3:56 pm - 08/19/2014

Op-Ed: Killer Mike on the Problems Underlying the Chaos in Ferguson

"This week I have seen tanks, rubber bullets and tear gas used by police against the citizens that pay them."

I have searched all night and day for new and better words that could express my feelings and fear for the people of this country. I found no new words. I have no hope-filled insight to deliver. I only have this warning to all Americans: Whatever this country is willing to do to the least of us, it will one day do to us all.

The police are paid by the public and carry a public trust, and they take an oath to protect us as citizens. The police have lost sight of that and must be reminded that we pay them to protect us, not to simply engage and cage us.

We trust police with the power of life and death and with that trust comes a greater responsibility to be better than the current standard of policing I see across America everyday. Being a cop must be hard. My dad was one, and never wanted any of his children to follow in his footsteps. Being a cop is often seeing the worst of the human condition and behavior. With all of that said, there is no reason that Mike Brown and also Eric Garner are dead today -- except bad policing, excessive force and the hunt-and-capture-prey mentality many thrill-seeking cops have adapted.

This week I have seen tanks, rubber bullets and tear gas used by police against the citizens that pay them. This is not Egypt or Syria or Palestine, but today it feels that way. It feels as if death can come, without reason, from a uniformed government official and, if we do not press back against this Blue Wall of Silence and gang-like mentality of our local police, we all are in danger. Whether it is illegal rd stops & checkpoints, where your rights are being violated -- through being forced to answer questions that the 5th Amendment protects you from, or illegal stop-and-frisk that the 4th Amendment is designed to protect you from -- all of our rights are violated and in danger when any American's rights are violated.

I have chimed in about the brutality that killed this child, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner, and so many others. It's shameful, but these are not simply words to commiserate; these words, I hope, serve as a wake-up call to all Americans. Our rights are being violated by people we pay daily. This must end, or every American has failed.

The police have the power of life and death in their decisions -- they need to know that Americans hold them to a higher standard than these examples, of American men laying lifeless like deer. Slaughtered hogs in the street.

Today, it is just a guy in the news that a corrupt, pathetic police chief tried to slander by leaking a tape. Tomorrow it could be you for not moving fast enough when a siren screams. Or your child, because he or she protest something they see as unfair. As an American today I simply say: Enough! My rights are precious, and I value those provided to me through the United States Constitution so much. I will never take a day off policing the people we pay and keep a public trust with. I will use my camera, my pen, my pad and my network to do my part, to make sure that American will no longer fear their government. or it's employees. They work for us -- not the other way around.

Support these victims. On the day they were murdered by rogue officers, all of our rights drained onto that hot concrete along with that child's blood. Government should fear the people, not the other way around. Salutes and love to all, from a fellow American.

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fakevoices 19th-Aug-2014 08:46 pm (UTC)
this situation is being handled so poorly
how did any of the people in charge get their jobs?
espressotorte 19th-Aug-2014 09:13 pm (UTC)
Connections and nepotism
flumes 19th-Aug-2014 09:45 pm (UTC)
white supremacy
lidahbidah 19th-Aug-2014 08:46 pm (UTC)
The thought process of some people amazes me. If the people set on oppressing black people were smart, they'd be afraid of this situation too.

I can't go an hour without thinking about all of this. Can't look at my nephews, or brothers without fearing for them every time they step outside. I've grown more wary of cops than I was even before all of this. It's just so much.
ms_mmelissa 19th-Aug-2014 08:47 pm (UTC)
The case is moving forward a little bit, it's supposed to go before a grand jury on Wednesday. People are petitioning for a change in prosecutor:

The Missouri prosecutor overseeing an investigation into the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown has deep family roots among police: his father, mother, brother, uncle and cousin all worked for St. Louis' police department, and his father was killed while responding to a call involving a black suspect.

