One of the Ferguson Protesters Was Arrested for Something Called a "Sidewalk Use Violation." What's That?

 FRIDAY, NOV 28, 2014 3:45PM EST
The piece of evidence the Ferguson grand jury wasn’t allowed to see?
A glaring omission revealed
ZACHARY SILVERMAN

 When St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert McCulloch announced the decision of the grand jury tasked with deliberating whether or not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for his murder of Michael Brown, he took great pains throughout his defensive and dissembling speech to assert that the grand jury had been provided every scrap of evidence related to the shooting.

The recently published transcript of the evidence considered by the grand jury, however, seems to reveal that at least one crucial piece went missing. Namely, that among the various versions provided by Dorian Johnson (the friend who was accompanying Michael Brown at the time of his death) of the events surrounding the incidents of that day, the version provided by Johnson through his attorney that happened to be the most damning of Wilson's conduct (and, perhaps not coincidentally, the version which seems to many to be the most truthful) was nowhere to be found, and likely suppressed.

Here's the picture with the story: 

http://clashdaily.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/mb11.jpg

Thanks god I kept my promise to not come here on Thanksgiving....seeing the board racist noble spit his bullshit is infuriating.  It was nice to see family eat the mother lode of food, and get dog shit hammered with my drunk lawyer uncle.  The one thing I got from him, If the Prosecuting attorney wanted an indictment, he could have had one.....

According to police, there were preplanned demonstrations in a number of large cities....including Dallas.  It didn't matter what the Grand Jury did, they were going to march regardless.

I know I'm going to hate myself for this, but what were a bunch of radicals and black people in Dallas doing  in a march at that time of the night?  A Grand Jury with blacks on  it no-billed the officer after listening to months of testimony and accounts of actual witnesses supporting th officer's statements, and not a few who made up stories and/or didn't see what happened at all. So this farce was about something else, on the part if *some* witnesses who had manufactured statements together, or from the same outside source. 

Honestly, the media and social experts need to dig deeper into the back story of this event.  And, when Al Sharpton comes to town, you know there's going to be trouble - and there was.  Some 25 black people lost their businesses - most of them permanently.

Ray Charles could see there was something else going on here.  But, once the decedent Mr. Brown robbed a store, assaulted and threatened the clerk,  assaulted a police officer and tried to take his gun, he was on a pathway that would not end well at all. And, it didn't.

According to a focus group interview the other night, I was surprised to learn that over 93% of black males are killed by other black males.  Less than 2% are killed by law enforcement, and the vast majority of those are in the commission of one or more crimes. 

If these Left-wing racist nuts want to protest a Grand Jury decision without seeing a shred of the evidence or testimony, that speaks for itself.  To them, this is all about race. 

Trayvon Martin, who had stolen jewelry the day he was killed, and had been smoking grass that evening, was the method of his own demise.  He attacked and ambushed the wrong person, and used his extensive martial arts training to knock Zimmerman to the ground from behind, and then tried to kill him.  Zimmerman did what most of us would have done; he defended himself.  Too bad the Martin family didn't pull down Trayvon's Facebook site before people had a chance to see what this wannabe gangsta, thug, and racist jerk was all about. 

Michael Brown, who had also been smoking grass and was overloaded with TCP (according to autopsy) killed himself.  He had robbed a convenience store that day, assaulted and threatened the clerk, was walking down the middle of a road in traffic, refused an order to get on the sidewalk, assaulted a police officer and tried to get his gun, and ran away and then turned and rushed the officer he had injured.  The officer acted appropriately by defending himself with his firearm.  The Grand Jury agreed. 

There is not an epidemic of police shooting black males.  There IS an epidemic of black males committing crimes, and killing each other. 

Funny how they never protest that. 

I too am "numb and saddened" as Pastor Bowie says. I don't see that the Grand Jury decision says that "killing black males is justified and legal", yet the manner in which the decision on Wilson standing trial was not just.

I do not know if Wilson is guilty or innocent of abuse of authority, or using deadly force in a justifiable manner or not. The fact of the matter is we will now never actually know due to the decision to not charge Wilson and have a trial conducted to determine yea or nay.

In the Martin case Zimmerman was charged and a trial was held. While one may disagree with the outcome the fact of the matter is the legal process was done and an outcome occurred, Zimmerman was found not guilty.

That same process should be done with Wilson. A court proceeding should be conducted with all the facts reviewed with prosecution and defense presenting their case. That was not done with the Grand Jury.

