Ferguson-St. Louis in riot thread.

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Harder to breathe: Protesters run from a cloud of tear gas Monday night in Ferguson, Missouri, where local police are trying to control violent crowds

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Stolen goods: Rioters swarmed a liquor store on West Florisant street in Ferguson Monday night, carrying out bottles of alcohol, in the midst of the protests



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Stay calm: President Obama held a press conference shortly after the grand jury's decision was announced, asking protesters to demonstrate peacefully in the streets of Ferguson. The president's directives were not followed by the demonstrators in Missouri


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[h=3]FERGUSON GRAND JURY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS[/h]The Missouri grand jury heard evidence for months as it weighed whether to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the August 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, which was followed by violent protests. Here are some answers to common questions about the secret and complicated grand jury process:


Q: What was the grand jury deciding?
A: The grand jury considered whether there is enough evidence to charge Wilson with a crime and, if so, what that charge should be.



Q: How was the grand jury different from other juries?
A: The grand jury can determine only whether probable cause exists to indict Wilson, not whether he is guilty. If the jury indicts him, a separate trial jury will be seated to decide whether to convict or acquit him.



Q: How many people were on the grand jury and how were they selected?
A: The grand jury was composed of 12 people "selected at random from a fair cross-section of the citizens," according to Missouri law. The jury was 75 percent white: six white men, three white women, two black women and one black man. St. Louis County overall is 70 percent white, but about two-thirds of Ferguson's residents are black. Brown was black. The officer is white.



Q: Was the grand jury appointed for this specific case?
A: No. It was appointed for a four-month term. The grand jury had been hearing routine cases around the time Brown was killed and then turned its attention to the shooting.



The jury's term was due to expire Sept. 10. That same day, county Judge Carolyn Whittington extended the term to Jan. 7 — the longest extension allowable by state law. The investigation was always expected to go longer than the typical grand jury term.
Q: How often did the grand jurors meet?
A: Their normal schedule was to meet once a week.



Q: Who was inside the grand jury room?
A: The jury, a prosecutor and a witness. Grand jury proceedings are closed to the public.



Q: What happened when the grand jury convened?
A: Prosecutors presented evidence and summoned witnesses to testify. A grand jury is a powerful tool for investigating crimes because witnesses must testify unless they invoke the 5th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects against self-incrimination.
Typically, grand jurors hear a condensed version of the evidence that might be presented at a trial. In the Ferguson case, grand jurors are receiving more extensive evidence and testimony.



Q: Who testified to the grand jury?
A: The only witnesses known for certain to have testified were Wilson and Dr. Michael Baden, who performed a private autopsy on Brown on behalf of his family. But other witnesses and experts may also have appeared.



Q: What charges could be filed?
A: At the lower end is second-degree involuntary manslaughter, which is defined as acting with criminal negligence to cause a death. It is punishable by up to four years in prison.

First-degree involuntary manslaughter, defined as recklessly causing a death, is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Voluntary manslaughter, defined as causing a death "under the influence of sudden passion arising from adequate cause," is punishable by five to 15 years in prison. Second-degree murder is defined as knowingly causing a death, or acting with the purpose of causing serious physical injury that ends up resulting in death. It is punishable by life in prison or a range of 10 to 30 years.
The most serious charge, first-degree murder, can be used only when someone knowingly causes a death after deliberation and is punishable by either life in prison or lethal injection.



Q: Do charges require a unanimous vote?
A: No. Consent from nine jurors is enough to file a charge in Missouri. The jury could also choose not to file any charges.



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KEY FIGURES IN THE FERGUSON CASE

MICHAEL BROWN
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Michael Brown graduated from Normandy High School last spring and was preparing to attend Vatterott College, where he planned to study to become a heating and air conditioning technician. Friends say he eventually wanted to go into business for himself.
Relatives and friends described Brown, who grew up in a tough neighborhood, as a quiet, gentle giant who stood around 6-foot-3 and weighed nearly 300 pounds. He was unarmed on the day he was killed.
Police said later that he was a suspect in the 'strong-arm' robbery of a convenience store moments before the shooting. A family attorney said Brown may have made mistakes but did not deserve to die.
'He was just looking forward to getting on with his life,' said his grandmother, Desuirea Harris. 'He was on his way.'


