Missouri: Arrest Made In Shooting of Two Police Officers In Ferguson

An arrest has been made in connection with the shooting of two police officers in #Ferguson. Thank you for your help. #saferstl

— St. Louis County PD (@stlcountypd) March 15, 2015

From MSNBC: St. Louis County Police said on Sunday afternoon that an arrest had been made in connection to the Ferguson, Missouri police shooting of two officers last week.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch and St. Louis County Chief of Police Jon Belmar will hold a press conference Sunday at 1:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET).

Ferguson Police Chief Is Out; Leaves With $100K Severance Package

File this under "Gee, that took too long."

Via Buzzfeed:

Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson resigned Wednesday in a “mutual decision” between him and city administrators, Mayor James Knowles said during a news conference.

Jackson, who led the department during at the time of Michael Brown’s fatal shooting, city unrest, and a federal report that criticized local law enforcement for rampant racial discrimination and a focus on generating revenues over public safety, will walk away with a severance package worth roughly a year’s salary, Knowles added.

Jackson’s severance package will pencil out to about $100,000, Knowles said. That’s despite leading the department for only about five years. Ferguson’s former city manager, John Shaw, received a similar severance package when he resigned this week.

Missouri: Emails Show Racial Bias At Ferguson Police Department

Emails made available from the Ferguson Police Department to the Department of Justice for the purpose of investigation show a long, ugly history of racial bias within the department.

A sample of emails included:

• A November 2008 email stated that President Barack Obama would not be President for very long because "what black man holds a steady job for four years."

• A March 2010 email mocked African Americans through speech and familial stereotypes, using a story involving child support. One line from the email read: "I be so glad that dis be my last child support payment! Month after month, year after year, all dose payments!"

• An April 2011 email depicted President Barack Obama as a chimpanzee.

• A May 2011 email stated: "An African-American woman in New Orleans was admitted into the hospital for a pregnancy termination. Two weeks later she received a check for $5,000. She phoned the hospital to ask who it was from. The hospital said, 'Crimestoppers.'"

• A June 2011 email described a man seeking to obtain "welfare" for his dogs because they are "mixed in color, unemployed, lazy, can't speak English and have no frigging clue who their Daddies are."

• An October 2011 email included a photo of a bare-chested group of dancing women, apparently in Africa, with the caption, "Michelle Obama's High School Reunion."

• A December 2011 email included jokes that are based on offensive stereotypes about Muslims.

Officials sent the emails from their city accounts "almost without exception" and apparently during work hours.

Investigators found no evidence that anyone was disciplined or that anyone asked the sender to stop sending such emails, which were forwarded to others.

More at USA Today.

Missouri: Dept Of Justice Finds Ferguson Police Engaged In "Racially Biased Enforcement"

Ferguson, Missouri

USA Today reports that the Department of Justice has found the Ferguson Police Department engaged in racially biased policing:

A Justice Department review has found that the troubled Ferguson Police Department engaged in a pattern of racially biased enforcement during suspect stops and used unreasonable force against a disproportionate number of African American suspects, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the findings

In 88% of cases in which Ferguson police documented the use of force, that force was used against African Americans, according to the official who is not authorized to comment publicly. In addition, in all 14 canine bite incidents for which information about the race of the suspect was available, the person bitten was African American.

The Justice findings, while not unexpected, comes six months after the fatal shooting of a black teenager by then-Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

Department Of Justice To Recommend 'No Charges' Against Ferguson Police Officer

According to the New York Times, the Department of Justice has apparently concluded it's investigation into civil rights charges against Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed Ferguson, Missouri teen Michael Brown. Reports say no charges will be will filed against the officer.

The investigation by the F.B.I., which is complete, found no evidence to support civil rights charges against the officer, Darren Wilson, the officials said.

A broader civil rights investigation into allegations of discriminatory traffic stops and excessive force by the Ferguson Police Department remains open, however. That investigation could lead to significant changes at the department, which is overwhelmingly white despite serving a city that is mostly black.

The state authorities concluded their investigation into Mr. Brown’s death in November and similarly recommended no charges.

There is a high legal bar for bringing federal civil rights charges, and federal investigators had for months signaled that they were unlikely to do so. The Justice Department plans to release a report explaining its decision, though it is not clear when.

