FERGUSON AFTERMATH: WILSON TESTIMONY, CORROBORATING WITNESS REMOVE MICHAEL BROWN’s HALO
By DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, NOV. 28-30, 2014) — In trying to assess the events of Ferguson, Mo., it’s best to go to the trove of evidence amassed for the grand jury as prosecutors pressed the case of Officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.
There are tens of thousands of pages of testimony and transcripts. THE PLANET didn’t read a fraction of them. We focused on the medical examiner’s report and particularly the testimony of Wilson as reported on a transcript of an interview police did with him shortly after the shooting.
The evidence removes the post hoc halo put on young Michael Brown by reconstruction.
Walking in the Middle of the Road? After a Robbery?
Wilson says that at about noon time on Saturday Aug. 9, a call came over his patrol car radio of a theft in progress at the Ferguson Market. Video shows the hulking Brown towering over the terrorized store clerk after stealing a bunch of cigarillos. Most young people who have cigarillos use them as a delivery system for drugs.
Shortly after the robbery call, Wilson said he saw two young black men walking in the middle of the road, down the yellow center line in the middle. You don’t have to be Dick Tracy to be suspicious at the sight of two teens surfing the yellow line. Wilson testified that he pulled up next to the young men and politely said, “Hey guys, why don’t you walk on the sidewalk?”
The two teenagers refused and kept walking. Wilson said he tried again. “We’re almost at our destination,” one of the teens replied.
WILSON: “But what’s wrong with the sidewalk?”
BROWN: “Fuck what you have to say.”
THE PLANET stops Wilson’s narrative for an observation. Wilson is in a marked patrol car, wearing his uniform. The two kids are walking down the middle of the road. He asks them to use the sidewalk, and that’s what he hears in reply? Suddenly, the sainthood of Michael Brown seems premature.
Continuing with Wilson’s Testimony
Wilson stopped the car and tried to open the door to get out, telling Brown to come toward the car. Brown approached the car on the driver’s side, said, “What the fuck you gonna do?” and slammed the car door on Wilson. Brown then leaned into the car and began punching Wilson. Remember that Brown is 6’ 4” tall and weighs close to 300 pounds. Try to picture Wilson’s frame of mind the moment the kid starts punching through the car door’s open window.
Wilson recounted what next went through his mind. He thought about using mace but decided that Brown was too close and the chemical would get into his (Wilson’s) eyes as well. He didn’t have a taser, and he couldn’t extract his baton or flashlight from a sitting position. That’s when he decided to go for his gun.
When Brown saw Officer Wilson reach for the gun, he said, “You’re too much of a fucking pussy to shoot me.” In other words, he’s taunted Wilson to shoot him, all the while continuing to throw punches at the terrified cop.
Next, Wilson said Brown grabbed the gun, twisting it and pointing it to Wilson’s pelvis. Wilson regained control of the gun and got off a shot that shattered the auto glass. Brown backed off but after realizing he wasn’t hurt leaned back into the car to assault the officer. Wilson fired again and Brown ran away. (Wilson sustained injuries from the fight, as seen in these photographs.)
Wilson said he got out of the car and began chasing Brown, yelling for him to stop and get on the ground.
WILSON: “When he stopped, he turned, looked at me, made like a grunting noise and had the most intense, aggressive face I’ve ever seen on a person. When he looked at me, he then did like the hop…you know, like people do to start running. And, he started running at me. During his first stride, he took his right hand put it under his shirt into his waistband. And I ordered him to stop and get on the ground again. He didn’t. I fired multiple shots. After I fired the multiple shots, I paused a second, yelled at him to get on the ground again, he was still in the same state. Still charging, hand still in his waistband, hadn’t slowed down.”
The ensuing shots (12 in all) killed Brown. Dorian Johnson, the other young man who was with Brown when he robbed the convenience store and was present during the shooting, confirmed Wilson’s account on many of the key points.
Johnson confirmed the robbery. He said Brown stole a large amount of cigarillos. When confronted by the clerk, Johnson said Brown shoved his way past the store employee. Johnson agreed with Wilson that Brown slammed the door on the officer and then leaned into the car and began throwing punches.
