Philadelphian Dan Rouse, a young black man, is angered at that footage of Mike Brown robbing a store was released to the public.
—
As everyone by now has heard, Michael Brown was an 18 year-old black kid who was killed a week ago by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.
Frustrations and questions filled the hearts and minds of Americans as we tried to piece together what led to an unarmed black teenager being shot multiple times by a white man.
Though I, too, am frustrated by this story, I’m also angered at the attempt to justify Brown’s execution by releasing surveillance camera footage that showed the college-bounded teen robbing store just moments before he was gunned down in cold-blood.
What was the point of making the footage public? Officer Wilson didn’t stop him because he robbed a store so the footage is pointless. And in my opinion, even if the officer was aware that Brown was a suspect in a robbery—that day, a month prior or even four years ago—the footage would still be irrelevant.
The only reason people think the footage is relevant is because it happened on the same day he was stopped and shot several times by a police officer. But let’s be honest: how many of us did something bad yesterday? Would it have been justifiable if you were killed that day?
Of course not! The reality is EVERYBODY has done a bad thing. While serving in the role as President of the United States of America, Bill Clinton had oral sex with an intern, and he was married at the time. R Kelly, an award-winning singer, allegedly urinated on a minor and Chris Brown roughed up Rihanna. Had these people been killed in the same manner as Mike Brown on the day of their transgression, you wouldn’t have heard anything about it; just the facts of their deaths would have been reported.
My point is this: the footage has no relevance to the murder investigation and it’s a dirty move… a low blow by Ferguson Police to get people to say: “Hmm… well he’s was a thug and now I don’t feel as bad.” Honestly, how many of you felt like that when you saw the video?
Don’t be distracted people; see the real story, not the one the mainstream media want us to believe.
by Dan Rouse
Thanks for reading!
No, JC, the issue is not that he ‘put himself in this situation’. The issue is the very attitude of disinterested privilege you’re spewing. You come from the standpoint of entitlement, something black people don’t get to do. The attitude you and people like you have is what put him in the situation he was in. So what that they said he was going to college. The police department has publicized every other nasty rumor it could get its hands on in order to demonize him and distract from the fact that one of their own killed him using excessive… Read more »
JC, he had his hands up. He had surrendered. That’s not drawing the wrong attention to yourself. And it also doesn’t explain the many other black men killed or assaulted by white officers. There is a reprehensible racist trend in many different states, and it needs fixing. Police ae too trigger-happy. We should not be making worldwide news for this kind of thing. We should be better than this. oh, and your rape analogy is incorrect and disgusting. What a woman wears is not going to save her from rape. You don’t get raped because you attract the ‘wrong attention’.… Read more »
I find one of your statements to be the most telling of the article: “Though I, too, am frustrated by this story, I’m also angered at the attempt to justify Brown’s execution by releasing surveillance camera footage that showed the college-bounded teen robbing store just moments before he was gunned down in cold-blood” As you don’t see what difference his earlier actions played on him being shot, I don’t see how the fact that he was college bound having any bearing on anything here. No young man should be shot for walking in the street, but until the black community… Read more »
Excuse me, but WHO made YOU the Authority on how Black Folks “should” Live or Act????? The President of the UNITED STATES doesn’t even get Respect, a College Professor surely Did Not Get Respect or Benefit of the Doubt when he was Arrested for being in his Own House. The FACTS and TRUTH is this- Black College Educated or Black Bum, Black President or Black Felon, Black Adult or Black Teen/Kid DOES NOT STOP DEATH AND DISCRIMINATION. You are Ridiculous and more of an Apologist for BS and Slander than Objective. There IS NO EITHER/OR around here as Racism &… Read more »
Its useless as a justification for the shooting on its own. However, it does make me wonder if it would have made him more likely to be violent with the officer given that he had just committed a crime.
As far as Clinton, R. Kelly and Chris Brown go- I never hooked up with an intern, peed on a child or beat my wife. I’m not perfect but I’ve never stooped as low as these three supposed examples you call out. I also never robbed a store. Speak for yourself.
I’m not entirely sure this was a strategic choice by the police, but rather a legally obligated Freedom of Information Act necessity. Whomever in the press wanted it released, the police were obligated to do so, regardless of it’s timing. While it may appear it’s part of a smear campaign against young Mike Brown, I’m not entirely sure we can draw that conclusion. I agree wholeheartedly it is irrelevant to the shooting itself. If judges can rule that character evidence is irrelevant in trials, it would seem to certainly apply here as well, regardless of how close together the events… Read more »