Can someone explain what is going on in ferguson to me?

[CanISmellYourFart]

I've been on vacaton for two weeks and now when I get back its all I see on TV. What happened? o.0 All I know is a dude was shot by police idk why and people are protesting now. Why was the dude shot? Why are people protesting????

[El Frito Bandito]

Very similar to the Trayvon Martin case. Here we have a white police officer shooting a black man (who was unarmed). There is no direct video evidence of the event, and there are conflicting witness reports. So right now, tons of details are just up to speculation. On one side, you have people claiming it was a self-defense shooting that occurred because the black man may have threatened the officer. On the other side, people are claiming it was a racially-motivated murder that occurred for no reason beyond hate.

Meanwhile, people have been rioting in response to this shooting, in the town where the shooting occurred. Businesses are being broken into, looted, and some are being burned to the ground. Police (and now the National Guard, apparently) have been called in to put the riots down.

[Ame Yuki Kaze]

Cops murdered an unarmed black man. The community demanded justice. The cops responded by imposing martial law.

[Sailor Tin Nyanko]

You can find plenty of articles online.

The most important thing at the moment is that only 2-3% of the "Rioters" and Protesters are thought to live in the area. The people that live in the area are having all their property destroyed. They cannot function and get food. They have been canceling things and trying to get out of the area.

So the people you see on TV are mostly not from that Community.


They are just destroying that town. From the people I am seeing on TV, even with my disabilities, I am reading about 1/3 of them as just being there to have a good time. Not to be nice and protest but to get away scott free while doing bad things.


The police have not been using anything lethal. At points they even have been ordered to take their helmets and mask off to prove they are not doing things they are being accused of. Some Rioters and Protesters have been making basically homemade bombs. What unfortunately seems to be happening is the forces of destruction ( Rioters) are at times injuring the forces of peace (Protesters) and then the Police are getting blamed. With so much media coverage, the media is also being injured and both them & protesters are catching what's going on on camera. Which is... Rioters are hurting Protesters and blaming the police * facepalm* I don't mean like " Well, the cops didn't protect you from us".. I mean like " It wasn't me, THAT COPS DID IT!"


Other things going on are the Police released the name of the Police Officer that killed the Man at the same time they released a Video of the Man. This has driven many people insane and enraged people. This is why... how.... The man's family and friends painted an image that he was a "gentle giant". That he was passive, never would fight, never fought back, would sit there and take anything,... very sweet. The Video the Police Released was before the Man was killed that day. It was of him in a gas station or corner store. He rushes a man he is arguing with, picks him up in the air, tries to pull gesturing like he will hurt the man. This is damaging to the image of this man that his family painted.


The stories the friends of the Man have come up with have completely changed atleast three times. I do not believe they were present. Other eyewitnesses appear to have only appeared after the man had most likely died. Other eyewitnesses have stories that sink up with the officers... but since their identities aren't being revealed and they don't want their indentity revealed for fear the angry mob will turn on them people don't think they are real witnesses.


There is no video of what happened. People that were eyewitnesses admit he was already shot before they were there so their video isn't helpful. Some video released shows the police officer looking saddened and some what disbelieving he actually killed someone as he stands and paces around the man's body.



I am sorry I keep referring to the deceased as merely Man. I keep thinking I have his name right and then it being wrong. I keep thinking of the name Chris Brown >.< Then of Chris Brown the certain doom of Rihanna.

[Misty Moonsilver]

Scarred Sword Heart

Cops murdered an unarmed black man. The community demanded justice. The cops responded by imposing martial law.

THIS is the best most fair, and most simple explanation.
And also the OP should know that this case is VERY different from Trayvon Martin's.

[Roy Cura]

Misty Moonsilver

Scarred Sword Heart

Cops murdered an unarmed black man. The community demanded justice. The cops responded by imposing martial law.

THIS is the best most fair, and most simple explanation.
And also the OP should know that this case is VERY different from Trayvon Martin's.

This explanation already jumps to a conclusion.

Let's wait for the investigation. If it turns out to be a murder, lock the officer's a** behind bars. If it doesn't, figure out what to do with him.

I also wouldn't say the looting is justified. So the demand for justice is hypocritical in a sense.

[PieLady47]

Police shot a black 18 year old boy who was unarmed and Ferguson, AND people from around the country are starting to right. The autopsy was just released yesterday showing that the boy was NOT shot in the back (which would have meant he was fleeing) but at the top of the head, which could possibly mean he was bull charging the officer.

[PieLady47]

Roy Cura

Misty Moonsilver

Scarred Sword Heart

Cops murdered an unarmed black man. The community demanded justice. The cops responded by imposing martial law.

THIS is the best most fair, and most simple explanation.
And also the OP should know that this case is VERY different from Trayvon Martin's.