About Wilson’s testimony to police, keep in mind it’s from a trained police officer. He has taken rigorous courses on police work, including when to draw a weapon. Wilson also has been trained in offering reports of incidents.
Granted, eyewitness accounts of stressful incidents can be shaky. We must factor in, however, Wilson’s training and the corroborating testimony by the only other witness.
This suggests that the violent aftermath of the Ferguson incident, from the shooting to the announcement of the grand jury not to indict, has been used:
- As a rationale for the well-intentioned to address their legitimate problems over racial inequality
- As an excuse for race baiting and what Rudy Guiliani called “racial arson”
- As the mitigating circumstance for those simply looking to loot and burn as a joy sport.
THE PLANET keeps coming back to the question we posed earlier this week: Are we or are we not a nation of laws?
Have a great weekend.
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“Sacrifice. The future has its price, and today is only yesterday’s tomorrow.” — Uriah Heep, “Circle of Hands,” from the Demons and Wizards album, (1971).
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL
Quote
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
I found it interesting on CNN yesterday how they were reporting on the calmness in Ferguson, saying it was probably the cold weather or maybe the Thanksgiving holiday.
Very strange that they almost seemed disappointed that they didn’t get their race war. The whole calling in the National guard and all the media frenzy seems a bit staged to me.
There is such a crime as inciting a riot. Doubtful the media will ever be charged with such crimes.
Ever since Obama took office, seems there has been talk and an itching to declare Martial law. The Military on the streets of the USA seems to be a goal of this Administration. The Militarization of the police is obvious all across this country.
I believe the officer and the city of Ferguson should now go after the media and all the people who stirred the riots for civil damages. If anyone saw the before and after pictures of destroyed buildings in Ferguson it is hard for me to comprehend why people would feel so emboldened to do this in the name of “justice”.
For the people who try to justify it I went back to the book 1984 when Winston was trying to make sense of why people go along with everything: “In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it. They could accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening.”
Although not quite as obvious as Mayor Bianchi’s abuse of City Council chambers open mic love fest, this whole thing seems quite staged/orchestrated.
Throw Al Sharpton into the mix. ….. A man who started his whole career based on a lie. Tawana Brawley claimed six white men brutally raped her. Al Sharpton stood on the steps of the State Capital building in Albany shouting into his megaphone about evil Whitey. The whole thing later proved to be a total hoax/sham/staged event. This is how this man got his start in racial discrimination lawsuits.
Then Obama…… He’d never lie us right?
No boots on the ground, if you like your doctor you can keep him Period, executive orders to bypass Congress kind of guy.
Boston bombing = Military lockdown Martial law shelter in place of a major US city beta test.
Ferguson = National guard called in to keep the peace for the issuing racial riots.
Had the acting chief been issued assault rifles and armored military vehicles yet?.
He could also have stepped on the gas. Even if we accept the shots at the car, what was he going to accomplish chasing after the guy he was so terrified of with no backup? That he feels the need to mention hands near the waistband as a justification for discharging his weapon proves that he is full of it. He simply doesn’t have the abilities to patrol, this could be an excuse for a light or even no sentence if he would admit to malpractice without criminal intent, but the claim that he performed well is insulting to anyone who isn’t extremely charitable towards badge-wearers
On the whole there are troubling aspects of everything in this case but I think Officer Wilson’s testimony in light of the grand jury deliberation is credible. DV makes the crucial point that we are a nation of laws.
If we are that we must accept the grand jury’s decision imperfect as it may or may not be.
Wilson, I wonder if he had stood by awaiting back up and the criminal had hurt someone else if the narrative from the Race baiters like Sharpton, Holder and Obama would have been ” this officer stood by not because he had no back up but because its a predominantly poor black neighborhood” just imagine Holder in his quiet tone ” we live in a land where White Police officers will not assist Black neighborhoods ”
Read the Grand juries report a grand jury seated months before the cigars were stolen and the punches thrown.
I do not take the police officers account as gospel I do however take the evidence shown to the grand jury deliberated over by them and carefully considered by them as the most plausible scenario.