Fox News Poll On Grand Jury Decisions

Via JoeMyGod

The Cover Of This Week's New Yorker Magazine

Officer Darren Wilson Speaks to ABC News About The Shooting Death Of Michael Brown

In an exclusive one on one interview, Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 9th, tells ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that he never shot towards Brown’s back.

In addition, Wilson says that he feared for his life because the teen reached into his car, and grabbed for his gun.

Wilson said that he was sorry that Brown had died, but “he would not do anything differently that day,” according to Stephanopoulos. “He did what he was trained to do. He was simply doing his job.”

When asked if the incident “would have gone down any differently if Michael Brown were white,” Wilson reportedly replied "Absolutely not," adding that he has a "clean conscience."

Watch the preview below, and for more tune in to ABC World News Tonight

Michael Brown's Family Makes Public Statement: "Profoundly Disappointed"

The family of Michael Brown issued a statement in reaction to the news that no charges would be brought against Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of the teenager:

"We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions.

While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen.

Join with us in our campaign to ensure that every police officer working the streets in this country wears a body camera.

We respectfully ask that you please keep your protests peaceful. Answering violence with violence is not the appropriate reaction.

Let's not just make noise, let's make a difference.

Michael Brown's parents will hold a press conference Tuesday at Noon.

Statement From Officer Darren Wilson's Attorneys On Ferguson Shooting

"Law enforcement personnel must frequently make split-second and difficult decisions. Officer Wilson followed his training and followed the law."

No Indictment In Ferguson Shooting Death Of Michael Brown

Prosecutor McCullouch rambled on and on for several minutes at the beginning of his announcement blaming "social media" for making the case difficult to resolve.

BREAKING: Missouri prosecutor says no probable cause exists to file charges in #Ferguson shooting. http://t.co/LupvQ1K4d8

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) November 25, 2014

Grand Jury Decision In Ferguson Shooting Incident Reaches Decision

The grand jury deliberating whether to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown has reached a decision, CNN and The Washington Post report.

Stay calm, everyone...

Law enforcement officials tell CNN a decision by grand jury in the Ferguson case is expected to be announced today. http://t.co/XDYVyY0UNW

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) November 24, 2014

NY Times Reports Officer Who Killed Ferguson Teen Feared For His Life

MSNBC's Steve Kornacki and Amanda Sakuma discuss the recent New York Times article which reports that Police Officer Darren Wilson's version of events in the deadly shooting of teenager Michael Brown says he was pinned in his car by Brown and feared for his life.

This version of the shooting doesn't jive with other witnesses at the scene.

A grand jury in Missouri is currently deliberating whether or not to indict Officer Wilson on any charges. An announcement from the grand jury is expected sometime between mid-November and January.

Ferguson police officer who shoved CNN anchor takes early retirement

The police officer who pushed CNN anchor Don Lemon during a live newscast from Ferguson, Missouri, has taken early retirement (with full benefits!) after being racist, homophobic video rants came to light.

From the Advocate:

Dan Page, a St. Louis County police officer, had been suspended but opted to retire to avoid further investigation, reports MSNBC. His last day was Monday.

Page pushed Lemon and others during the out journalist's coverage of protests in Ferguson over the fatal shooting of unarmed black man Michael Brown. Afterward, Lemon notified Page’s supervisors about a speech the officer gave in 2012 to an organization called Oath Keepers, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

In video of the hour-long rant, Page calls gay people in the military “sickening” and “pitiful,” rails against hate-crimes laws, and says four of the U.S. Supreme Court’s justices are “homosexual sodomites.” He calls President Obama “that illegal alien who claims to be our president,” says Muslims “will kill you,” and advises women to relax about “domestic violence stuff,” as couples who don’t get along should “just shoot each other and get it over with.”

He also warns Missouri’s U.S. senators, Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt, that he is “real good with a rifle,” and says that while he is a Christian, he is nonetheless proud of being a killer. “I’ve killed a lot,” says Page, a former Green Beret and 35-year veteran of the police department. “And if I need to, I’ll kill a whole bunch more…. God did not raise me to be a coward.”

In related news, the Ferguson police have begun wearing body cameras to help capture an accurate record of police-involved incidents.

Possible audio recording of Michael Brown shooting surfaces

It is possible a recording of the actual shots fired at Michael Brown may have just surfaced.

According to CNN, an unidentified man, who has since been interviewed by the FBI, may have inadvertently  recorded the incident in which Michael Brown was shot by Officer Darren Wilson earlier this month.

