I understand your point, but I think you missed mine. You quite rightfully note that the police have a history of pre-judging young black men based on the conduct of others, but you wrongfully pre-judge this policeman based on the conduct of others. That's all. I think 'Nupe has point. Willson, who had never used his firearm before, made a poor choice in trying to chase Brown instead of calling for backup. Brown made a poor choice by committing a robbery and then walking down the middle of the street holding the stolen item. And he made a very poor choice when he tried to assault an armed police officer and forced Wilson into a quick decision that wasn't the best one. I think there were many factors other than racism at play here.
The fear was that more punching could lead to Brown getting Wilson's gun away from him providing him with a deadly weapon. That is a completely legitimate fear when someone that powerful had made a move so rash as to assault an armed policeman.
Neither is yours, for that matter, and I am not asking you to accept my opinion. I am pointing out that the evidence presented in the pictures of Wilson after the incident do not line up with his story that Brown had landed two solid punches to his head and he feared that a third punch could be fatal. The mark on his face is on the right side of his face, which would have been facing away from the drivers side window. My point is that either Brown had bionic arms that could reach around Wilson and strike him hard enough for Wilson to fear for his life or Wilson's story doesn't add up. I have no doubt he was afraid of Brown, I have no doubt that Brown was in the car and that there was indeed a struggle between the two of them where Brown was very obviously the aggressor. I have no doubt that both Wilson and Brown made a series of poor choices that culminated in a much worse situation than it ever had to be. All of that said, Wilson's claim that he feared for his life just don't add up.....at least to me. Do I think that Wilson was a racist hell-bent on killing an 18 year old kid? Of course not. I DO believe that the DA did just enough to cover his ass while protecting Wilson from having to go to trial. He was protecting his own. Let's pretend that it was you or me in the car that day and not a police officer. Do you think they would have treated us the same as they would one of their own? No, of course not, we would have likely went to trial because of the sheer subjectivity of the entire incident. It's a double standard. Are black people the victim of this kind of thing more than white people? Sure they are, no one disputes that. But this case is more about blue protecting blue than anything racial. Either way, I don't think the kid got a fair shake. No doubt he should have been punished for robbing the store and strong arming the clerk; no disputing that either. But taking a life is serious and deserves a great exploration into the truth than what this got.
But that is not what he said, Red. Wilson's testimony states that he took two punches from Brown and feared that the third could be fatal. He never said that he feared Brown would take his gun from him so now you are just speculating about what could have happened next. For all we know he could have run away and hid, hoping that he could get away with robbing the store and hitting a cop. Yes, Wilson had reason to fear and for all the reasons that you stated. But once again his injuries do not match his testimony, not only that they are slight scuffs when he claims that he took two straight punches but said scuffs are on the side of his face that would have been facing away from Wilson. In my opinion, he was coached to inflate the story about the struggle to help justify his later actions, something that could have been refuted only if he had been cross-examined. His attorney seems to have taken a page from the George Zimmerman playbook with the "I feared for my life" line.
You can't tell "slight scuffs" from true damage by looking at a photo....hence the use of a measuring device which did indeed indicate swelling. And no, he did not say the blows were both to the same side of his face. He took one to each side and the one facing Brown was on his left side.....his ear is red and swollen. IMO, he was most definitely not coached. Watch his demeanor in interviews. He has said the same thing over and over. Coaching would ultimately lead to cover-ups. Zimmerman was a nut ball. Wilson is clearly not.
You have been wildly speculating and pronouncing "facts" based on what you perceive to be minor injuries. But this is what Wilson actually said, it ain't me speculating. Here is the testimony. Q: You thought that he could hit you and it would be a fatal injury? WILSON: Or at least unconscious and who knows what would happen to me after that.
It is not my perception that those are minor injuries because they are minor injuries so cut the bull shit. If they had become any worse don't you think we would have seen them by now? Sure, but we haven't because they never became any worse. That "swelling" never bruised or became discolored. Nothing became of them past what the pictures show. They are superficial to say the least. I know what Wilson's testimony is; it is exactly why I am here posting....because it's bull shit. I am so glad that you posted this particular line of his because it shows precisely my point: Any good prosecutor would have cross-examined Wilson and made him expound on his speculation about "who knows what would happen to me after that." Any good prosecutor would have cross-examined him on any number of things he said but they didn't. They let him sit and tell his story without ever interrupting him to cross-examine or to make him expound on many of the leading and speculative statements he made. He got a chance to sit and basically tell how a "Hulk Hogan Demon" stood up like a bear and charged at him even after being shot, creating a narrative all his own. That is not justice, Red. Call it what you want and stomp your little foot in the mud all you like but that is not justice. It should have gone to trial and it didn't because the DA protected Wilson, plain and simple.
of course i agree with that, i have said from the start Brown probably caused his own death. but the explanation and his own words of no remorse, leads me to believe that its some there.
People disagree with your opinions. Live with it, chief. You obviously have not read his actual testimony, which I linked above. This is completely untrue. He was asked many questions and interrupted many times. You should realize that his TV interview was not his Grand Jury testimony. I am already on record as saying it should have gone to trial, so throw your hissy fit somewhere else. My objection is to your notion that his injuries somehow prove he was lying. You are simply guessing, let's be clear. You are making assumptions not in evidence.
Whether Wilson's actions were justified of whether he did go beyond the actions necessary to control the situation Brown's actions led directly to the situation he put himself in. I understand that people who believe that Wilson was at fault are still upset with the grand jury's findings. My question is this: Why hasn't the killing of Tamir Rice drawn the same amount of attention as the Brown case? Brown didn't deserve to lose his life over what he did but he is at least as culpable as Wilson. Tamir was a little boy playing with a toy gun who was shot to death within two seconds of the cops getting out of their car. To me that is far more egregious than the Brown shooting, yet the media and the public have basically ignored it and moved on to the next horrific daily news story. Why?
