Top 10 Biggest Things Police Did Wrong in Ferguson, Missouri After the Shooting of Michael Brown
Other than the glaring cause of the problems, the shooting of an unarmed teenager, what else did the police do wrong in the town of Ferguson, Missouri?From the beginning, the police were loath to give anyone clear information. Police said one thing. Witnesses said another, and police weren't saying much else. When asked point-blank how many times Michael Brown was shot, the Chief said, "more than just a couple." So much for being concise.
They took too long, and they let it fester with people, and the escalation, combined with the lack of information made people crazy.
Just an example seen in one video, and I quote: "Bring it on you f****** animals." Are you kidding me?
Now that the whole affair is exposed and over, the truth of the matter is that the protesters were the ones who were intensely aggressive and provoked the violence. These days, it's most likely that Ferguson's "citizens" will viciously attack random people on trains and buses, as often shown on video.
I understand that looters and the violent protesters flinging Molotovs should be dealt with, but what gives with the marching of a police group on one unarmed man, etc?
The protesters were, for the most part, peaceful. Isolate troublemakers. Don't fire into a crowd. And tear gas? I can tell you firsthand that tear gas is awful and should be the answer to a much bigger threat than angry people in the street, executing their right to peacefully protest.
The police had to know immediately that they did not have this situation under control. When things kept getting worse instead of better, they should have asked for help and looked for ways to diffuse things.
What are the police doing with these kinds of weapons and equipment? The answer is the 1033 program, but I don't think this is what the government had in mind when they gave this stuff out. It seems like kids dying to use their new toys.
Police roughed up and arrested journalists in McDonald's, fired tear gas at Al Jazeera crews, and generally tried everything they could to avoid this clown-show being documented and broadcast. The blatant attempts to hide what was going on there only made things worse. This is the AGE OF MEDIA. What's next, China-up and block the internet so people can't post their videos?
Group punishments like tear gas and rubber and pepper bullets in response to a few bad eggs in mass groups of protesters isn't a smart way to go. This is a very charged situation, and they are only making it worse.
The Newcomers
"The Ferguson Effect" is when police withdraw normal proactive duties and start taking reports only after the fact. Crime spirals out of control, adversely affecting everyone.
When you vote to defund the police, this is exactly what happens. The worst crime areas get even worse, and the people who live there are in increased danger.
Diversity is important for many reasons, but it should have been obvious from the beginning that this was also a racially charged atmosphere. A bit of diversity would have gone a long way, I think, towards not polarizing this situation. The chiefs should have seen this.