DARREN WILSON
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Some descriptions of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson are similar those of Brown. Both men have been described as gentle and quiet. Police Chief Thomas Jackson said Wilson had no previous complaints against him and a good career record.
'He's devastated,' the chief said after naming Wilson as the shooter back in August. 'He never intended for this to happen. He is, and has been, an excellent police officer.'
Wilson began his career in nearby Jennings before moving to the Ferguson job several years ago. He was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting.



POLICE CHIEF THOMAS JACKSON
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Thomas Jackson was a police veteran long before he came to Ferguson.
He spent more than 30 years with the St. Louis County Police Department, at one point serving as commander of a drug task force.
Before that he was a SWAT team supervisor, undercover detective and hostage negotiator.
He heads a department with 53 officers, only three of them black, in a town where nearly 70 percent of the 21,000 residents are African-American.
'I'm constantly trying to recruit African-Americans and other minorities,' Jackson has said. 'But it's an uphill battle. The minority makeup of this police department is not where I want it to be.'
Some of Jackson's actions in the wake of the shooting have drawn criticism, including his decision to announce that Brown was a suspect in the convenience-store robbery, a move that stirred anger in Ferguson's black community.


ST. LOUIS COUNTY PROSECUTOR BOB MCCULLOCH
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Since his election in 1991, Bob McCulloch has been the top prosecutor in St. Louis County. A Democrat with a reputation for being tough on crime, he comes from a law-enforcement family. He was 12 years old when his father, a police officer, was shot and killed by a black suspect in 1964.
Some critics, including St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, questioned whether McCulloch's ability to be objective in the Ferguson case. They wondered if losing his father in such circumstances creates a built-in bias.



MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL CAPT. RON JOHNSON
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During a 27-year career, Capt. Ron Johnson climbed from patrolman to chief of the 11-county division of the Missouri State Highway Patrol that includes St. Louis and its suburbs.
Back in August, Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Johnson to take command of security in Ferguson. That decision came after complaints that authorities were too heavy handed with protesters, when St. Louis County police were in charge.
Johnson's calm but commanding presence drew high praise from many observers. When Johnson, who is black, walked down the streets of Ferguson with protesters, many demonstrators shook his hand or posed for photos with him.
He carried himself with a disarming empathy, reminded locals of his Ferguson roots and suggested that he, too, had lessons to learn from the case.
'We all ought to be thanking the Browns for Michael, because Michael's going to make it better for our sons, so they can be better black men,' he said during public remarks in August.
He also apologized to Brown's family.
'I wear this uniform, and I should stand up here and say that I'm sorry,' he said.


MISSOURI GOV. JAY NIXON
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Anyone who doubts Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon's stance against crime need look no further than the state's long record of executions.
During his four terms as attorney general and two terms as governor, Missouri has executed 66 convicted killers, a total few states can match.
Events in Ferguson could have a significant effect on the political future of the 58-year-old Democrat.
He drew some criticism in the days immediately after the shooting for keeping a low profile, but he soon moved to the forefront, putting state police in charge of security and then calling in the National Guard to help quell the violence.



ATTORNEY BENJAMIN CRUMP
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Benjamin Crump became a national figure when he represented the family of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager fatally shot by a neighborhood-watch organizer in 2012. Now he's back in the spotlight, representing Brown's family in another racially charged death.
Crump, 44, was born in North Carolina, one of nine children. Now based in Tallahassee, Florida, he rose to prominence with a reputation for thoughtful prose. At times, he seems to fight back his own emotions as he talks about the loss suffered by Brown's parents. To him, the issue is simple.
'I don't want to sugarcoat it,' Crump said in August. Brown 'was executed in broad daylight.'


ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER
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Almost from the outset, Attorney General Eric Holder showed a strong interest in Michael Brown's death.
Two days after the shooting, Holder said the case deserved a full review and dispatched a Justice Department team to Ferguson to try to calm tensions. The department soon launched its own civil-right investigation.
Holder ordered a federal medical examiner to perform a third autopsy on Brown and called the Brown family to express his condolences. He said aggressively pursuing these types of investigations is 'critical for preserving trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.'






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Happy holidays: Police in riot gear use tear gas to clear the street in front of the Ferguson Police Department after the announcement of the grand jury decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown

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Arson: Two men walk by the burning Little Caesars restaurant in Ferguson Missouri, USA, on 24 November 201 after a gjury decided that Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson will not be charged in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown



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Protected: Smoke fills the streets as some buildings are on fire after the announcement of the grand jury decision on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014

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Stand-off: Police confront protestors after rioting broke out following the grand jury announcement in the Michael Brown case on November 24, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri



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Fury: Protestors stand with their hands up during a demonstration on November 24, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. A St. Louis County grand jury has decided to not indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown

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Arrested: Police detain a demonstrator amid tear gas during a demonstration to protest the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri

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On standby: Missouri National Guard stay on guard outside St. Louis County Courthouse in Clayton before the grand jury announcement that Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson will not face criminal charges



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[h=3]TIMELINE OF EVENTS FOLLOWING THE SHOOTING DEATH OF MICHAEL BROWN[/h]AUGUST 9 - Brown and a companion, both black, are confronted by an officer as they walk back to Brown's home from a convenience store. Brown and the officer, who is white, are involved in a scuffle, followed by gunshots. Brown dies at the scene, and his body remains in the street for four hours in the summer heat. Neighbors later lash out at authorities, saying they mistreated the body.
AUGUST 10 - After a candlelight vigil, people protesting Brown's death smash car windows and carry away armloads of looted goods from stores. In the first of several nights of violence, looters are seen making off with bags of food, toilet paper and alcohol. Some protesters stand atop police cars and taunt officers.
AUGUST 11 - The FBI opens an investigation into Brown's death, and two men who said they saw the shooting tell reporters that Brown had his hands raised when the officer approached with his weapon and fired repeatedly. That night, police in riot gear fire tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse a crowd.
AUGUST 12 - Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson cancels plans to release the name of the officer who shot Brown, citing death threats against the police department and City Hall.
AUGUST 14 - The Missouri Highway Patrol takes control of security in Ferguson, relieving St. Louis County and local police of their law-enforcement authority following four days of violence. The shift in command comes after images from the protests show many officers equipped with military style gear, including armored vehicles, body armor and assault rifles. In scores of photographs that circulate online, officers are seen pointing their weapons at demonstrators.
AUGUST 15 - Police identify the officer who shot Brown as Darren Wilson, 28. They also release a video purporting to show Brown robbing a convenience store of almost $50 worth of cigars shortly before he was killed, a move that further inflames protesters.
AUGUST 16 - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declares a state of emergency and imposes a curfew in Ferguson.
AUGUST 17- Attorney General Eric Holder orders a federal medical examiner to perform another autopsy on Brown.
AUGUST 18 - Nixon calls the National Guard to Ferguson to help restore order and lifts the curfew.
AUGUST 19 - Nixon says he will not seek the removal of St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch from the investigation into Brown's death. Some black leaders questioned whether the prosecutor's deep family connections to police would affect his ability to be impartial. McCulloch's father was a police officer who was killed in the line of duty when McCulloch was a child, and he has many relatives who work in law enforcement.
AUGUST 20 - Holder visits Ferguson to offer assurances about the investigation into Brown's death and to meet with investigators and Brown's family. In nearby Clayton, a grand jury begins hearing evidence to determine whether Wilson should be charged.
AUGUST 21 - Nixon orders the National Guard to begin withdrawing from Ferguson.
SEPTEMBER 25- Holder announces his resignation but says he plans to remain in office until his successor is confirmed.
SEPTEMBER 25- Ferguson Chief Tom Jackson releases a videotaped apology to Brown's family and attempts to march in solidarity with protesters, a move that backfires when Ferguson officers scuffle with demonstrators and arrest one person moments after Jackson joins the group.
OCTOBER 10 - Protesters from across the country descend on the St. Louis region for 'Ferguson October,' four days of coordinated and spontaneous protests. A weekend march and rally in downtown St. Louis draws several thousand participants.
OCTOBER 13 - Amid a downpour, an interfaith group of clergy cross a police barricade on the final day of Ferguson October as part of an event dubbed 'Moral Monday'. The protests extend beyond Ferguson to sites such as the nearby headquarters of Fortune 500 company Emerson Electric and the Edward Jones Dome in downtown St. Louis, site of a Monday Night Football game between the St. Louis Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.
OCTOBER 21 - Nixon pledges to create an independent Ferguson Commission to examine race relations, failing schools and other broader social and economic issues in the aftermath of Brown's death.
NOVEMBER 17 - The Democratic governor declares a state of emergency and activates the National Guard again ahead of a decision from a grand jury. He places the St. Louis County Police Department in charge of security in Ferguson, with orders to work as a unified command with St. Louis city police and the Missouri Highway Patrol.
NOVEMBER 18 - Nixon names 16 people to the Ferguson Commission, selecting a diverse group that includes the owner of construction-supply company, two pastors, two attorneys, a university professor, a 20-year-old community activist and a police detective. Nine of its members are black. Seven are white.
NOVEMBER 24 - St. Louis County prosecutor's office says the grand jury has reached a decision NOT to charge Wilson