Perfect system? Probably not closest to it most likely.
Sorry it doesn’t fit the narrative of the mainstream media
There will be another case the the racists in the media can find soon enough to use to whip up the need for an honest discussion on race that has to start with poor black kid stole some cigars and punched a guy in the head then got confrontational with a police officer who had the nerve to show up to work that day white.
I really don’t see it as a case for race but of survival for the officer. He too only a kid (28?)
When do we look in the mirror and say its not race but a failure of policy and a breakdown of family and community structure where morality does not matter? When that discussion is had is when this type of senseless death will end
Oh boy I can only imagine who’s going to be the first to hurl the R word? Bets anyone?
Wilson, are officers trained to run away when confronting thugs larger than themselves? Wouldn’t such a policy be manipulated by outside groups to portray them as biased too? That is, Sharpton might claim, ‘criminals run free in our neighborhoods because the police value their own lives over ours.’
As for stepping on the gas, he probably could have done that, but didn’t. The death happened approximately 90 seconds after that conflct.
Dan V., I understand there is a lot of external money and advanced riot practice coming into these riots including a rumor that ISIS is contributing.
Charles that’s interesting. Let’s not forget it was foreign militias who flooded LA with crack cocain in the 80’s to fund the overthrow of thier govt. You may be onto something. The US has and still does play those same games.
Joe you’re spot on. A right to an education and equal opportunity isn’t enough it seems to maintain virtues. The only people it seems claiming they’re being harassed are people breaking the law and pulling the race card. Dr Martin Luther king in my opinion is one of the greatest men to live in the past 100 years.
He was trying to make a arrest. The thug robbed a store and assaulted a police officer.
You’re forgetting one major factor. Brown committed a crime and it’s the police officers job to investigate and apprehend a suspect. Just drive away I hope you’re joking…
Wilson I believe you have to learn personal responsibility. That “kid” was not law abiding and he was the age of an adult. He should have complied with getting on the sidewalk…it sounded like he wasn’t even going to get a jaywalking ticket. I believe the whole incident was created by the person who ended up paying for it with his life. Hopefully others will learn from this and “get on the sidewalk” but from the actions that I’m watching it doesn’t seem like people “get it”!
Shirley your post makes it sound like he was shot for walking on the sidewalk.
Judging by all appearances, it would appear that Obama has given the green light, nod, approval to police across the nation to use a heavy hand against the American people. Its the only explanation for the epidemic of police brutality sweeping the nation.
The coming use of weaponized military drones and military soldiers is easy to see. How do usher in a police state? Incrementally. Slowly turn up the heat so the frog gets relaxed and does not realize his goose is about to be cooked.
Never let a good crisis go to waste.
What do you do when 1984 is 30 years behind schedule?
Michael Brown’s ADULT criminal record:
Description: Burglary – 1st Degree { Felony B RSMo: 569.160 }
Date: 11/02/2013 Code: 1401000
OCN: AJ006207 Arresting Agency: ST ANN PD
Description: Armed Criminal Action { Felony Unclassified RSMo: 571.015 }
Date: 11/02/2013 Code: 3101000
OCN: AJ006207 Arresting Agency: ST ANN PD
Description: Assault 1st Degree – Serious Physical Injury { Felony A RSMo:565.050 }
Date: 11/02/2013 Code: 1301100
OCN: AJ006207 Arresting Agency: ST ANN PD
Description: Armed Criminal Action { Felony Unclassified RSMo: 571.015 }
Date: 11/02/2013 Code: 3101000
OCN: AJ006207 Arresting Agency: ST ANN PD
Also a member of the Vice Lords gang, 6’3″ and nearly 300 lbs. And this since his 18th birthday.
Joe the media uses photos of him smiling on his moms couch with his headphones on probably from 2-3 years ago. But if you google his name it’s clear he was a gangbanger affiliated with gangs, drugs and violence. Officer Wilson did the right thing he responded to a call and apprehended the suspect. Fortunately he got the right guy what’s the big deal? Brown could have just complied and he’d still be alive. Where are the tears and anger over the two innocent people killed during the unjustified riots? Where’s thier justice? That proves this isn’t about justice it’s about ignorance an stupidity on the part of the media and a social class of bafoons who crap on the liberties and freedoms thier own people and us in te north fought, bled, suffered and died for.