fakevoices 19th-Aug-2014 08:53 pm (UTC)
didn't they think about this before assigning him? everything about this situation seems so disorganized
sandstorm 19th-Aug-2014 08:55 pm (UTC)
I want to believe they'll replace him but the powers that be are more than likely in cahoots with protecting their 'boys in blue' so.
tell_it_sister 19th-Aug-2014 09:11 pm (UTC)
actxappalledx 19th-Aug-2014 09:48 pm (UTC)
mte =/
arielazul_22 19th-Aug-2014 10:09 pm (UTC)
vee_bot 19th-Aug-2014 09:03 pm (UTC)
jesus christ
kwikimart 19th-Aug-2014 09:13 pm (UTC)
This is insane
aria_grace 19th-Aug-2014 09:27 pm (UTC)
And didn't he also make some boneheaded quote to a local paper about the Mike Brown case?
youbeboy 19th-Aug-2014 10:55 pm (UTC)
This does not inspire confidence.
frklphace 19th-Aug-2014 08:48 pm (UTC)
i need more white people to be offended by this. this is a human rights issue, this is NOT a race issue. It's certainly has it's hand in race, but this affects each and everyone one of us. Eyes on Ferguson. seriously grateful for the people there who are keeping the fire burning and refusing to sit on their hands and swallow their pride and their questions and getting tear gassed and shot with rubber bullets bc this cause is not a small one. I only hope something real comes from it.
therearewords 19th-Aug-2014 09:09 pm (UTC)
It's just disheartening to see how many people will go for the race angle. "Oh, black people and cops. Huh." I mention the innocents, the people of the (independent) media, of Amnesty and other organizations being arrested and hurt and killed and you just see their faces shift - "oh, now I have to care".

Because welp, it's so much easier when you can say it's not your business!

This is long for saying that I care. That I'm disgusted with the main media and authorities and wished that running around yelling THAT'S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED would help.

nick_halden 19th-Aug-2014 09:16 pm (UTC)
I agree (as a white person)! I am getting so angry at people defending this cop and degrading this dead kid. They just see black kid and go into a racist frenzy. They fail to see the small picture, as well as the bigger picture. Yes, the death of Michael Brown was kind of the fuel for the fire, this is something that has been building up for a while.
soyymilk 19th-Aug-2014 09:18 pm (UTC)
ia. as a white person, im deeply offended by all of this. i think most white people stay quiet in these cases because they don't feel like its their battle to fight. which is bullshit imo. most people over this side of the pond don't even know what the fuck is going on. this whole thing is horrifying and i can't even imagine. the amount of supporters this cop who murdered michael brown is getting is fucking disgusting.

Edited at 2014-08-19 09:20 pm (UTC)
laurondo 19th-Aug-2014 09:32 pm (UTC)
thespockingdead 19th-Aug-2014 10:30 pm (UTC)
IA with all of this.
fwee_prower 19th-Aug-2014 09:23 pm (UTC)
I've been seeing a LOT of white people protesting.

they fucking arrested a 90 year old holocaust survivor.
calinewarkwc69 19th-Aug-2014 09:25 pm (UTC)
It's fucking crazy. I want to live in their world. Even as a white person, I have been harassed by the cops more times than not. Nothing close to POC, obviously, but enough to know that cops do not get my blind trust just because they "uphold the law" or whatever the fuck reason is.
walkintowalls99 19th-Aug-2014 09:35 pm (UTC)
It's not racism anymore. It's class warfare.
cupcakebelly 19th-Aug-2014 09:36 pm (UTC)
White gal from England, so I tend to get the info a little late and by the time i see something new (he stole some cigars - deserved to be murdered then) then it's already been replaced by something new to warrant his murder - he tried to punch the cop, even if Michael did steal something and tried to punch the cop, how does this go straight to being shot 6 times. Being from the UK it absolutely baffles my mind how insane this has gotten - not the community of Ferguson - please don't stop protesting, I mean the police, why are they so heavily kitted out with military grade weapons and vehicles, here the police can't even carry guns. I'm so terrified for you all in the States as it seems like you are slowly becoming a militarised nation and the cops are out of control all over the board, like that video of the cop repeatedly beating the shit out of the women near the highway, or making women strip down to nothing then leaving them naked in a cell for hours while they go insane. It just comes across as if the police have zero training in how to handle difficult situations correctly, they all just go straight to extreme violence. Sorry for the messy.
walkintowalls99 19th-Aug-2014 09:40 pm (UTC)
There are certainly plenty of whites who are repulsed by the officer's actions and Brown's death and the handling of the situation, but it's very possible that many of them aren't more open about it because they feel they'll be accused of pandering.
flumes 19th-Aug-2014 09:46 pm (UTC)
why the fuck are the comments to your disgusting and unecessary comment ones of agreement
zephyrkist 19th-Aug-2014 10:00 pm (UTC)
if you need to frame it as a "human rights issue" to make white people care about it, that kind of speaks for itself