@ScottsMerkin That's the other reason they call it "Turkey Day", Murky.  I'm sure you were terribly missed here.

@noblefurrtexas

Trayvon Martin, who had stolen jewelry the day he was killed 

not true

had been smoking grass that evening 

not certain, and if he had does that make ANY difference?

He attacked and ambushed the wrong person 

Martin was pursued by Zimmerman, who was told to not follow him by 911 operator. no "ambush". some witnesses say it was Zimmerman who attacked Martin.

and used his extensive martial arts training . 

not true, Martin did not have "extensive martial arts training" 

to knock Zimmerman to the ground from behind, and then tried to kill him 

this is disputed, it is not a matter of fact.

Michael Brown, who had also been smoking grass and was overloaded with TCP

what is "TCP"? not mentioned in the St. Louis Post Dispatch copy of the autopsy.

@mavdog I agree with you that I would have preferred a court trial.  I disagree that the legal process was not done.  The Grand Jury is the first part of the legal process, is it not?  If a grand jury returns no indictment, that ends the legal process.

I think the argument could be made that our grand jury process has been somewhat subverted over time.  Grand Juries, in recent times, seem to have become an instrument of the prosecutor's office, instead of the independent panel they were meant to be, and that is where I think the legal process begins to fail justice.  And that is our (the citizens') fault, for not knowing our proper role in the process.

@mavdog @noblefurrtexas I can't tell whether you're just repeating the mythical NAACP talking points or really believe this. 

Martin certainly did get caught in school by officers with female jewelry in his backpack, and burglary tools.  How do you think he paid for the gold teeth?  He didn't have a job, and his parents had no money. 

Martin absolutely had a great deal of martial arts training, and even fought competitively.  It was on his web site before the site disappeared, and somebody started trying to scrub his background. 

Zimmerman did not "pursue" Martin.  He was tying to get his Martin's bearings in a gated community. Zimmerman also did not attack Martin; it was the other way around.  Zimmerman's injuries were consistent with his version of what happened.

TCP is [1-(2-thienyl)cyclohexyl]-piperidine], the active drug in marijuana.

The detection of TCP is often determined by a toxicology test whose  results may or may not show up in the autopsy. It has a half life of up to three months, but can disappear from detection in a few hours.  In this case, Brown was way high on TCP, and it was easier to detect in samples from the autopsy.

A great many people think grass makes one mellow, but that is not true.  There is so much marijuana out there that is laced with all kinds of drugs and toxic substances.  As well, TCP can result in different behaviors in different ways, especially if the marijuana has been laced. 

Oh......and Happy Thanksgiving.  :)

@RTGolden1 @mavdog These days, the feds make it possible to have  another bite at the apple by doing a fake investigation in the name of civil rights. 

I don't think the feds can lay a glove on Wilson, because their threshold  is the deliberate intention to deprive someone of their civil rights....a stupid standard, but it's the law. 

@RTGolden1

Robert McColloch, the St. Louis County Prosecutor, could have charged Wilson and proceeded to a trial on the charge without presenting the case to the Grand Jury. That is done a majority of the time in that area (I am told in articles).

The decision to go first to the GJ was (IMO) done so McColloch was able to say he didn't make the decision himself but left it to an independent 3rd party (the GJ).

However, the presentation to the GJ was done in such a way as to deliver a point of view of the incident that led to the jury's decision being what it was. So in reality McColloch did make the decision....

@leftocenter THAT was original....NOT.

Robin Williams, "Good Morning Viet Nam"

@noblefurrtexas

Martin certainly did get caught in school by officers with female jewelry in his backpack, and burglary tools.

that is not what you posted. you are changing the story. Martin did not have "stolen jewelry the day he was killed". the "burglary tool" was a screwdriver. you were wrong.

Martin absolutely had a great deal of martial arts training, and even fought competitively. 

then I am sure you can easily provide evidence of this...doubt it tho.

Zimmerman did not "pursue" Martin

the 911 call transcripts say you are wrong

TCP is the active drug in marijuana....Brown was way high on TCP...may be laced

"way high" on pot? and you believe being high on pot makes him MORE prone to violence? that's really funny!

and now you PRESUME that his pot was "laced"?

nothing like unsupported presumption to make your case....

@noblefurrtexas @RTGolden1 @mavdog Noble, you are one dumb racist fuck.  

