Ferguson Is A Warzone Again

[Gravekeeper]

Gunmen opened fire during the anniversary protests in Ferguson. Cops returned fire. Everything sounds like chaos now. Least two people shot. One of whom is allegedly a friend of Michael Brown. The riot police then ordered protesters to disperse towards a specific street. Then gassed and shot them with rubber bullets when they arrived.

He opened fire on some plain clothes detectives who returned fire. No real clear info on the second(?) gunman. They pursued the first gunman and shot him behind a business. No officers were seriously hurt.

A LOT of shots were fired without much regard for the crowd on either side.

You can see the gunmen behind the white truck.

Edit: annnd they're firing tear gas and rubber bullets into a residential neighbourhood, sigh. >.>

[Kara_CS]

Oh goddammit, people. Once again, a few idiots are going to be the justification to criticize the entire community because of their inability to remain peaceful.

[Gravekeeper]

Oh goddammit, people. Once again, a few idiots are going to be the justification to criticize the entire community because of their inability to remain peaceful.

Doesn't seem like the riot police have learned anything from last time either. They're teargassing a neighbourhood and arresting anyone filming them again. >.>

So nothing has really changed for the residents of Ferguson.

Still no word on the second person that was shot so I'm assuming it was someone just hit in the crossfire. It wasn't a police officer and there's no further suggestions it was a second gunman.

[Gravekeeper]

Hrm, the story has changed from "gunman opens fire on cops" to two rival gangs got into a shoot out and one of them who was fleeing the scene fired at a police SUV after it started chasing him through a parking lot. The 4 officers inside returned fire.

The initial story the police put out made it sound like the cops were being specifically targeted by some motivated attack while minding their own business. The St Louis PD had pictures of the bullet holes in the SUV up on their Twitter before they even had any details of the shooting to release. Saying officers "Came under heavy gunfire".

3 live streamers were arrested when they tried to film the scene in the parking lot. As was one witness who was filming on his cell. Cus nothing says freedom and transparency like arresting people with cameras again. -.-

[Gravekeeper]

Now there's once again an issue of not rendering aid. The official media relations statement says an ambulance was "immediately" called for. While all the witnesses and video say they left the guy face down on the pavement, handcuffed, while he bled out for 40 minutes. They even kept their weapons trained on him.

The one witness who begged officers to render aid was arrested. -.-

[Canarr]

Okay... seriously? What is WRONG with these people? Haven't they learned anything from last year?

[Gravekeeper]

Okay... seriously? What is WRONG with these people? Haven't they learned anything from last year?

Apparently not given that they had plainclothes officers in an unmarked SUV with no body cameras deployed during a protest.

Now the story has been upgraded to six shooters total and the victims have been downgraded to just the one guy shot by police.

[the_std]

Aaand the county has declared a state of emergency. Again.

[Gravekeeper]

Man, they don't even know if the guy will live and they already charged him and set his bail at 250 grand? It hasn't even been 24 hours since they shot him.

But Sandra Bland can rot in jail for 3 days over a traffic violation? >.>

Now its coming out that some protesters were arrested by the Department of Homeland Security. What the actual fuck? Apparently, Homeland Security has had all of Black Lives Matter activities under surveillance since last year.

DHS claims they are only "providing situational awareness".

[Greenday]

The movement has resulted in a lot of riots and violence. It would be irresponsible of DHS NOT to keep tabs on them.

As for the guy who is in the hospital being charged and given a large bail, he can suck it. Don't shoot at cops.

It's a shame that some rotten apples had to ruin a peaceful movement.

[Gravekeeper]

The movement has resulted in a lot of riots and violence. It would be irresponsible of DHS NOT to keep tabs on them.

What? Last I checked the DHS was for, you know, terrorism. Civil unrest does not equal terrorism. Saying its irresponsible of DHS to not keep tabs on social activists is insane. I know you're all gun ho about cops vs protesters but this is some scary police state shit.

DHS shouldn't be spying on your Facebook account because you're against police brutality. They should definitely not be deployed and arresting protesters.

As for the guy who is in the hospital being charged and given a large bail, he can suck it. Don't shoot at cops.

Guy's not even conscious and in critical condition. Yes, he should be charged but geez, maybe see if he's even going to live first before you set bail.

[Greenday]

What? Last I checked the DHS was for, you know, terrorism. Civil unrest does not equal terrorism. Saying its irresponsible of DHS to not keep tabs on social activists is insane. I know you're all gun ho about cops vs protesters but this is some scary police state shit.

DHS shouldn't be spying on your Facebook account because you're against police brutality. They should definitely not be deployed and arresting protesters.

