Here we go again…
When it comes to race, you can count on the usual suspects to lay down the usual judgments. Take the Kansas City Star‘s hastily conceived editorial condemning Ferguson, Missouri police and citing unconfirmed details of the shooting as fact.
Details that have now been called into serious question and/or proven false.
The editorial: “Lessons of Ferguson: Why a week of rage didn’t have to happen.”
“Brown was shot several times, and reportedly from a distance at which he presented no threat to Wilson,” it states. “Some witnesses said he had his hands in the air. Brown and a friend were walking down a street when the officer engaged with them.”
Nothing like building a case for police misconduct on unconfirmed hearsay.
Which went hand-in-hand with condemning Ferguson police for a releasing video of 18 year-old Michael Brown robbing and intimidating a pint-sized convenience store clerk minutes before Brown’s fatal run in with police officer Darren Wilson. Even though the video had been released in response to Freedom of Information requests by the news media.
Then stating as fact that Wilson had been completely unaware of Brown’s role in the robbery, which we now know according to current reporting was incorrect.
That after CNN affirmed that the version of the shooting given caller to a television station matched that which Wilson has been giving privately.
“When (Wilson) pulled up ahead of them and he was watching and then he gets the call that there was a strong arm robbery and they gave the description and he’s looking at ’em and they’ve got something in their hands that looks like it could be the cigars or whatever,” the caller told the station.
There’s more.
“And when officer Wilson tried to get out of his car, according to according to his story,” CNN’s Jake Tapper told viewers today.”Brown slammed the door back on Wilson and then a struggle ensued.”
Added the caller: “As (Wilson) stands up, Michael just bum rushes him, just shoves him back into his car, punches him in the face. And then, of course Darren grabs for his gun. Michael grabs the gun. At one point he’s got the gun totally turned against his hip, and Darren shoves it away. And the gun goes off.”
Here’s the deal, guys…
It’s no secret that the editorial powers at 18th and Grand – as well as the lion’s share of its reporting crew – have very clear liberal leanings. Meaning, when in doubt they’re going to default to condemning any form of racism – real or perceived. That’s just the way these folks think, ladies and gentlemen and for the record, they mean well.
I know, I spent 16 years in the belly of the beast.
During many of which I volunteered and served on the newsroom diversity committee.
And it will be a cold day in hell before anybody at the newspaper backtracks on issues like this unless they absolutely have to. They’re quite human and if they can dodge a correction or move on without clearing the air, as often as not that’s exactly what they” do.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev being arrested
Ridiculous as it sounds, it’s almost like they’re rooting for the home team in sports.
Remember that expression, “My country, right or wrong?”
With rare exception, the Star and much of the liberal media in this country are going to default to taking the side of the Michael Brown‘s and Trayvon Martin‘s. It’s just who they are, what they do.
I’m certainly not green lighting unarmed men or women being shot and killed by police.
I got tear gassed by police in college outside the main gate of the University of Arizona.
On the other hand, when I see a 6 foot 4 inch tall, nearly 300 pound Brown bullying and intimidating a far smaller convenience store employee who’s trying to stop him from stealing, it’s hard to get my head around him being a gentle giant or “good hearted kid,” as he was depicted early on by sympathetic locals.
A dude who wouldn’t hurt a flea and quit football cause he felt sorry for the smaller kids.
Right.
Watch that video again of Brown facing down the convenience clerk.
Which brings me to mild-mannered FYI section columnist Jeneé Osterhelt – who actually wouldn’t hurt a flea – even if the flea deserved it.
Osterheldt wrote last week that she felt rage – maybe for the first time ever – I’ve never really seen her get mad.
“I feel it so deeply the anger bubbles under my skin and puckers in goosebumps,” she wrote. “My heart beats with fury for…unarmed black men and boys killed by the police…the picture is becoming clear: Black males are under attack.”
Like the Star’s editorial board, Osterheldt based her rage largely on unconfirmed details of the shooting that have since been called into question.
“It is still unclear what exactly happened,” she wrote, “but we know he was not armed. Witnesses say he was running away when the officer shot him.”
Riots are the language of the unheard, Osterhelt quotes Martin Luther King, ridiculously likening Brown’s death to a completely different time and completely different circumstances during the heady days of the Civil Rights Movement in 1965.
“Instead of using Michael Brown’s graduation photo or the pictures of him smiling with family, many outlets chose a photo of him grimacing and throwing up a peace sign, making it out to be a gang sign…showing how some news outlets slant stories,” Osterheldt added.
Just one problem…
Osterheldt conveniently left out that other photos of Brown flashing gang signs were also published. Illustrating, albeit ineptly, her point about “news outlets” (like the Star) slanting stories.
