motion, then, seems to have been the last straw, prompting the eruption of decades of pent up frustration at a racist and oppressive system. That being said, what are the previous straws that have slowly pushed the black community in Ferguson to the breaking point? What are the factors that have caused these tensions to boil over and erupt into such a large-scale upheaval? This paper will explore some of the
The heated issue of police brutality and police officers violating civil rights has extensively covered media headlines for several years. Hundreds of people are killed every year by police officers, and many of these cases bring up issues of police brutality. More often than not, it is usually a white police officer and an african american offender encounter that sparks media attention. The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri is just one of these cases that has caused a major divide in the United States. Michael Brown was fatally shot by Officer Wilson after an unfriendly encounter in the streets. Those who believe that Officer Wilson made the right decision in shooting Michael Brown, point to the fact that the grand jury chose not to indict him. Although Darren WIlson was not charged after the shooting of unarmed Michael Brown, some people believe that his actions were unlawful and he should have received some sort of punishment for his wrongdoing. Acknowledging all of the facts of the investigation, Officer Wilson did not act properly in the circumstances of the time.
Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed on August 2014, by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in Ferguson, Mo. Brown, an 18-year-old African-American was fatally shot and killed in the street shortly after robbing a convenience store. The disputed circumstances of the shooting of the unarmed young man sparked existing tensions in the majority-black community and law enforcements in Ferguson, Mo. The event received considerable attention in the U.S. and elsewhere, attracted protesters from outside the region, and generated a powerful debate about the relationship between law enforcement and African Americans and the police use of excessive force. The shooting prompted protests that shaken the area for weeks. The announcement of the grand jury that they decided not to indict Mr. Wilson set off another wave of protests. Many police officers have defended Wilson, pointing out that officers patrolling violent neighborhoods risk their lives, while demonstrators saw the case in terms of racism and police brutality. However, Brown’s killing and the following events in Ferguson became a national controversy touching on much larger national issues of race, justice, and police brutality. While the specifics of the Brown shooting involved is not clear, the situation would have been dramatically different had Wilson worn body camera which would have recorded the actual event. With new body camera technology
One community that stands out the most for the conflict between law enforcement and their community is Ferguson, Missouri. On August 9, 2014 Darren Wilson, 28, a white Ferguson police officer fatally shot Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African-American male (McLaughlin). This case started one of the biggest uproar the nation has ever seen between community and law enforcement. When the incident first occurred there were many pieces of information missing to paint a scenario of how and what occurred between Brown and officer Wilson. Apparently Michael Brown was walking home late at night when officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown got into a confrontation that lead to Wilson shooting Brown, the case goes
On August 9, 2014 Officer Darren Wilson with the Ferguson Missouri Police Department was on his way to a reported strong-arm robbery at a local convenience store in the city. While on his way, he observed two African-American males walking in the middle of the roadway (#1). Officer Wilson realized the pair matched the description given of the suspects from the robbery call in which he had been dispatched. While still in his patrol vehicle, Officer Wilson drove up to the males, and began speaking with Michael Brown. Officer Wilson told Brown to not walk in the lanes of traffic (#1).
According to the article, “Views You Can Use: Was Justice Served in Ferguson?” Rachel Brody proclaims, “The jury, composed of nine whites and three blacks, found no probable cause to charge Wilson, who is white, and returned a “no true bill” on all five indictments against him for killing an unarmed black teen.” But one important fact that is consistently left out is that the grand jury that decided to not indict the officer has been sitting there for a while. They were given this case and were not chosen to handle this case but were just sitting on the stand when the case arrived. According to the article, “Views You Can Use: Was Justice Served in Ferguson?” Rachel Brody proclaims, “Were 12 shots necessary? Was there some other, non-lethal way to subdue the suspect?” When a man approaches you with his hands near his waist, looking like he may have a concealed weapon, wouldn’t you be afraid too? You would be forced to take any actions to protect yourself, no matter how lethal they may
Over the past few decades, there have been a series of African Americans killed by law enforcement officers. Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, John Crawford III, Eric Garner and countless others. The aftermath: the officers who murdered the unarmed men have either been acquitted or there was no indictment. What happened in Ferguson is years, if not decades in the making. African Americans are simply tired of having to bury friends and family and discovering the officers, meant to protect the law and serve the people, are killing black lives and are almost always found not guilty.
The Investigation concluded that Officer Wilson was within his rights to fire shots at Brown as self-defense. The world was shocked after the court’s ruling. Yet again, the Black community were in awe as another unfair ruling was made. People began to get furious with the law in the disbelief as to why these White men were getting away with murder. And as we see before, rioters took their anger and frustration out on the city, bringing more damagers to a city who were already suffering and trying to rebuild from the last rioting damages. From here, the Black Lives Matter community began to come worrisome as the Black Community lost case after case. Their protest did not have an impact on the judicial system. Many felt as if defeat was taking over due to justice not being
On November 24, 2014 the St. Louis County prosecutor announced that the St. Louis County jury had decided not to prosecute Darren Wilson based off forensic evidence that verified Darren Wilson shot and killed Mike Brown in self-defense. There was a large population
The conversation of excessive force in police departments, as well as the factor of race in these instances, was further explored after the death of Michael Brown. There is still a great deal of controversy surrounding the exact circumstances in Ferguson, Missouri, but this much is known for certain; On August 9, 2014, an interaction between unarmed Michael Brown and Officer Darren Wilson ended in the death of Brown. With conflicting stories from