Just because DHS's primary mission involves terrorism doesn't mean that's all they do. If it involves destabilization of the country, that's within their realm. And since there are people who are using #BLM as a cover for their activities, it makes plenty of sense.

Perhaps you should check to see what DHS actually encompasses. Arresting people and defending America's interests is quite within their purview.

Guy's not even conscious and in critical condition. Yes, he should be charged but geez, maybe see if he's even going to live first before you set bail.

Because he's hurt he shouldn't get a quick and speedy hearing? If he recovers, he will immediately have a chance to leave jail. If they waited and he pulled through, it'd lengthen the time he'd be stuck in jail before getting out on bail.

[Gravekeeper]

Perhaps you should check to see what DHS actually encompasses.

Perhaps you should:

There are five homeland security missions:

Prevent terrorism and enhancing security;
Secure and manage our borders;
Enforce and administer our immigration laws;
Safeguard and secure cyberspace;
Ensure resilience to disasters;

Prevent Terrorism and Enhance Security

The Department of Homeland Security's counterterrorism responsibilities focus on three goals:

Prevent terrorist attacks;
Prevent the unauthorized acquisition, importation, movement, or use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials and capabilities within the United States; and
Reduce the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and key resources, essential leadership, and major events to terrorist attacks and other hazards.

Please explain how some protesters falls under this. Are black people an "other hazard"? One scary enough that they need to monitor prayer vigils and DC's Funk Parade? Or track Facebook accounts? They even monitored a breast cancer walk. You do know that this is bordering so close to being illegal its not even clear yet whether the DHS has violated the First Amendment? Never mind the DOJ's guidelines on racial profiling.

Plus the only reason we even know all this now is because they were forced to comply with a Freedom of Information request.

Because he's hurt he shouldn't get a quick and speedy hearing? If he recovers, he will immediately have a chance to leave jail. If they waited and he pulled through, it'd lengthen the time he'd be stuck in jail before getting out on bail.

Wait, now you're concerned about his due process? What happened to "fuck him"? -.-

[Greenday]

Please explain how some protesters falls under this. Are black people an "other hazard"? One scary enough that they need to monitor prayer vigils and DC's Funk Parade? Or track Facebook accounts? They even monitored a breast cancer walk. You do know that this is bordering so close to being illegal its not even clear yet whether the DHS has violated the First Amendment? Never mind the DOJ's guidelines on racial profiling.

You want me to explain how there are fringe groups within larger groups that are trying to destabilize local governments? Nearly every major protest in Ferguson led to rioting. Baltimore. Every other major BLM protest. There are clearly individuals that are abusing this cause for their own agenda to attack local, state, and federal governments. It would be in DHS's interest to root these people out for the government's sake and the movement's sake.

Wait, now you're concerned about his due process? What happened to "fuck him"? -.-

Everybody has certain rights whether they are a piece of crap or not.

[Gravekeeper]

You want me to explain how there are fringe groups within larger groups that are trying to destabilize local governments? Nearly every major protest in Ferguson led to rioting. Baltimore. Every other major BLM protest. There are clearly individuals that are abusing this cause for their own agenda to attack local, state, and federal governments. It would be in DHS's interest to root these people out for the government's sake and the movement's sake.

Oh bullshit. Please show one example of anyone successfully "destabilizing" the local government. Let alone at a farking music festival or a breast cancer walk. The DHS was created specifically to combat terrorism. Civil unrest is not terrorism. Rioters are not terrorists and this is not 1984. The riots in Ferguson don't even come close to the worst ones in US history. They're barely worse than the farking Stanley Cup riot up here in Van in terms of damage.

There's always a few dickheads / anarchists at any protest. So why is the DHS only monitoring BLM related protests and activities? They didn't monitor the Kentucky riots despite the fact there were 3 prior riots there in the last couple years. In fact there's been over 30 riots since the DHS was established and yet the only two cases of civil unrest the DHS has ever monitored are apparently Occupy and now BLM.

You're not seriously going to try and argue that these fringe bogymen you speak of have never showed up at any other riot or protest in the last decade except these two? -.-

The DHS also knows full well its treading dangerously close to breaking the law with its surveillance. As the documents released via the FOIA reveal them discussing how to avoid FOIA requests while conducting surveillance on BLM. As well as acknowledging a "negative" public backlash should their activities be revealed.

They're legally allowed to monitor public activities but its illegal to collect/store any information that can personally identify an individual in a public setting ( unless that person is an actual terrorist ). Additionally, if their surveillance creates an intimidating affect that causes people to avoid protest events that's actually infringing on the First Amendment. So they are treading a thin line and they may already have blundered across it.