The most interesting aspect of the short recording is what appears to be two separate, distinct sets gunfire from Officer Darren Wilson's weapon.

From CNN:

In the recording, a quick series of shots can be heard, followed by a pause and then another quick succession of shots.

Forensic audio expert Paul Ginsberg analyzed the recording and said he detected at least 10 gunshots -- a cluster of six, followed by four.

The man who recorded the shooting was talking to someone on video chat when the sounds of gunfire erupted in the background. The Daily Mail added:

Lopa Blumenthal, the attorney for the unidentified man who recorded the alleged gunfire nearby said that she believed the audio shows, if it is authentic, that Officer Wilson had a clear 'point of contemplation' while pulling the trigger and aiming at Brown."

Watch a portion of the report on CNN below:

(via The Wire)

MTV airs Ferguson PSAs during 2014 Video Music Awards

During the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, the network ran two public service announcements referencing the recent turmoil in Ferguson, Missouri.

From Mediaite:

One of the ads is based on a quote from author James Baldwin: “Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” The words show on-screen while the now-famous “Hands up, don’t shoot” chants are heard in the background.

The other spot — with a concept title of “Look. Listen. Change.” — shows young people getting hit with broken glass while a narrator rattles off racial stereotypes.

Missouri: Self-described "Killer" cop suspended after violent, anti-gay remarks come to light

CNN reports that the police officer who shoved news anchor Don Lemon on the air earlier this week has been suspended after wild remarks regarding violence, the President, the Supreme Court and Muslims came to light.

A Missouri police officer involved in maintaining security in troubled Ferguson was put on administrative leave Friday after a video surfaced showing him railing about the Supreme Court, Muslims, and his past -- and perhaps, he said, his future -- as "a killer." The officer, Dan Page of the St. Louis County Police Department, became something of a familiar face to many earlier this month when video showed him pushing back CNN's Don Lemon and others in a group in Ferguson. At the time, CNN was reporting on the large-scale and at times violent protests calling for the arrest of a white Ferguson police officer who shot and killed African-American teenager Michael Brown.

In his rambling remarks on the video, he talks about what he describes as a draft replacement for the U.S. Constitution, the "four sodomites on the Supreme Court," and a visit to Kenya "to our undocumented President's home." He refers to Barack Obama as "that illegal alien who claims to be our President." Page frequently references violence, including nine combat tours in the Army, during which he did "my fair share of killing." Speaking about Muslims, he says pointedly: "They will kill you." On domestic disputes, he opines: "You don't like each other that much, just kill each other and get it over with. Problem solved. Get it done." On urban violence, he predicts that "when the inner cities start to ignite, people are going to start killing people they don't like."

And lastly, Page says, "I personally believe the Lord Jesus Christ is my savior, but I'm also a killer. I've killed a lot and, if I need to, I will kill a whole bunch more. If you don't want to get killed, don't show up in front of me." Belmar, the head of the St. Louis County police department, said all the talk about killing was especially disturbing to him. "As a police chief, that's something I'm not going to be able to endure," Belmar said.

In addition to Page, a second Missouri officer, Matthew Pappert, was suspended for inflammatory comments made on social media which included "These protestors should have been put down like a rabid dog the first night."

I believe in these officers having the right to free speech, but it's seriously disconcerting to hear that peace officers with guns are talking about killing and putting protestors "down."

Watch the CNN report below:

First autopsy indicates Michael Brown was shot six times

At the request of Michael Brown's family, a former New York City chief medical examiner has performed an autopsy on the body of the slain teenager.

From The Daily Beast:

In a press conference Monday, Baden said two of the gunshot wounds hit Brown's head in a position indicating he may have been bent over. (The other four wounds were his arm.)

All of the shots but the ones to Brown's head were survivable, Baden said, adding that the wounds could be consistent with eyewitness testimony that Brown was trying to run away from Officer Wilson.

Brown family attorney Benjamin Crump said "The family would rather the invesigation be done independently of local authority becuase they feel there will not be justice for their child."

John Oliver's epic rant on the tensions and violence see in Ferguson, Missouri

In light of the tensions and violence currently seen in Ferguson, Missouri, watch John Oliver's epic rant on the racial inequality in treatment by police as well as the increasing militarization of America’s local police forces

National Guard called in to Ferguson, Missouri