NO ONE BEARS GREATER BLAME THAN MICHAEL BROWN, FOR MICHAEL BROWN’S DEATH

Brown was little more than an out-of-control hoodlum under the influence of marijuana

Greg ‘Gadfly Doyle’ gives us an excellent perspective on the Michael Brown shooting, on an officer’s decision to shoot, and on the refusal of law enforcement to respond adequately to the rock and bottle throwing, to the looting of stores, and to the burning of Ferguson.

ONE BAD ACTOR, MANY BAD ACTS
By Greg ‘Gadfly’ Doyle

PACOVILLA Corrections blog
November 27, 2014

This Thanksgiving, peace officers all across America have something of great significance to be grateful about. In the wake of a grand jury decision in the Show-Me State, which found no probable cause that a crime was committed on the part of former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, peace officers of all jurisdictions within the United States should be breathing a collective sigh of relief. For the time being, law enforcement officers may still discriminate against unarmed assailants (by using deadly force) if they believe their lives are in imminent danger, regardless of ethnicity.

It is indeed unfortunate that Michael Brown was killed by a police officer; but not for the reasons regurgitated by the mainstream media. According to the evidence presented to a grand jury (as reiterated by the prosecutor after the decision was announced), Michael Brown engaged a law enforcement officer while under the influence of a mind-altering intoxicant (Marijuana.)

To make matters worse, Mr. Brown matched the description of someone who had just committed a felony (a strong-arm robbery of a box of cigars from a convenience store) prior to this encounter with a Ferguson police officer. (A video from the victimized business confirmed Brown was indeed the suspect.) When Officer Wilson attempted to contact him, Brown shoved Wilson back into his unit, forcing the door closed.

To complicate things further, Brown decided to challenge and assault an armed, uniformed officer. Officer Wilson had a duty to perform, which was to detain a suspect. Brown opted to ignore Wilson’s commands and escalated the situation through violence.

And that was a stupid decision on the part of Michael Brown. In fact, it was a fatal one. No one bears greater blame than Michael Brown, for Michael Brown’s death. At any point, prior to the discharge of Officer Wilson’s gun, Mr. Brown had ample opportunities to comply with the lawful commands given to him by Officer Wilson. Yet Brown not only failed to comply, he continued to up the ante by aggressively assaulting the officer and attempting to grab the officer’s firearm.

At what point can we agree that deadly force was an appropriate response? That is what the rule of law requires in the use of deadly force. Would a reasonable person, faced with similar circumstances, be compelled to defend themselves with the use of deadly force? Yes or No?

How many times should Officer Wilson have allowed Micheal Brown to punch him before deciding to draw his weapon? (Remember the officer was trapped in the driver seat of his patrol vehicle while Brown leaned in the window to assault him.) If you consider yourself a reasonable person, at what point would you believe your life was in imminent danger?

In my estimation, the mainstream media picked one terrible poster-child to assert racism as the catalyst of this shooting death. This incident was less about color and more about criminality. Bad behavior is the best determinant of criminal intent. Not only did Brown match the description of an alleged felony suspect, he continued to prove he was one bad actor when confronted by the police. And many bad acts have followed as a result.

In its eagerness to paint Ferguson Police Department as a racist and discriminatory arm of local government, the media failed to collect and review the facts. Instead, they took the word of a potential accomplice to a felony and projected his words across every television screen in the nation as if what he had to say was gospel truth. Those inflammatory and incendiary words were later discredited after a thorough investigation and review by Ferguson Police Department, State authorities, and the FBI.

The rush to judgment by the mainstream press was relentless. Unchallenged accusations of racism were regurgitated for months. Rioting, arson, and looting were treated as a natural and justifiable response to an ethnic perception of a systemic injustice. By most press accounts, one might deduce that White police officers regularly selected and killed unarmed Black males in Missouri for target practice.

But the truth, as presented by witness statements, physical evidence, and corroborating video tape suggests that Michael Brown was little more than an out-of-control hoodlum leading up to his demise. And this is where the press refuses to do its due diligence in reporting factually on this case. Mister Brown’s actions are mulled over and dismissed; Officer Wilson’s are scrutinized and ridiculed because the facts won’t fit the narrative of racism otherwise.

America is a nation that subscribes to the rule of law. Last time I checked, rioting was illegal. Looting and arson are still felonies. Throwing rocks and bottles at police officers constitutes assault with intent to commit great bodily injury. Where are all of the arrests? For all the rioting in Ferguson and elsewhere, where was the enforcement to quell the unrest?

It seemed fairly clear from what I could observe that the police were allowing the agitators to vent (however unlawfully) at the direction of the body politic. In other words, they were merely appeasing the protesters until the energy was spent. Meantime, the rule of law has been largely ignored.

Did that discourage unlawful protests and rioting? No. It just signaled a weak government unwilling to act or enforce the law in the face of willful violence and lawlessness; appeasement, plain and simple.

That is no way to run a government. That is no way to lead a nation. And that is what we have to look forward to—more lawlessness—if laws are not properly and immediately enforced. It was indeed a stunning contrast to see our president making a speech after the grand jury decision juxtaposed against the rioting in Ferguson, Missouri.

That image reminded me of his great effectiveness in the Middle East, especially against ISIS; all talk and little action; no law and lots of lawlessness.

I do feel sorry for the Brown family. No parent wants to believe their child is a criminal. And certainly no parent wants to see their child killed at the hands of anyone, let alone the police.

But if the Brown’s truly want change within their community, perhaps they should consider what’s wrong within their own neighborhood and ethnic community. What reasonable person condones strong arm robbery, assault on a peace officer, rioting, looting, and arson as acceptable behavior?

In my opinion, Michael Brown’s death was not an injustice, nor was the decision handed down by the grand jury. The true injustice appears to be disenfranchisement—a community that feels disaffected from its government and is entrenched in its own unique brand of self-fulfilling discrimination. Regardless of a universe of evidence to the contrary, for this specific ethnic community, the White cops ALWAYS have it out for the Black kids, and no one can convince them otherwise.

Let’s all breathe a collective sigh over the Ferguson incident. There are only losers in this scenario. Michael Brown is dead. Officer Wilson’s career is dead. Much of Ferguson lies in ashes.