Officer Wilson

[southernhorizons]

Guilty or not guilty. Express your feelings. Tell me what you think.  Are you watching what's going on right now.

The verdict came in.  The cop was found not guilty.  Justice was served, whether we like it or not.  What is happening in the aftermath of the verdict is a disgrace.  Is burning down/shooting up the neighborhood changing anything?  There are less savage ways to make your point and be heard.  However, this will not change the verdict.  The evidence presented obviously proved to the Jury that the PO was not in the wrong.  It's over and time to move on.

All the looting and rioting like savage beasts is certainly not the way to improve the image of blacks. Not that they all condone or participate, and it isn't blacks alone that are doing it, but really, how can you call someone racist for likening the rioters to animals, when they are the ones that are acting like wild beasts? The instigators like Al Sharpton are the ones who are really to blame, because if they want to improve the black image, they should not be encouraging savage behavior, but they should be encouraging the black community to act in a civilized manner.

[silentescape]

There was no indictment. But this does not give the rioters and looters the right to destroy and steal from the business or any one else, let alone tear there town apart or burn it. At this point I do not consider them anything but animals. Oh man if white citizens were to do this we would all already been in jail.

I'd just like to clarify in case you didn't understand this, but the rioters are completely different groups from the protesters. The protesters are actually guarding stores from looters so that the community can be protected as much as possible, and they are actually very peaceful. They've even been hugging the few cops that come out without their riot gear around them.

Also, the KKK has been burning the businesses of black community members in Ferguson as well. The media is only showing the parts that make the people of Ferguson seem like animals and not the entire story.

[gizmo42]

Very strong comments from all. But to me it feels like something is not right with this whole thing I feel that Wilson is not telling the whole story I believe there is more than meets the eye.

Forensic evidence and eyewitness testimony corroborate Wilson's story.

I still think something is not right. How did blood get in the police officers car. There was no need to shoot him period. He could have taken another source of action pepper spray or maybe tazed but not shoot him when he was unarmed.

Brown went to the police car and punched the cop multiple times while Wilson was still in the car. He was then shot as Wilson defended himself, which is why blood was in the car. The blood in the car corroborates Wilson's story.

Pepper spray?? You've got to be kidding me. That's not going to subdue the threat. And yes, being unarmed doesn't mean he was not a threat. Could a taser have worked? Maybe, maybe not. But it really doesn't matter because Wilson didn't have a taser on him.

What threat was there come on your tell me the only way he could defend himself was by his gun, then every cop should defend themselves by shooting everyone who is a threat to them. Which means anyone who owns a gun can shoot anyone who is unarmed and a threat.

[ro901]

I think the man was just doing his job. The grand jury did their job. I don't like the way the announcement was handled and it seemed as if they were running a pep rally by prepping the crowd for 4 hours before announcing after dark. I there was any kind of conspiracy, it was intended to rev up the crowd and I don't like that at all. Overall, I'm very tired of the entire thing. It's time to move on. Yes,I feel bad for the Brown family but I wish I had a dime for every time I've been told to move on since my husband died.

[BlackSheepNY]

Guilty or not guilty. Express your feelings. Tell me what you think.  Are you watching what's going on right now.

The verdict came in.  The cop was found not guilty.  Justice was served, whether we like it or not.  What is happening in the aftermath of the verdict is a disgrace.  Is burning down/shooting up the neighborhood changing anything?  There are less savage ways to make your point and be heard.  However, this will not change the verdict.  The evidence presented obviously proved to the Jury that the PO was not in the wrong.  It's over and time to move on.

All the looting and rioting like savage beasts is certainly not the way to improve the image of blacks. Not that they all condone or participate, and it isn't blacks alone that are doing it, but really, how can you call someone racist for likening the rioters to animals, when they are the ones that are acting like wild beasts? The instigators like Al Sharpton are the ones who are really to blame, because if they want to improve the black image, they should not be encouraging savage behavior, but they should be encouraging the black community to act in a civilized manner.

First off, I didn't call anyone "racist."  That came from your own mouth.  Second of all, I wouldn't call these people "animals" because animals only hunt to survive.  What these people did was unforgivable.  As far as I'm concerned, their low-lives that hold a lot of pent-up anger because of situations they place THEMSELVES in.  When they learn to start having and taking some responsibility for their own situations, only then will they learn anything.  I will NOT say it's ALL of these people.  Those businesses were owned by minorities.  THOSE are the people who are STRIVING to make a better life for themselves, their families, AND their neighborhoods.  The few and far between are the cretins who DESTROYED it.

[silentescape]

Very strong comments from all. But to me it feels like something is not right with this whole thing I feel that Wilson is not telling the whole story I believe there is more than meets the eye.