@mavdog @RTGolden1 I didn't know you were on the Grand Jury.  I've actually been on one, and it's very normal for a DA to throw all of the information and evidence indicating guilt at the GJ.  This DA apparently went overboard on the guilt side, but the facts were overwhelming that most of the eye witness accounts accusatory of Wilson were lies -- and therefore perjured testimony. 

The bar for a GJ is much lower than a criminal trial.  A GJ usually has only"probable cause" to indict; in a trial, "beyond a reasonable doubt" is the standard. 

Attorneys familiar with the Grand Jury process say that McColloch went overboard on trying to be fair and accurate, and presented about every shred of evidence to indicate guilt, and there was no defense put on at all (which is the way GJ's operate). 

What's wrong is apparently some kind of irrational and often hateful hysteria in the black community rather than showing respect for the criminal justice system.  Many haven't figured out that if you commit crimes, you're very likely to make new friends of the police officers that arrest you.  

@mavdog @RTGolden1 ... the standard for indictment -- and the one-sided prosecutorial presentation of the hearings -- is so low that it's a common joke in the Criminal JustUs System that any prosecutor who isn't a complete retard -- or deliberately throwing the proceedings -- could obtain an indictment of a ham sandwich.

@noblefurrtexas @leftocenter

THAT was original....NOT.

funny, you criticize him about being "original" and then use a Wayne's World line.

Wayne's World? really?

@mavdog @noblefurrtexas The screwdriver IS a burglary tool in a backpack.  It's used to jack lockers and cars - especially SUVs.  It can also be a weapon. (Just ask TSA)

@mavdog @noblefurrtexas http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2120504/Trayvon-Martin-case-He-suspended-times-caught-burglary-tool.html

@ScottsMerkin @noblefurrtexas @RTGolden1 @mavdog 

Is that one "dumb racist" fuck or one dumb "racist fuck"? 

Either way, you're incredibly wrong.  Racism on the part of blacks, racial disharmony, and black-on-black violence is worse now than when Obama was elected, and so many times worse since the 1957 and 1964 Civil Rights acts that it almost can't be calculated. 

Until people can be honest and dispassionate about the facts having to do with races, these problems will continue to get worse. 

The only thing that I see that has improved is white and Asian attitudes toward blacks. But, at the same time, attitudes toward Latinos by all races are on the decline, and the wholesale invasion of America by illegals, and Obama's damaging law-making in immigration, will do nothing but take more jobs away from blacks and teenagers of all races.

@noblefurrtexas

 You start out by saying "I didn't know you were on the Grand Jury" and then proceed to inform everyone "This DA apparently went overboard on the guilt side".

ahh, so apparently you were on the Grand Jury......what, you weren't? odd, you remark about how someone else can't know the facts of the GJ and then you proceed to act like you can.

There are many attorneys who have opinionated that Mccullough made it almost impossible for the Grand Jury to come to a definite conclusion on Wilson due to the enormous amount of information, leaving the Grand Jury too confused. There is also criticism of how Mccullough aggressively questioned the witnesses who spoke of Wilson acting wrong, and didn't do the same with witnesses who spoke of Wilson positively.

To say that Mccullough was impartial defies reality.  

@noblefurrtexas @mavdog @RTGolden1

Family angry and afraid after Denver police shoot two brothers

@DonkeyHotay @mavdog @RTGolden1 Yep.  So, if the DA couldn't get an indictment after putting on ALL the evidence that would indicate probably cause to go to trial, then the testimony must have been compelling that the officer fired in self-defense.

@DonkeyHotay @mavdog @RTGolden1

"a grand jury would 'indict a ham sandwich,' if that's what you wanted."

Judge Solomon Wachtler, Bonfire of the Vanities

@mavdog @noblefurrtexas @leftocenter "NOT!" has become part of the American lexicon.  I've even heard Obama use it in casual comments; not that he's a picture in communication. I saw one clip from Wayne's World, and I'm loathe to admit that.

@noblefurrtexas ... sure, and all citizens are "potential criminals".

Jackbooted Fascist much?

@noblefurrtexas

odd, but there is nothing in that link that says Martin had stolen jewelry the day he was killed, which is the exact quote of what you allege above. 

was there a point to your posting the link?

@mavdog @noblefurrtexas If your version of the presentations was correct, every liberal rag in the country would have come down on him.  But, that didn't happen.

I've heard one attorney and one college professor criticize the DA's presentation.  But, neither could prove bias.  There are, however, a great many lawyers and DAs who believe this DA did an excellent job, and bent over backwards to be fair.