SPeaks for itself. As far as being a “disadvantaged minority” whose fault is it that the kid decided not to continue his education or get a job? He had opportunity. He chose not to use it. He chose instead to be a gang member. Choices have consequences. Time we stop tiptoeing around the failure of young black men to make good choices.
Not to rain on the party but the same facts have made some people discredit Darren Wilson’s testimony. Read for example http://www.msnbc.com/melissa-harris-perry/why-many-blacks-dont-believe-darren-wilson
I find Melissa Harris’s article full of irrelevant facts (irrelevant to Darren Wilson’s testimony) but she is arguing for rule of law.
Or how about Eugene Robinson claim that the whole incident shows contempt for the black community. See http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/11/28/contempt_for_a_community____124785.html
But nobody reading either article will be convinced by any of the arguments they are bringing up, unless they had their minds made up before. This is the essence of “confirmation bias”. These national columnists are constantly seeking evidence that confirms what they already know to be true. But they all argue that they are supporting rule of law.
Were these authors on the Grand Jury? Did they weigh all the evidence and hear all the testimony? If either answer is ‘no,’ their commentary is not worth a whit.
Also, I thought the point of the rioting was to express contempt for the ‘white’ community. That is, Black Panthers claiming ‘we’re bringing the fight to them.
CHUCK
I can’t speak for any other writer, but “rule of law” has to be in play to make sense of the events in Ferguson. The grand jury was impaneled prior to the shooting of Michael Brown. After the killing, it weighed the evidence. It came back with its finding. We either accept that and affirm our belief in rule of law or we don’t. In the latter case, we are on the road to anarchy. Rule of law is no guarantee that justice always prevails. We can never know with certainty. However, disregard rule of law, and you are left with a society much more prone to injustice than otherwise.
Of course, the prosecutor couldn’t get 9 jurors to vote for “probable cause”, its ridiculous to assume that 12 out 12 would have voted to convict with a “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard. But keep in mind that “rule of law” means something different to those who think that the process you describe is biased against African Americans. They believe that because blacks are disproportionately arrested and convicted the system must be biased. They refuse to apply the rules objectively as you demand.As Charles Berkshire noted, they were (fortunately) not on the jury.
Good points, CT. I would only add that prosecutors often get unanimous consent for “probably cause” and almost always when the facts warrant. Second, is there bias in the application of “rule of law” when it comes to blacks? It’s an entirely “other” discussion, but the lawlessness in Ferguson to protest the grand jury’s decision was perpetrated almost entirely by blacks. That segment of the population is arrested and convicted more. That is factually true, but we must realize that the proportions are far beyond what bias alone would account for. Finally, all notions of law and regulation — all systems designed for communal and social governance — are conceptual first and foremost. None of them work perfectly in actuality. For example, all economic systems work perfectly on the drawing board. In application, not so. Same with interpretations of the rule of law. That is not a good enough rationale, however, for excusing non-objective applications.
Isn’t missing from the conversation regarding the G.J. that it prevents manipulation of the courts. In this case, it’s clear that some were concerned a crime had been committed, but national actors hoped for a lynch by trial.
The thing people don’t realize is there’s studies that show having a gun isn’t an ace of spades. The distance of an attacker can close in an instant. I mean aren’t these the same gun control people who state having a gun in the home increases the owners death and most guns are used against people? Now all the sudden because it fits an agenda the all mighty gun is held in such high regard as a superior and advantageous defense weapon. Give me a break.
Officer Wilson’s testimony is his opinion or perception of the events Michael Brown
He could have exercised his 5th amendment constitutional right and not testified at all.
When a story line comes from someone who wears tampons on her ears to prove a point, I have to weigh her opinions accordingly.
A sad state of events but time to move on and not use it to promote agendas or political capital.
Every single prisoner in America in prison has had a trial. Some more than one on appeal. Every single prisoner is innocent. Don’t believe me?….Just ask them.