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What a sad day for Dems. I watched a mixture of news channels but MSNBC was by far the worst. This dude was a monster, using him as some kind of political figure piece is disgraceful. Very irritated right now with the lack of balls from the Dems. Not one person I have seen has praised Officer Wilson for upholding the law and defending himself against this deviant. Making our streets safer. Very sad.
 

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Congressional Black Caucus denounces Ferguson grand jury


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Rep. Marcia Fudge says the ruling 'is a slap in the face to Americans nationwide.' | AP Photo






Members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday called the grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson a “slap in the face” for those seeking justice for the death of Michael Brown





“The Ferguson grand jury’s decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown is a miscarriage of justice,” CBC Chair Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) said in a statement released after the decision was announced late Monday evening in Missouri. “It is a slap in the face to Americans nationwide who continue to hope and believe that justice will prevail.”
Story Continued Below








“This decision seems to underscore an unwritten rule that Black lives hold no value; that you may kill Black men in this country without consequences or repercussions,” Fudge’s statement continued. “This is a frightening narrative for every parent and guardian of Black and brown children, and another setback for race relations in America.”

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The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement on Monday night saying that they will “continue to fight for racial justice.”
“We must end the prevailing policing paradigm where police departments are more like occupying forces, imposing their will to control communities,” the statement read.


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Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) echoed Cummings’ disappointment, tweeting she is also “disappointed in the lack of #Justice4MikeBrown. We must demand change & work to end racial & structural bias in a peaceful manner.”

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Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) was quick to put out a statement and said that he is “disappointed” in the decision, but that he is looking to the Department of Justice to continue to investigate the case.
“While I understand the emotions that have brought protestors into the streets, our goal now should be preventing cases like this one from ever happening again by encouraging dialogue with the police forces sworn to protect our communities and transforming the practices and culture that led to the shooting,” Cummings said in a statement.



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Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) also likened the events in Ferguson to the civil rights movement, urging protesters in a statement to march peacefully “just as we did” during the ’50s and ’60s.

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Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.)


We have not merely witnessed the effects of a warped sense of law & order, enforced with unbridled & unpredictable power. We wear the scars.
 

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Electing Obama has greatly improved race relations in America, obviously.
 

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What a sad day for Dems. I watched a mixture of news channels but MSNBC was by far the worst. This dude was a monster, using him as some kind of political figure piece is disgraceful. Very irritated right now with the lack of balls from the Dems. Not one person I have seen has praised Officer Wilson for upholding the law and defending himself against this deviant. Making our streets safer. Very sad.

You don't seem to understand. If Blacks don't vote for Democrats at a rate of 88% or greater, the Democrats don't have a viable political party.
 

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