it is a race issue and white people should be offended regardless
celtic_thistle 19th-Aug-2014 10:05 pm (UTC)
mte. So many idiots on news articles just dismiss it as "oh, he attacked the cop, he deserved what he got, plus he stole a cigar!" Fuck. OFF. It just blows my mind how many people are just willfully blind to the realities of racism.
massielita 19th-Aug-2014 10:13 pm (UTC)
Nope this is a race issue. If you are honestly grateful to the people of Ferguson please don't erase their claims. This is very racial and isn't new or recent. It's all part of a system meant to oppress black folks seeded in the white supremacy this county has been brining in for centuries.
nene718 19th-Aug-2014 10:14 pm (UTC)
um it is a race issue
saturdaysinbed 19th-Aug-2014 10:14 pm (UTC)
the amount of people i have had to tell off today made my nose bleed. someone literally said to me "you're not rich and you have to work and were on unemployment for 6 months so i don't get how white privilege applies to you" and i felt my face turn tomato red with rage. i had to explain to them what that privilege meant and still found myself met with confusion. it is unacceptable to me to be that ignorant in a day and age where information is so readily available to you. it is willful ignorance and i cannot fucking stand it.
secretly 19th-Aug-2014 10:15 pm (UTC)
i guess i understand what you're trying to say, it is a human rights issue but it is ALSO a race issue and you can't discount that
youbeboy 19th-Aug-2014 10:58 pm (UTC)
amir_nia 19th-Aug-2014 11:28 pm (UTC)
this is absolutely a race issue
avantgaurdian1 19th-Aug-2014 11:41 pm (UTC)
no, this is very much a race issue.
cheekymonkeyboo 20th-Aug-2014 02:58 am (UTC)
but its obviously not equally offending as this racism has been going on since slavery..the mental ramifications for white ppl hasnt done much to disarm them to being racist. if anything we live in an age where the racism is so underhanded and shielded under the guise of "business" or "law" its more insidious because it allows ppl to say that its a thing of the past.
dbwayfarer 21st-Aug-2014 02:18 pm (UTC)
It's undeniably a race issue first and foremost, but yes, this entire event does reveal some seriously disturbing implications about just how much power the police have - they're blatantly violating rights and basically broadcasting their corruption to the world, yet it seems 99% of them - if not all - will retain their jobs and power.

The problem is, though, in regards to your comment about white people's interest in this, is that so many of the white people who usually have anti-government sentiments also hate black people, and it's becoming apparent that their racist beliefs are stronger than their anti-cop/anti-government beliefs. They're willing to support the police overstepping their bounds in this scenario precisely because it's largely black people feeling the ill effects - rest assured that if cops acted like this in a primarily white, well-to-do area, it would have been over in a day with the entire department losing their jobs.

I think it's hard to overemphasize just how important race (and, yes, class) is in this situation.

Sorry for the late-ass reply, I just remembered that I'm catching up on old posts. Oops!

Edited at 2014-08-21 02:18 pm (UTC)
ms_mmelissa 19th-Aug-2014 09:04 pm (UTC)