Some always tells the truth and someone always lies.
Al Sharpton wasn’t there.
Barry Obama wasn’t there.
All the protesters we not there.
The police officer and the friend of the victim were there.
Both their stories agree on key points.
There was a grand jury and it heard the evidence.
They made a decision.
That is the legal system we live under.
Not perfect but to some extent it works.
Much better than other countries where they cut your hand off for stealing or shoot you in the back of the head with no trial.
Its not just a MSNBC writer who has tampons in her ears who thinks Darren Wilson is guilty. A Huffington Post-YouGov poll of 1,000 adults released last week found that 62% of African Americans believed Wilson was at fault in the shooting of Brown. Only 22% of whites believed Wilson was at fault.That right, 62% of African Americans and 22% of white Americans do not believe in rule of law.
Lets hope they never get on a grand jury…
Black testimony undermined the notion that Brown was surrendering. Puffington Post polls are not credible if they are conducted to the same standards of their ‘reporting.’
Such a small poll not very accurate. Where was it taken, did any of the people read or heard some of the facts in the case? My question is, would Mr. Brown mouthed off and attacked a black officer? I guess we will never know.
Its not just a MSNBC writer who has tampons in her ears who thinks Darren Wilson is guilty. A Huffington Post-YouGov poll of 1,000 adults released last week found that 62% of African Americans believed Wilson was at fault in the shooting of Brown. Only 22% of whites believed Wilson was at fault.That right, 62% of African Americans and 22% of white Americans do not believe in rule of law.
Here’s a writer in the Boston Globe who presents the opinion that Dan wrote above as well, beneath contempt.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/11/28/ferguson-must-force-face-anti-blackness/pKVMpGxwUYpMDyHRWPln2M/story.html
Lets hope none of these idiots ever get on a grand jury…or win an election.
Hello, why do I feel like I just read this? Well, here goes again…
Black testimony undermined the notion that Brown was surrendering. Puffington Post polls are not credible if they are conducted to the same standards of their ‘reporting.’
I agree with DV. When put into practice no criminal justice procedure is perfect but its the best we got. Therefore I have to accept the finding of grand jury not to indict.
Time to put cameras on officers, it can happen!
Great comment Bea!
Bea, I seem to remember something about MADD (not positive) giving cameras to the PPD, and their union fighting against it…Does the PPD use them? The camera has no agenda, it only shows the facts. I’m not saying that the police, in general, are doing anything wrong, but the camera might be a very good tool.
Video documentation of all police interaction with the community would protect the good cops and protect the public from the bad ones. I love the idea.
Don’t understand why Wilson didn’t keep his microphone on for transmission, it isn’t rocket science?
Wilson is young (28), not long a cop, and likely made what hindsight and by-the-book police response protocol would call mistakes. Was he a bad cop? A poorly trained one? A well-trained one who erred? These questions are only secondarily relevant. The situation must reduce itself to the grand jury’s decision. Brown’s family has access to civil proceedings against Wilson.
By my estimation, Wilson was a dutiful cop. I do not see any fact to suggest he was ‘green’, or careless. If you call on a police on account of a dangerous situation, you will not want them to say it’s too hot for them to handle.
One thing that can’t be overlooked and others have brought it up but it’s worth repeating, that is the frightening militarization of police in America. Prelude to an actual police secutory state??
Kevin that’s the real issue that all people need to stand united against. How many people who Cain they’re oppressed blindly follow democrats? Ok so they’re for social programs and redistribution of wealth but they’re also for (and so aren’t the repubs) militarized police and collective govt. I can’t speak for anyone else but I like the idea of doing things for myself. I like the idea of a hobby that oversees and encourages big business to do the right thing through incentive based tax programs.
Agree totally Kevin.
Kevin, on that note, have you seen the newer paper targets the police and feds are using? The ones with pregnant women and children on them?
White pregnant woman and children. And why does whitey get the blame for Martin Zimmerman was Hispanic.
security
Nice Scott, I mean Kevin?
Totally agree Scott.
Looks like people are playing musical names.