And in one of the lamest arguments I’ve read, Osteheldt cites three armed – for the sake of argument, let’s call them “white guys” – the police didn’t shoot and kill.
That’s right, “Batman” killer James Holmes, Arizona nutball Jared Lee Loughner and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev all were taken alive, Osterheldt grouses.
“The way many cops and the justice system treat people of color does not come with the same privileges that white people have,” she concludes.
Three high profile examples in three years out of tens of thousands?
Seriously?
Never mind that Tsarnaev was riddled with multiple and severe gunshot wounds when he was arrested. Of course that was after Boston police had shot and killed his brother.
Or that Holmes was found “completely compliant” police said, in the parking lot outside the theater, his hands on top of his car. As opposed to brawling with the arresting officer.
And that Loughner was subdued by bystanders, not the police.
Details, details.
Hey look, nobody wants to live in a police state. Nor do they want the actions of a 300 pound, 18 year-old bully or trigger happy cop to swing wide the floodgates for crowd violence and looting.
However weighing in early on – before the facts are even close to being known – with a bunch of judgements and pontificating are not a recipe for healing and understanding.
Next time maybe hold the “rage.”
You know, take a deep breath, give it a bit more thought and a little time.
Dead on the money Hearne.
Hearne, fine and dandy. But you do the same thing as Osterhelt. You assume the account giving by the caller is the actual sequence of events. You assume he was “brawling with the arresting officer”. These are not facts, either, but you present them as such. Whether he was a bully or a big hearted kid, or something in between, I don’t know and I don’t care. I want to know if he was gunned down in cold blood. There is plenty of evidence on tape for everyone to see the relationship between the police and the community in Ferguson, MO. It’s a valid concern. There is a history here. Push this case aside. It is a fact that the justice system does not treat white and black defendants equally. (There’s that institutional racism Chuck loves so much….brutal, just brutal. Indeed it is). So, let’s wait for the facts. But please do lose the condescension. Hold the “rage”, you say? African-Americans hold it every day.
Institutional Racism-
“Institutional racism is any system of inequality based on race. It can occur in institutions such as public government bodies, private business corporations (such as media outlets), and universities (public and private). The term was introduced by Black Power activists Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton in the late 1960s.[1]
Well lets see, African Americans make up 28% of the work force in the federal Government. Schools and Universities admit African Americans into the halls of Acadame if they can fog a mirror. In the private sector if there is a hint of racial inpropriety in hiring, there are LEGIONS of city, state and Federal Government enforcers to break you and your company’s back on the Discrimination Wheel Of Fortune. And a fortune it is, day in day out millions of actions and litigants line up for their shot at the Taxpayer funded trough for the agrieved.
What a load of crap.
Lets take a moment and actually define what “Institutional Racism” really is in 2014. Affirmative Action, like the Hundreds of Federal, State and Local madates, places minorities at the front of the line for jobs, hand outs and special “Protected Class” consideration over whites. THAT is racial discrimination codified into law. Make no mistake about it rckal, im my tow headed son or daughter is applying for a job in government or in the private sector and your Afro Caribbean son or daughter is applying for the same job, your kid gets the job. PERIOD.
“Whether he was a bully or a big hearted kid, or something in between, I don’t know and I don’t care. ”
The video of Mr. Brown, the “Gentle Giant” in the convenience store should convince all of those who are not WILLFULLY IMPERCIPIENT, that Mr. Brown, was indeed, another one of millions of garden variety, run of the mill, street thugs who embrace violence and intimidation.
Thanks for the mention.
The hip-hop culture strikes again.
Gangbangers aka ‘aspiring rappers’ seeking street cred.
poor chuck. Life is hard in the US for the white guy.
And mostly Chuck is worried about being discriminated against because he’s white and that belief alone proves he’s either out of his mind or unable to see the whole picture thanks to the aforementioned White Male Prism of Privilege.
I wish his grandfather had died at Chateaubriand or wherever he got pinned down then we wouldn’t have to put up with his inane lunacy.
Lemme make your day.
He suffered for years from the gas and the wounds and died young. My father thought it was a blessing when he finally slipped away.
By the way, Larry The Looper, it was Belleau Wood.
United States Marines.
It’s funny they screwed up the ‘he was running away’ detail a full day after the autopsy report proved he wasn’t. Way to stay on top of the news Star! Jenee is dumb but you’d expect her editor to know better… Google news feed: 1, Star: 0.
Was just thinking it had been quite a while since Osterheldt got “Hearne’d”.
Oh and PLEASE do tell us more about how you got teargassed by police in college! You really give this guy a run for his money:
http://flask.com/wp-content/uploads/dos-equis-most-interesting-guy-in-the-world-300×300.jpeg
That commie, pinko publication, The Wall Street Journal, published this Aug 15.