kwikimart 19th-Aug-2014 09:14 pm (UTC)
This is heartbreaking
soyymilk 19th-Aug-2014 09:23 pm (UTC)
fuck this is so sad
antique_faery 19th-Aug-2014 09:28 pm (UTC)
calinewarkwc69 19th-Aug-2014 09:28 pm (UTC)
This really opens up the whole bigger issue of cops not being trained to deal with people who have mental illnesses. It's horrifying.
aria_grace 19th-Aug-2014 09:33 pm (UTC)
Aren't cops trained on how to neutralize a person with a knife? Hell I think I learned how to do that in fucking Tae Kwon Do. It doesn't require shooting and killing.
hammersxstrings 19th-Aug-2014 08:52 pm (UTC)
i saw something about Officer Wilson having a fractured eye socket after the shooting. And a number of witness corroborating that Michael ran at him. makes me groan; he's going to walk, i already knew it but STILLLLLLL
lestat 19th-Aug-2014 08:57 pm (UTC)
I've heard the exact opposite
hammersxstrings 19th-Aug-2014 09:05 pm (UTC)
man i hope so. the smugness of some of the people in this area will be unbearable.
tdddjjjj 19th-Aug-2014 09:02 pm (UTC)
The only places reporting the eye socket info are right wing blogs and news aggregating sites linking to right wing blogs. Until a reputable news org reports it, please stop repeating it.

Plus I must say that I question how accurate that information could be, given that it's been nearly a week since the incident and this is the first we're hearing of it. Seems like the cops would have released anything like that much earlier. Additionally, I am unwilling to take their word on any injuries without photographic proof. They made sure to release the convenience store footage against DOJ recommendations, why haven't they released a photo of Wilson's alleged injury too?
solsty 19th-Aug-2014 09:06 pm (UTC)
So they're already coming up with bullshit? Yeah, I think he's going to walk too. This huge meaningful protest is going to be completely ignored by those who can actually do something.
calinewarkwc69 19th-Aug-2014 09:14 pm (UTC)
Interesting how there was a video of him stealing released asap, but pictures of the actual injuries that people would say "justify" his murder have yet to turn up...

/things that make you go hmmmm
jess_sayin 19th-Aug-2014 09:30 pm (UTC)
Oh please. There's video of his ass pacing around the dead body of Mike Brown, and at not one second did he seem injured. He never rubbed his head, face or eye. bullshit!
actxappalledx 19th-Aug-2014 09:49 pm (UTC)
I don't buy that shit for a second. They are trying to cover their asses
celtic_thistle 19th-Aug-2014 10:07 pm (UTC)
My dad listens to talk radio and was like "omg did you hear that cop had a fractured eye socket, the kid rushed him after all!" I didn't even respond. I highly doubt it. Where's this info coming from? The murderer cop has apparently dropped off the face of the earth.
browneyedguuurl 19th-Aug-2014 10:14 pm (UTC)
I bet it's bs. You don't think the cops would've released that information earlier?! BS!
arielazul_22 19th-Aug-2014 10:15 pm (UTC)
if that fucking pig had any type of injuries, trust they would've been documented, photographed and brought up repeatedly by now...this is all bullshit cover
hey_kayla_jay 20th-Aug-2014 07:54 pm (UTC)
Weren't images of Zimmerman's injuries also released days after everything had happened? And after all kinds of rumors about him lying had started?

I'm not buying this. Too much bullshit.
tellmeimawreck 19th-Aug-2014 08:53 pm (UTC)
This whole thing is just so horrific. I've seen a lot of people (not here, necessarily) comment about how ~this can't be happening in the modern age~ and it's like, well, it never stopped. People got complacent once the huge part of the civil rights movement finished and pretended like racism was over when really it was just boiling on a different burner. Suddenly everyone's being reminded that, oh hey, racism still exists in a massive way and they're shocked.

But I hope that the people in Ferguson don't give up. I hope that Amnesty International works to get back into Ferguson and properly document the shit that's going down in a way that maybe the ignorant assholes could listen to rather than stuff on Twitter which people can pretend isn't real.
soyymilk 19th-Aug-2014 09:25 pm (UTC)
ia. my bullshit roommates like to believe racism doesn't exist anymore in the western world and i've given up arguing with them about this topic.
thespockingdead 19th-Aug-2014 10:36 pm (UTC)
Your roommates sound like the asshole children who go to my university. A white guy in one of my classes said "racism isn't really around anymore" once, and it took all my strength not to throw a chair at him.
kairoso 19th-Aug-2014 08:53 pm (UTC)
I don't know how to embed tweets but I just saw this one:

"How many ice buckets do I have to pour over my head to raise awareness of racially charged police homicides in America?" - Samarth Bhaskar

not that you can't support both, either/or
cageyb 19th-Aug-2014 08:59 pm (UTC)
Yeah, I've been wary of making this comparison because 1) it's also a meaningful cause and 2) as stupid as it is, the ice bucket thing does seem to be raising money.
kairoso 19th-Aug-2014 09:00 pm (UTC)
yeah i think it's just that white celebs have been all over ASL (which is a very good thing) but they've also remained silent about michael brown's shooting except for a few
instantgold 19th-Aug-2014 08:58 pm (UTC)
why do so many white people think this has nothing to do with race jfc.
nutmegdealer 19th-Aug-2014 09:03 pm (UTC)
white privilege is blinding as fuck.
frklphace 19th-Aug-2014 09:07 pm (UTC)
the roots of it began in race, and the whole aftermath - terrorizing of the neighborhood - is race based but the issues at hand themselves really boil down to human rights. we're human. we have rights. everyone should be concerned about every step of this situation. i don't know how people can remove race from it, but it's also broader than that. this could be anyone's kid, anyone's town. it's apparently harder to care bc the kid is black and the town is black so obvs they must be in the wrong.

espressotorte 19th-Aug-2014 09:17 pm (UTC)
nene718 19th-Aug-2014 10:18 pm (UTC)
it can't be "anyone's kid." white kids don't get gunned down like this. white neighborhoods don't get tear gassed. you're asking how people can remove race from it but it looks like you're itching to do the same thing.
secretly 19th-Aug-2014 10:18 pm (UTC)
...hypothetically it could be anyone's kid but the reality is that it usually is a BLACK kid and it's been this way for years.

Edited at 2014-08-19 10:19 pm (UTC)
yourbitterhero 19th-Aug-2014 10:26 pm (UTC)
lol, wat?

in america it really couldn't be anyone's kid. the police in america aren't killing unarmed white kids, they are killing unarmed black kids.

if there were a protest in some small white town, the police presence wouldn't be half as large, let alone militarized. the entire reaction of the cops is playing to the racial stereotypes of black people being angry, scary, and perpetually up to no good.

this IS a race issue and to say it isn't or only partially is, is ignorant.
devourlove 19th-Aug-2014 10:27 pm (UTC)

at the bare bones of your statement i get that you're trying to say this is why all people should be rallying together, because theoretically it could be any of us, and ia, that is an important point, and you're not disagreeing that race IS an important factor, but i think it's also important to drive home to these same people that even though it COULD be anyone, it DEFINITELY IS race, that is DEFINITELY an important factor, and that oppression is a HUGE part of it. it COULD be anyone, but it's not and probably won't be, dig?
therearewords 19th-Aug-2014 09:12 pm (UTC)
They might think it does, but urgh, the discomfort! Better have "them" handle "that"!