@mavdog "To say that Mccullough was impartial defies reality"

"Color and national origin are of public health concern, and certainly not bigoted." -- noblefurrtexas

Q.E.D.

@DonkeyHotay @noblefurrtexas @mavdog @RTGolden1 

Both brothers had been arrested on felony charges prior to the shooting, according to state records.

It is entirely possible that the license number on their car matched a want-and-warrant response from the car computer of the officers.  And, part of the precaution they would use is to draw their guns in ANY attempt to do anything but what they said to do. 

These guys were criminals, and it sounds like they were caught doing something wrong in a place that didn't belong in. 

I think it's terrible they were shot, but it sounds very much like it's their own fault.  Again, they were both criminals with felony convictions.

@noblefurrtexas "So, if the DA couldn't get an indictment ..."

It means that the DA deliberately threw the case in favor of No True Bill, ipso facto.

Now go have a nice Ham Sandwich.

@mavdog @DonkeyHotay @RTGolden1

Sherman McCoy: I understand you went to Yale.

Tom Killian: Yeah. You, too. Huh?

Sherman McCoy: What did you think of it?

Tom Killian: It was okay. As law schools go. They give you the scholarly view. You know. It's terrific for anything you want to do - as long as it doesn't involve real people.

@noblefurrtexas

"NOT!" has become part of the American lexicon. 

hmm, let me see...no, not in the least. haven't heard that bit in years.

I saw one clip from Wayne's World, and I'm loathe to admit that. 

then you should be "loathe" to use it's dialogue, but clearly you are not.

@leftocenter To school?  I don't think so.

@mavdog @noblefurrtexas Just went to Google; didn't have time to read.  Google Trayvon Martin trouble in school women's jewelry

@noblefurrtexas

http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article4148433.html

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2014/11/ferguson_grand_jury_announcement_prosecutor_robert_mcculloch_influenced.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/26/1347684/-The-Ferguson-grand-jury-was-never-intended-to-bring-an-nbsp-indictment

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/25/ferguson-grand-jury-evidence-mistakes_n_6220814.html

http://reason.com/blog/2014/11/26/darren-wilson-got-a-private-trial

http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/shocking-mistake-in-darren-wilson-grand-jury-364273731666

http://www.salon.com/2014/11/26/ferguson_grand_jurys_huge_mistake_what_the_transcripts_reveal_about_eyewitness_testimony/

out of room for any more...

@DonkeyHotay @mavdog That's absolutely true.  Medicine is not racial, and neither is public health.  Profiling is one way of determining mortality and  morbidity and their demographic applications.  There is nothing bigoted about it.  The facts are what they are.

@noblefurrtexas @mavdog @RTGolden1

... so in your fascist mindset, any one of the 10s of MILLIONS of US citizens who have prior felony arrests or convictions deserves to be shot and/or killed by the police at any future date ...

... convicted felon Martha Stewart included?

@leftocenter Thank you.  I've been on a Grand Jury, and understand its function as well as the DA/Prosecutor functions. 

Had you been paying attention, you would know that McCulloch was aware some people thought he was biased toward police and against blacks, so - according to him in news interviews - he gave the GJ ALL of the evidence - pro and con - and let the jurors decide.  He also gave the Justice Department copies of everything presented to the Grand Jury.  I can't imagine a great attempt at neutrality. 

I got the part about the Defense being virtually invisible in the process.  So, the prosecution sought to make certain witnesses were actually witnesses.  Otherwise, in a trial, the could be impeached by a first year law student. 

It is unimportant that Brown was unarmed.  First of all, Officer Wilson didn't know he was unarmed.  Second, the decedent was intent up, and committed violent acts against the officer, and the guy was huge.  And, third, the officer had already been assaulted by the guy, so weapon or not, he was dangerous and capable of mortally assaulting Wilson. 

It is a foundation of our legal system, natural law, and almost universally that people have a right to defend themselves. 

Finally, while most of us would have preferred a jury trial to sort out the evidence and details of what happened, the Grand Jury didn't agree, and thought the presentations were compelling enough to no-bill Wilson.

@DonkeyHotay @noblefurrtexas That's absurd!  Do you have any concept of how many people were watching this case?  It's also a fact that the DA sent copies of ALL presentations and all evidence to the Department of Justice.  If he was trying to bias the jury away from an indictment, that would have been a stupid thing to do since Eric Holder is so unethical and dishonest that he would have come down on the DA with both feet...and he's got big feet. 

