Tag Archives: ferguson missouri

US

Michael Brown’s stepfather may face criminal charges

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Police and investigators are currently considering charging Michael Brown’s stepfather, Louis Head, for attempting to incite a riot after it was announced Officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted for the shooting death of Brown.

After the announcement against indictment came late on Nov. 24, various videos taken near protests in Ferguson show Head shouting “burn this bitch down.”

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson told Sean Hannity, “We are pursuing (an investigation into) those comments, and there is a lot of discussion going on about that right now… But I really can’t get into that…”

Head is also not being singled out, according to CNN.  Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small said Head is one of many people currently being investigated for their part in the lead up to the riots, looting, and the various arson cases following the announcement.

Benjamin Crump, the lawyer representing Brown and his family, has called Head’s rants prior to the rioting inappropriate at the time.  However, Crump also said, according to USA Today, he does not condemn Head’s reaction to the announcement because of the large amount of emotional stress the family was under at the time.

Lesley McSpadden, Brown’s mother, also told CNN she does not think her husband’s words or actions incited a riot, but said the emotions in the area were building up since her son was shot on Aug. 9.

Since the investigation has started, Head has come forth and said he apologizes for his comments after the announcement.  According to ABC News, Head said, “Something came over me as I watched and listened to my wife, the mother of Michael Brown Jr., react to the gut-wrenching news that the cop who killed her son wouldn’t be charged with a crime… My emotions admittedly got the best of me.”

Ben Swann reported from Ferguson this week and talked about the importance of understanding the proximity of Brown’s stepfather to the buildings that actually burned. In the video below, Swann explains why it would be very difficult to claim that the stepfather was “inciting a riot.”

Politics, US

Darren Wilson Resigns from Ferguson Police, Will Not Receive Severance Pay

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Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown during a confrontation on August 9, announced that he was resigning from the police force in Ferguson, Missouri, on Saturday.

Wilson’s resignation letter stated that he was leaving the force, due to the fact that he had been told his employment would put both the residents and the police officers of Ferguson at risk:

“I, Darren Wilson, hereby resign my commission as a police officer with the City of Ferguson effective immediately. I have been told that my continued employment may put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk, which is a circumstance that I cannot allow. For obvious reasons, I wanted to wait until the grand jury made their decision before I officially made my decision to resign. It was my hope to continue in police work, but the safety of other police officers and the community are of paramount importance to me. It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal. I would like to thank all of my supporters and fellow officers throughout this process.”

Last week, the Grand Jury announced that they would not indict Wilson for Brown’s murder, sparking outrage in the city of Ferguson, which went beyond the protests that were held following Brown’s death in August.

According to NBC News, although Wilson resigned because of “credible threats” to both the department and its officers, Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson “didn’t press Wilson to resign.”

Yahoo News reported that prior to the threats, the city of Ferguson was “already discussing an exit strategy,” and had acknowledged that Wilson “staying on as an officer there would be impossible.”

Following Wilson’s resignation, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles announced that Wilson will not receive any further pay or benefits, and that he has “severed ties” with the city.

According to ABC News, although Wilson was “cleared of criminal charges by the Grand Jury,” the Justice Department is “conducting a civil rights investigation into the shooting as well as a separate probe of police department practices.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Wilson’s wife, Barbara Spradling, a 12-year-veteran of the Ferguson police force who he married on October 24, has been asked by the department to also resign, but “she has so far declined to do so.“

Featured, Interviews, Police State, Politics

Exclusive: Called “domestic terrorists” by the feds, Oath Keepers help stop Ferguson from burning

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By Joshua Cook | Tsu | Facebook | Twitter 

You might have seen them on the news. The people protecting Ferguson businesses from the arsonists and looters ransacking Ferguson, Mo. But here is the real story about the organization protecting those businesses. They’re called Oath Keepers, and they have ex-police and ex-military keeping guard of four Ferguson businesses since late Monday night, Nov. 24, at the permission of the business owners.

They’ve been shown in the media before, but the report was incorrect, according to Stewart Rhodes, national founder of president of the Oath Keepers, who stressed that the group is not just business owners.

“We are not.  We are military and police veterans who are volunteer security for local businesses.  We have Iraq and Afghanistan combat vets in the rooftops, along with retired cops, guarding the shops,” he said.

The four businesses include Natalie’s Cakes and More, a bakery that was featured on Fox News, a beauty supply store, a dentist’s office and a Chinese restaurant.

In addition to their work keeping businesses safe, and the people living there, the group has also seen some totally bizarre interactions by the federal government and the state highway patrol.

According to Rhodes, “We had an alarming incident that happened last night with our team spotting what looked like a fed three-man sniper team moving into a nearby house on higher ground, and then pointing their rifles at our team of American combat veterans, while our team was guarding the buildings against looters.”

Rhodes said the team even observed the state highway patrol snipers deploy onto the roof of a nearby fire hall and point rifles at them.

“Our team leader called Unified Command to find out what was going on and then local police responded,” he explained.

He said that the local police were unaware of what the federal government were doing and that there was no coordination. “The local police are on our side and expressed gratitude for us being there, but the Feds are trying to run us out.”

The federal government is trying to badmouth this organization of ex-police and ex-military, even called them a “domestic terrorist” group.

“The local cops told the Feds it was crazy to label us terrorists, when all we are doing is guarding against arsonists,” said Rhodes.

Sam, a team leader in Ferguson,  told BenSwann.com’s Joshua Cook in an exclusive interview that they aren’t there to protect property. They are protecting the people living in the buildings from firebombs. They are willing to use lethal force to protect lives allowed by state law.

Rhodes told Cook that law enforcement wants to remove their group from the rooftops by citing an obscure state law regarding paid security firms. Rhodes plans to organize a protest if local officials try to remove them.

Sam told Cook, “Buildings to the north are burning every night, buildings to the south are burning every night. Since we have been here no one has thrown a molotov cocktail through the windows or caught the building on fire.”

Listen to the full interview below:

 

Ben Swann will be anchoring  on RT on Monday at 4pm and 5pm eastern from Ferguson.

Featured, Police State, Politics, US

FERGUSON: No Indictment for Officer Wilson in Michael Brown death

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FERGUSON, Missouri, November 24, 2014– Monday night, a grand jury decided not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown.

Previous to the public announcement, police have been anticipating an eruption of violence. Multiple reports of police commentary began to flood the internet as on location journalists and citizens listened to police scanners. As the announcement was made, protesters mostly breathed a sigh of disappointment and turned to walk away. So far, no violence has been witnessed.

Reports of the grand jury’s decision began to leak approximately 15 minutes before the official announcement.  

Follow Michael Lotfi on Facebook & Twitter for more live updates.

UPDATE:

Featured, Swann TV, US

Ben Swann Live in Ferguson Missouri on “eve” of Grand Jury Decision

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Ferguson, MO- As the community of Ferguson, Missouri prepares for the reading of a grand jury decision on the police killing of African-American teenager Michael Brown, Ben Swann is on the ground taking a hard look at the issues behind the unrest that shook the nation.

Broadcasting live with RT America, Ben Swann goes beyond the headlines to examine the growing militarization of American police, the emerging “policing for profit” trend and why the issues in Ferguson are much bigger than just the case of Officer Darren Wilson and the Brown family.