And here outside the US I notice the familiar "Well, Americans really do have a very weird relationship with race".
vsufreshie011 19th-Aug-2014 09:15 pm (UTC)
Because they're white.
nick_halden 19th-Aug-2014 09:19 pm (UTC)
Ignorance, blindness to racial issues, they are racist.
hammersxstrings 19th-Aug-2014 09:26 pm (UTC)
because having to face the past is too uncomfortable for most people. people have such a nostalgia for the "Good old days" to admit to having made mistakes and contributed to this disaster is just not something most can accept.
calinewarkwc69 19th-Aug-2014 09:47 pm (UTC)
They got a speeding ticket once and now they think cops hate everyone.
devourlove 19th-Aug-2014 09:50 pm (UTC)
idk i decided to glaze right over that. 7 days in and i'm completely tired of bullshit
actxappalledx 19th-Aug-2014 09:50 pm (UTC)
bc they also think there is no such thing as white privilege
chasind01 19th-Aug-2014 10:01 pm (UTC)
Because otherwise life isn't actually "fair" and they didn't actually "earn" everything they have.
secretly 19th-Aug-2014 10:19 pm (UTC)
privilege is a helluva drug
thespockingdead 19th-Aug-2014 10:40 pm (UTC)
I genuinely don't understand how anyone can believe that. All these white kids on my Facebook keep saying shit about "playing the race card" and I'm just like... what? This issue wouldn't even EXIST if race wasn't a factor.
youbeboy 19th-Aug-2014 11:01 pm (UTC)
Because they'd rather stick their heads in the sand than accept reality.
rikushairflip 19th-Aug-2014 11:43 pm (UTC)
They see it as "Well, I'm safe so it's not my problem."
needaccount 20th-Aug-2014 03:30 am (UTC)
It's incredibly annoying.
xeroxicide__ 19th-Aug-2014 09:01 pm (UTC)
Hopefully the feds won't be as messy, but knowing them it'll only get worse as they step in and take over controlling the masses.
xeroxicide__ 19th-Aug-2014 09:05 pm (UTC)
Oh, and the website funding Wilson's legal fees can go up to 1 million for all I care. If stupid people want to throw away their money on stupid, I'm fine with that... grumpycatgood.jpg
calinewarkwc69 19th-Aug-2014 09:48 pm (UTC)
Right? It's a sad day for Americans when we're ready to believe the federal government can do anything better.
antique_faery 19th-Aug-2014 09:05 pm (UTC)
This whole thing is just making me sick. These people are being terrorized and no one's doing a damn fucking thing about it. I'm truly scared for the residents' safety. I'm just so scared for them that they have to survive these racist terrorists simply for a peaceful protest. It's unreal. I hope every single cop involved suffers.
silentxstrom 19th-Aug-2014 09:07 pm (UTC)
After hearing about the Holocaust survivor who was arrested, I feel even angrier. The cops are unfairly arresting everyone, but Darren Wilson.
adagsly 19th-Aug-2014 09:11 pm (UTC)
that was really really well written
kwikimart 19th-Aug-2014 09:15 pm (UTC)
This is really, really on point. Killer Mike is a good guy.
laurondo 19th-Aug-2014 09:17 pm (UTC)
It's very telling when no one on my facebook is talking about Ferguson and the one comment I have seen about it was someone saying he wants something new that's ~big to happen so it can overshadow what's going on in Ferguson. He's tired of hearing about it, is what he said.
invisiblegirlx 19th-Aug-2014 09:36 pm (UTC)
yeah man talking about racial inequality is such a drag.

__planitbremix 19th-Aug-2014 09:51 pm (UTC)
Only a select few of ppl I know on FB are speaking about it. I only had one idiot go off with his fox news worshipping ass. I didn't challenge him cause he's a dumbass regardless, but I did debate with this supposed *Cop* who was like 'we can't be on the people's side, the eye witnesses get their stories mixed up!"He couldn't refute the news sources I provided so I feel I won =) in the end all he could tell me is he was a thug regardless of how *innocent* we try to paint him and he has a friend who has inside info claiming Michael Brown got into trouble with the law.

laurondo 19th-Aug-2014 09:57 pm (UTC)
I was going to debate with the guy I mentioned, but the comment he made was on our mutual friends status and I didn't want to start anything on someone else's page. Plus it wasn't what they were even discussing, it was just a "throw away" line.
satellite__eyes 19th-Aug-2014 09:54 pm (UTC)
Wow. That's gross. I'm sick of this shit happening, how about that?

The only people really talking about it on mine at POC, of course. Some are posting other related stuff, but mostly about the government in general overstepping its boundaries (self-professed "libertarians", if you will). Someone white did post an article about the robbery and then when I retorted with another article from the same site saying the cop wasn't aware of the robbery some third party cunt commented "well the answers aren't out yet but we all know what they are after this. open and shut case in my book". I told her how disgusting that comment was and I didn't know what else to say besides I was glad she wasn't in a position of power in government or law enforcement if that's her attitude. People are repulsive :(
secretly 19th-Aug-2014 10:20 pm (UTC)
i'm honestly surprised more people are not talking about it. i have plenty of "activist" type friends but go figure their white hipster asses don't give a fuck about this.
aleksie 20th-Aug-2014 12:00 am (UTC)
That's repulsive on so many levels.
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