The Michael Brown shooting was about race but it was not racially motivated.
” a handful of folks”
I watched Barack Obama inject himself into the Michael Brown grand jury news and I am confounded but not surprised. Obama had the chance to separate fact from fantasy and he did the opposite. The Michael Brown shooting was NOT racially motivated but something else was.
The shooting of Michael Brown was caused by Michael Brown. The forensic evidence was that Brown’s blood was present on Officer Darren Wilson’s collar and his thigh. There was blood found on the outside of the police cruiser and on the inside of the cruiser. Brown had a wound to his hand and gunshot residue was present on his hand, indicating a close proximity wound. Wilson had suffered injuries to his face. Brown had his hand or hands IN the cruiser, struck Wilson and struggled with Officer Wilson for Wilson’s weapon. Several black witnesses testified that Brown turned and approached Wilson at which time Wilson fired the fatal shots.
These were the facts as presented by Prosecutor McCulloch. Here it is if you wish to watch it.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JqkikttLMU[/youtube]
Never missing a racially charged opening, Barack Obama turned it into a circus.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7lK8OUm49k[/youtube]
He said some Americans will agree with it and some will disagree. His body language made very clear on which side he came down. There was powerful irony listening to Obama plea for peaceful protest juxtaposed against a mob trying to overturn a police car.
He asks the police to show “care and restraint.” (1:35)
Then Obama opened the race can. Obama expounded on the distrust of police by communities and then suggested that communities should be policed by those of their own race- a return to segregation.
There is a “deep distrust” between the police and “communities of color.” (2:50)
Then he goes on about the need for criminal justice reform. (about 4 minutes in) You can guess what that means.
He says these are the lessons of Ferguson. Not once does he address the crimes committed. Not once does he speak to personal responsibility. Not once. He turned a theft and an assault on a police officer into a racial issue. He could have said to America that this wasn’t a race based shooting. He didn’t. He made it worse.
“America isn’t everything that it could be” (7:00)
The media needs to ignore the violence. (8:00)
“There is inevitably going to be some negative reaction and it’ll make for good TV…” (8:50)
The questions asked following McCulloch’s accounting of the evidence were monumentally stupid.
Never mind the forensics. Is the decision racially based? And what about you? Whys it this justice? (33:00)
Should police shoot someone whose hands are at their side or up in the air? (34:00)
(A black teenager testified: “Dang if that kid didn’t start running right at the cop like a football player. Head down.” )
The police in Ferguson kill black youths with impunity (35:00)
And perhaps the single stupidest remark:
“there is not a single law in the state of Missouri that protects and values the life of this young man…”(35:50)
He notes that Brown was “shot and killed dead…”
That is both incendiary and stupid on a galactic scale.
It seemed that none of these people paid one whit of attention to the evidence that was presented. They had their predetermined questions and were going to pontificate. None of them addressed what Brown had done to cause his own death. Not one. Neither did Obama.
The activists in Ferguson honored Michael Brown’s memory by attacking reporters. They honored his memory by setting fire to businesses. They validated all the stereotypes- every one of them. Obama had a chance to do something- like officially recognize that the facts show Wilson acted properly and that race was not the motivation for the shooting. Instead, he got on his soapbox and lectured. And he missed it completely.
The bottom line still remains- Michael Brown is dead because of his own actions. I haven’t once seen anyone ask Michael Brown’s parents about his record or why they thought he robbed the store and shoved around the proprietor. Race was a contributor but not in the way everyone thinks. Obama spoke of mistrust of the police. It’s more than that- much more. Michael Brown didn’t respect a white cop. He didn’t think he had to obey the orders of a white cop. He thought he could attack a white cop without fear of repercussions. He was brought up that way. That’s why he’s dead.
UPDATE
It has been reported that Obama did not watch the prosecutor make his statement. That figures. Obama is typically is undeterred by facts. This is no different. He had a lecture to give and the facts were not about to intrude.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.