I would not take tips on GJ presentations from Brown's lying attorney, liberal lawyers, and POS Al Sharpton and his ilk. 

You can read the presentations yourself.  They are online.

@DonkeyHotay @noblefurrtexas You're dreaming.  This GJ presentation was one of the most detailed in history, and the witness list and presentations made public don't suggest that at all.  To the contrary, the DA gave the GJ all the evidence, and let them decide on their own. 

This DA has a reputation for being a solid official, and there is no indication he let family tragedies impact what he did.  (Besides, too many people - including experts - were watching him.)

He also allowed the evidence and presentations to be released to the public.  So far, and as far as I know, nobody who has read all of that has said the DA was biased in his presentations.  (That would exclude Brown's attorney, who is beyond biased and has a rep for not being honest, according to a friend I was in the service with who lives in Clayton.)

And, so far, the federal investigation hasn't turned anything up, and the DA has released to the DOJ all of the evidence and presentations parallel to what the GJ saw.  That's pretty honest.  

@noblefurrtexas "just went to Google; didn't have time to read"

Whoooop!, there it is!

@leftocenter Go ahead, name of few of those middle aged white men you mention. 

First of all, what's wrong with middle-aged white men?  That's a rather racist thing to say. 

Dallas just elected a middle-aged white woman to replace a black DA.  I never saw any color mentions from her, but a number from him.  

The double-standard is alive, but we're slowly-but-surely shaming it to death. 

@leftocenter What an odd thing to say (write).

I wasn't at Ford's Theater when Lincoln was assassinated, but I know the assailant was John Wilkes Booth.  I wasn't at any of the hearings for the Kennedy Assassination, but I know the Warren Report, and later investigations, indicated that the Commission's job was to arrive at a certain conclusion. 

I wasn't in New York on 9/11, but driving through NYC three days later, I knew that absence of the Twin Towers was the result of a terrorist act.

Much (if not all) of the evidence and presentations are on the Web if you want to see them for yourself.  

@mavdog @noblefurrtexas I'm you know that none of these are objective NEWS storiess from respected mainstream broadcasters or newspaper. 

kansascity = editorial, not news story

slate - liberal

dailykos - practically communist

huffpo - liberal

reason - don't know; never heard of it

msnbc - beyond liberal and pro-Obama and liberal slant

salon - way liberal 

And please don't mention the New York Times.  It intentionally release Officer Wilson's home address and location in a news story.  It did everything but include a map.  Despicable!

@DonkeyHotay @noblefurrtexas @mavdog @RTGolden1

I expect there are people who would shoot Martha Stewart because she uses a $5,000 surgical saw on pumpkins at Halloween, and thinks ordinary people should use one. 

I'm a conservative; not a liberal, and therefore not a Fascists.  That's at the other end of the scale with socialism and Communism.   

@DonkeyHotay @noblefurrtexas Yup.  That sure points to it.

You're a bloody genius.

@noblefurrtexas yer not vury smrt r u

@noblefurrtexas "reason - don't know; never heard of it"

Priceless!

@noblefurrtexas ... when fascist bigots like you are slightly to the right of Attila the Hun, everything seems "liberal".

HipTip: Reality has a Liberal Bias.

hth.

@noblefurrtexas

what? you ASKED for comments from these very sources, remember?

here, to jog your memory...

If your version of the presentations was correct, every liberal rag in the country would have come down on him.  But, that didn't happen.

now you claim they aren't credible because they are liberal?

you can't even keep your own BS straight....

@noblefurrtexas "I'm a conservative; not a liberal, and therefore not a Fascists.  That's at the other end of the scale with socialism and Communism. "

Behold the epic ignorance of yet another Fascist Kkkonservatard.

@ScottsMerkin @noblefurrtexas Apparently not, Murky.  But, I'm happy. :)

@DonkeyHotay @noblefurrtexas Thanks

@mavdog @noblefurrtexas That's all the liberal rags??? 

LOL

@DonkeyHotay @noblefurrtexas Behold that the political scale scores the conservative end as the maximum amount of freedom and least government control, and the Democrat, Progressive liberal, Socialism, and Fascism end as that which favors a maximum amount of government intervention/control, and the least amount of individual freedoms

@noblefurrtexas ... behold the depth of your konservatard delusion

@DonkeyHotay @noblefurrtexas Do you stay up nights dreaming up clever distortions of English with which to insult people, or does it just come naturally?