Forensic evidence and eyewitness testimony corroborate Wilson's story.

I still think something is not right. How did blood get in the police officers car. There was no need to shoot him period. He could have taken another source of action pepper spray or maybe tazed but not shoot him when he was unarmed.

You're exactly right. Mace should have been used, or Wilson should have stopped shooting when Brown was falling to the ground and no longer a threat to anyone. That would have been the right thing to do in the situation, and that's what should have been expected from an experienced cop. However, that's not what he did. He used deadly force when it should not have been used according to everything they teach police in training and everything everywhere else that talks about deadly force and police in the law.

[texasmom32]

Not guilty.  He was doing his job.  End of story.

[silentescape]

Not guilty.  He was doing his job.  End of story.

He didn't even file a report. He obviously wasn't doing his job.

[plennis]

Having been in and having a lot of family in law enforcement, the comments about he used to much force he did this he did that,  were you all at the grand jury  hearings  getting all the information that still has not come out to everyone yet?    They heard testimony from lots and lots of people.  Forensic evidence, photographs etc.  And they found they could not convict or send to trial.    SO CASE CLOSED, it is a done deal.   When the rioting started, that only makes lots of people think they were right, they are looting just because  the opportunity is available.  When you and others do that sort of thing you cannot complain that no big stores will come into your area.   The city has to pay and give  lot of incentives to them to put a grocery store or fast food joint in, then something like this happens.  Unless you have been in situations where a person much larger than yourself is hitting you, threatening you and ignoring your  instructions it is ridiculous to think you know how you would react.   The officer had been on duty for 13 years, this is the first time that he ever even unlocked the gun holster.  So you cannot say this guy is guy happy.   The entire situation is very sad, the family has lost a son, a son who had already committed a crime, was trying to intimidate the officer by hitting and threatening him and willfully was ignoring officer commands.   My heart goes out to both families.  Now the officer's family is being threatened.....    The entire situation is just very sad. 
                       

[nmbrown863]

I think Justice was served. All of this rioting and protesting is crazy. I saw someone post on facebook that they do not understand why people are getting upset about business burning down and they have insurance so its okay. I say someone else post that it was karma that the convenience store got looted and thats what they got for reporting a robbery. I was in shock at all the nonsense people were saying.

[cateyes1]

I feel bad because the kid was only 18 but I feel Officer Wilson was in the right!

[missplaymate618]

Well I am in the St. Louis area and very close to Ferguson maybe 15 minutes away, that's all that is on the news it seems. I am sad that a mother lost her child, but I feel he was in the wrong, why didn't Mike Brown and his friend just get on the sidewalk?? That's what I don't understand.

[hawkeye3210]

Very strong comments from all. But to me it feels like something is not right with this whole thing I feel that Wilson is not telling the whole story I believe there is more than meets the eye.

Forensic evidence and eyewitness testimony corroborate Wilson's story.

I still think something is not right. How did blood get in the police officers car. There was no need to shoot him period. He could have taken another source of action pepper spray or maybe tazed but not shoot him when he was unarmed.

Brown went to the police car and punched the cop multiple times while Wilson was still in the car. He was then shot as Wilson defended himself, which is why blood was in the car. The blood in the car corroborates Wilson's story.

Pepper spray?? You've got to be kidding me. That's not going to subdue the threat. And yes, being unarmed doesn't mean he was not a threat. Could a taser have worked? Maybe, maybe not. But it really doesn't matter because Wilson didn't have a taser on him.

What threat was there come on your tell me the only way he could defend himself was by his gun, then every cop should defend themselves by shooting everyone who is a threat to them. Which means anyone who owns a gun can shoot anyone who is unarmed and a threat.

Getting punched in the face by a 6'4" 300 lbs. man is not a threat to you? There's no danger in that situation? No danger that he could have been overpowered, and now Brown is the one with gun?

Good grief, Brown was the aggressor. Wilson was just doing his job when Brown went up to the vehicle and starting punching him. An officer uses the appropriate force to subdue a threat. In this case, using a gun was justified. Stop with the gross exaggerations that "anyone who owns a gun can shoot anyone who is unarmed and a threat." It just makes you look foolish.

[hawkeye3210]

Not guilty.  He was doing his job.  End of story.

He didn't even file a report. He obviously wasn't doing his job.

He didn't file a report because the case was almost immediately handed over to St. Louis County police. It wasn't his job to file a report. He was interviewed by the St. Louis County Police on  the day after, which answers any questions that he would had to answer on an incident report he would have filed.

[6265AT99]

definitely Not Guilty.  The officer was doing his job and stopping a robbery that Brown was involved in.  Period, case closed.