General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This is not how I remember the micheal brown shooting. From wiki [View all]Uponthegears
(1,499 posts)For reasons that I choose not to discuss, I have read every witness statement and law enforcement report in the Michael Brown case. I have also talked to some of the eyewitnesses. Even leaving out the conversations I've had, there are two distinct versions of what happened that day.
The first is only slightly different from the Wiki version (no one in their right mind is claiming that Wilson knew about the convenience store incident until after Michael Brown was laying dead in the street). It comes from eyewitnesses who saw a struggle at the driver's side window of Wilson's car, eyewitnesses who claimed that Brown was charging Officer Wilson, and Officer's Wilson's own account, given days after the shooting. It is consistent with the physical evidence. It is a version which, though troubling, reduces racial tension by framing the Brown killing to a question of whether "excessive force" was used, as opposed to whether young black males are being targeted by the legal system with the intent of imprisoning, disenfranchising, executing, and/or simply gunning them down. As you might guess, it is a version that those charged with maintaining order would prefer most people believe.
There is a second version. It comes from the account of Dorian Johnson, the eyewitness statement of the first two witnesses interviewed by law enforcement and the eyewitnesses who said Michael Brown was running away from Officer Wilson as he fired at him, then turned, faced Wilson with his hands raised and was then essentially executed. It is ALSO consistent with the physical evidence.
In that version, Michael and Dorian are walking down the street (technically "illegally" but in exactly the same manner as thousands of white teenage boys do) when they are summoned over to Wilson's police vehicle (why, because cops do that little power play all the friggin' time just to show young black males that they are the boss). Michael is inadequately servile and talks back when Wilson starts giving him the "what are you doing here . . . do you know I could arrest you for walking in the street instead of the sidewalk." Wilson become irate (as cops are want to do when a young black male give them disrespect) and grabs Michael. Michael struggles to get away and when he does, Wilson goes for his gun. During the struggle, shots go off inside the police vehicle. Michael pulls away and starts to run (why? . . . maybe because at this point he knows what Wilson is going to do) Wilson fires at him and yells at him to stop. Brown stops and turns back toward Wilson. Wilson continues to fire, with a final round entering the top of Brown's head as he falls.
The "official" reasons for rejecting this version are: (1) Dorian Johnson is automatically less credible that Wilson; (2) (this takes a little time) the two eyewitness who stated they saw what was nothing short of Michael Brown's murder, initially stated was that they believed Brown was initially hit in the back as he ran, otherwise their statement was entirely consistent with the physical evidence (and, save for the fact that they believed Brown was hit as he ran, WAS consistent with the physical evidence). It was, however, directly contrary to Wilson. Local law enforcement re-interviewed these witnesses at least twice, each time challenging different aspects of their story and each time using leading questions to guide them into making each subsequent statement a little different than the prior statement (it's a technique which law enforcement uses when trying to elicit a confession). Ultimately, they confront these witnesses with these manufactured inconsistencies and the witnesses "agree" that they aren't so sure that the statements they gave within hours of the shooting were accurate. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. By the time the Justice Department gets to them, they have been burnt to a crisp; (3) there is no witness to explain how shots were fired in the car other than Wilson (because the other witness is DEAD); (4) the almost bizarre story that Brown is shot in the top of the head because he was charging Wilson with his head down is somehow more likely than that the final shot is inflicted as Brown is falling to the ground.
Yes, IF you believe Wilson, IF you think that cops badgering witnesses produce "truth," if you believe that young black males are automatically incredible because (shocker) they have had previous encounters with law enforcement, if you believe that physical evidence which can support two versions of an event should be interpreted in a light most favorable to the cops, THEN you can go home and tell yourself that the system works and that justice was done for Michael Brown.
If not, you need to ask yourself how deep the roots of institutional racism have grown.