“Chief Thomas Jackson also released documents and surveillance video, alleging that Mr. Brown was tied to a robbery at a convenience store shortly before he crossed paths with police. Hours later, Mr. Jackson held another news conference in which he said Mr. Wilson, who is white, wasn’t aware of the robbery when he stopped Mr. Brown.”
Rand Paul has come out strong against the militarization of local police. Libertarians have been opposing this for years along with the bleeding-heart Liberals.
“Americans like to think that in any dispute, one side is wrong and the other right. But those are only two options, the all too common false dichotomy. It’s possible both sides are right. Or, when you have a petty thief and common thug on one hand and authorities who see the public as the enemy on the other, both sides are wrong, and apologies and shame are more appropriate than self-righteous indignation. Pretty disgusting all around,” from a friend in Nebraska.
Warrior cop + thug = one hell of a mess.
7 killed and 29 wounded in Chicago.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/08/18/seven-killed-28-wounded-in-city-shootings-over-weekend/
Eric “My People” Holder is skipping Chicago, there is no money in that story, a story that repeats itself 8 to 10,000 times a year and results in dead black bodies, stacked like firewood exsanguinating into urban gutters all over America. Nope. Gonna go stoke the fires of hatred and hop on the identity politics bus, sit in the FRONT and start proceedings in the latest Star Chamber Show Trial for the edification of “His People.” Another autopsy? Maybe Eric himself will fire a slug into the corpse from behind, so the “Narrative” is unblemished.
What a farce.
This is what the cops in all big cities have to deal with.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/person-interest-arrest-jersey-city-killing-article-1.1866138
It is what it is.
Can I get a fourth autopsy just for $hits and giggles- anyone? anyone?
I always look forward to hard-hitting social commentary from Hoopz. Seriously, how many more infinitely qualified writers have been laid off at the Star yet she still has a job?
When the Star eventually closes, the Wikipedia entry will carry a picture of Hoopz under a section titled ‘Root Causes’. Not her directly but the thought process that kept her at the Star while everyone else was laid off. Institutional racism indeed…
NOT WITHOUT MAH HOOPZ!!!
You can pry my hoopz from my dead, cold hands!!
Well, at least the good folks of Ferguson, MO know how to exact the proper amount of revenge on the “white” racist PoPo. Burn down and loot some private businesses that had absolutely nothing to do with any of it. That’ll show ‘dem pigs! We got our own justice!
Interesting that the people of Ferguson, MO are talking about the racial tension that has existed between the police and the minorities for years and years and yet the Rev Al has never showed up before now. Oh wait, there was no money in it until there was a dead kid in the street. Got it.
You know it’s a bad day when the media whore named Al shows up for dinner.
Don’t forget Jesse! He has blessed Ferguson with his presence for a few meal tickets and guilt checks!!
Damn.
You gonna eat that last wing?
As long as you pass me them black eyed peas.
The people in Ferguson were so upset that in the last municipal election the black turnout rate was only 6%. But 36% of blacks in St Louis County are on EBT. That tells you what their priorities are and what their approach to civilization is: take.
The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout “Save us!”… and I’ll whisper “no.”
Beware Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias, Mr. Rorschach.
And take a shower.
City is rotting. Garbage and decay pile higher, becoming our homes. Monuments to the corruption of those in powerful positions. Citizens too distracted to notice this horror. Authorities benefit keeping us that way.
so many different stories now from all the witnesses…and how about the huge
number of black attorneys like flies going to represent anyone even closely
associated with this mess.
its is a mess…and unless this nation learns to deal wit this type of
trauma we’re in for huge problems.
every city is now on edge…what have we left to do?
They followed the droppings of lechers and Communists and didn’t realize that the trail led over a precipice until it was too late. Don’t tell me they didn’t have a choice.
Now the whole world stands on the brink, staring down into bloody hell, all those liberals and intellectuals and smooth-talkers… and all of a sudden, nobody can think of anything to say.
Why’d Brown’s family hire Trayvon’s attorney?
Seems Zimmy’s attorney would have been the sure bet.
Jeneé Osterhelt – “Black males are under attack.”
Yes, they are…by other black males.
Interesting. There will be a community loot-in in St. Louis tonight. Bring your shopping bag and remember your shoe size. Another fatality today. This time the guy had a knife. Where are the tasers?
DON’T TAZE ME BRAH!!
Until I can get a sweet free pair of Jordans first please.
hellthis stuff happens a thousands timesa day….its not news.
the only newsis that jesseand al got downthere the bring the
media out.
let the courts handle the deal….find out if the guy police
officer is guilty….and lets move on to the next shooting.
oh cml’s laser-like White Male Reality Beam is focused on this.
I’m really happy for you cml. For the first time in years you’re having an erection and are probably walking around with a full boner all day long.