This explanation already jumps to a conclusion.

Let's wait for the investigation. If it turns out to be a murder, lock the officer's a** behind bars. If it doesn't, figure out what to do with him.

I also wouldn't say the looting is justified. So the demand for justice is hypocritical in a sense.

About the looting, lots of the people involved don't even live in Ferguson. One man has been arrested 5 times and he doesn't even live there. Some people are taking the opportunity to loot.

[Jayce Reinhardt]

Guy was walking out with friends
Cop tells them to get on the sidewalk
Cop shoots him six times in various parts of his body

I've heard he may or may not have aggressively started walking towards the cop but since he was unarmed, I don't see the logic of walking towards anyone with a gun pointed at them.

People are trying to protest but there are a lot of vultures going around and being assholes/looting up the place.

I've also heard that the cops won't do anything about the Looters and are going after the protestors instead.

I don't know what is actually happening however.

[Roy Cura]

Jayce Reinhardt

I don't see the logic of walking towards anyone with a gun pointed at them.

It's certainly not a logical thing to do. Some people are suggesting that he was intoxicated, and a toxicology report should be in the works to confirm whether this is true or false.

[x-Garethp-x]

Roy Cura

Jayce Reinhardt

I don't see the logic of walking towards anyone with a gun pointed at them.

It's certainly not a logical thing to do. Some people are suggesting that he was intoxicated, and a toxicology report should be in the works to confirm whether this is true or false.

Toxicology said that there was weed in his system, whether or not he was high at the time or high earlier is another story

[azulmagia]

Misty Moonsilver

Scarred Sword Heart

Cops murdered an unarmed black man. The community demanded justice. The cops responded by imposing martial law.

THIS is the best most fair, and most simple explanation.
And also the OP should know that this case is VERY different from Trayvon Martin's.

Yeah, it's worse than that case.

[Sailor Tin Nyanko]

PieLady47

Police shot a black 18 year old boy who was unarmed and Ferguson, AND people from around the country are starting to right. The autopsy was just released yesterday showing that the boy was NOT shot in the back (which would have meant he was fleeing) but at the top of the head, which could possibly mean he was bull charging the officer.

The majority of the bullets were in his right arm. With what looked like one in his right shoulder, some braising the right side of his head, and one in the dead center top of his head.

Police are usually trained to shoot people in the are to disarm and disable them without causing death.


It's too bad they may not be able to determine the order the bullets hit him since they all struck so closely together. If he was shot in the arm first it would suggest that he was carrying something that the police officer that was a weapon. If he was shot in the arm afterwards then it would suggest the police officer killed him by shooting him in the head and then tried to cover his butt afterwards by shooting him up in the arm.


However, the angles of the bullets could tell... atleast me... a lot of information. It would tell me where he was and how his arms were positioned. If he was shot at close range in the arm then it might suggest the cop was trying to cover his butt. If his arm was struck in the front and it was level with or higher then gun then he was standing at the time. If the bullets went in at an angle like they were being shot from the end of his arm where his hand was or from the ground then it would indicate he was pointing his arm or moving to lift it up to point it at the officer. In that gesture the officer may have thought a weapon was being "thrown up" and wanted to disarm the man before the man could shoot or stab him.

[GhostlyMark]

Sailor Tin Nyanko

PieLady47

Police shot a black 18 year old boy who was unarmed and Ferguson, AND people from around the country are starting to right. The autopsy was just released yesterday showing that the boy was NOT shot in the back (which would have meant he was fleeing) but at the top of the head, which could possibly mean he was bull charging the officer.

The majority of the bullets were in his right arm. With what looked like one in his right shoulder, some braising the right side of his head, and one in the dead center top of his head.

Police are usually trained to shoot people in the are to disarm and disable them without causing death.


It's too bad they may not be able to determine the order the bullets hit him since they all struck so closely together. If he was shot in the arm first it would suggest that he was carrying something that the police officer that was a weapon. If he was shot in the arm afterwards then it would suggest the police officer killed him by shooting him in the head and then tried to cover his butt afterwards by shooting him up in the arm.


However, the angles of the bullets could tell... atleast me... a lot of information. It would tell me where he was and how his arms were positioned. If he was shot at close range in the arm then it might suggest the cop was trying to cover his butt. If his arm was struck in the front and it was level with or higher then gun then he was standing at the time. If the bullets went in at an angle like they were being shot from the end of his arm where his hand was or from the ground then it would indicate he was pointing his arm or moving to lift it up to point it at the officer. In that gesture the officer may have thought a weapon was being "thrown up" and wanted to disarm the man before the man could shoot or stab him.

I hear the bullet wound found on the top on the head is angled downward