Jonathan Ferrell
Jonathan Ferrell (1988-2013) was an unarmed black American man shot dead by the police. The Charlotte/Mecklenberg county police in North Carolina gunned him down in the early hours of Saturday, September 14th 2013.
The police received a call at 2.30am from a woman in Bradfield Farms, an upscale suburb of Charlotte. She said a man was pounding on the door. She thought it was her husband, who was working late. so she opened the door. When she saw it was not her husband, she slammed the door, pushed the panic button on her house alarm and called the police. The man continued to try to get her attention.
When the police arrived they found a man not far from her house who “fit the description”. He ran towards them – or “charged” or “advanced” maybe. One of three police officers shot a Taser, a stun gun. When that failed to stop him, another officer, Randall Kerrick, shot him in the chest several times. The man, Jonathan Ferrell, died at the scene.
About a half mile away they found Ferrell’s car smashed into some trees. Apparently after the accident Ferrell kicked out the back window of his car to escape and sought help at the first house he found. It seems he thought the police had come to help him and ran towards them.
Ferrell’s car
Officer Kerrick was arrested later that day and charged with voluntary manslaughter. Under North Carolina law that means killing without malice but using “excessive force” in exercising “imperfect self-defense.” That seems light since he could hardly be in fear for his life, but all too often in these cases the officer is not even arrested.
The NAACP wants him charged with murder, noting that there is a “tradition in this country to be able to kill innocent black men.”
Gunning down an unarmed person who is outnumbered three to one seems to be due to either poor training or racist stereotypes about black men.
Ferrell studied chemistry and played football at Florida A&M University. He had moved to North Carolina just months before to be near his fiancee and continue his education. He was working at both Dillard’s and Best Buy. He had no police record. Family and friends say he was not a troubled or violent person. He would have turned 25 next month.
It is unclear, though, whether he ever smoked marijuana or let his pants sag, so there might have been just cause to gun him down (*acid sarcasm*).
Bradfield Farms: although it has four tennis courts, two swimming pools and a clubhouse, it is hardly some hyperwhite haven crawling with racist fear of black people: the neighbourhood is 34% black and 59% white in a county that is 28% black and 64% white.
Officer Randall Kerrick
Kerrick, the white killer cop, on the other hand, does come from a hyperwhite part of metropolitan Charlotte: Midland, whose census tract is 92% white and 4% black.
– Abagond, 2013.
Update (August 24th 2015): After the first grand jury refused to charge Officer Kerrick with a crime, the second one charged him with voluntary manslaughter. It went to trial. The jury was racially mixed, a victory in its own right. But the jury deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial. No word yet on whether prosecutors will try Kerrick again.
Update (August 31st): The state attorney general has decided not to retry Randall Kerrick, thinking it will just end in another hung jury.
See also:
- The black brute stereotype
- The perfect victim
- The police
- Henry Louis Wallace – more on the Charlotte police
- Johannes Mehserle – Oscar Grant’s killer
- The black-on-black crime argument – because you know someone is going to bring it up
- Trayvon Martin
- George Zimmerman is found not guilty – this was just two months ago and hangs over this case
- Yet more unarmed black people killed by the police:
- Phantom Caucasian Justice
Abagond 
Sigh. I have nothing
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You didn’t mention that the cops are on paid administrative leave.
Why do people who commit murder of unarmed innocent victims
– not get arrested for murder
– continue to earn a salary at taxpayers expense
– can claim ‘exercising “imperfect self-defense.”’
Really hope that an example is set this time to show police officers that they are not above the law and may not shoot and kill people and get away with it.
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Where are the police in the USA trained? Is it a central academy, or a university course or something? I suspect they need to upgrade their syllabus. Also…… SECOND!
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Or third.
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Bad mistake by the po–although if I charged 3 cops (I’m also a big guy), I think there’s a good chance I would be shot. U.S. police are scary.
But if you were a woman at home alone late at night waiting for your husband and a big young dude (of any race) is pounding on your door and not saying anything coherent… do you let him in? I wouldn’t. However, if he can ring the doorbell politely and just explain he needs me to dial 911 (pretty simple), I would call them rather than the po.
If this was a white dude with same outcome, I don’t see a stiffer charge–maybe no charge if no media publicity.
Btw, looking forward to your post on the racial implications of the Navy yard shooting.
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Good luck wit that NAACP.
this is a VERY dangerous time for Black people in this country. Because of the president, people truly believe that racism doesn’t exist. Both Black and white people feel that way. That’s why these types of scenarios keep happening.
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oh when are our people going to wake up and SEE what is going on. We are and have been for quite some time open targets for police and and others to kill us without any impunity for the most part. It is getting more brazen and bold for all to see . Here is a link to a recent killing of a 107 yr ols man in Arkansas http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2013/09/12/police-decline-to-investigate-shooting-death-of-107-year-old-pine-bluff-man, yes , a 107 yr old senior was gunned dowm by the po po on that part of the plantation aka Pine Bluff. I do not believe the 7 yr old girl Ayanna Jones family ever got any justice from the po po that killed her either. Now todivert our minds from this they have another black male supposedly on a rampage in D.C killing people at the navy yard….. you believe it but dont ask me to believe it.
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Not surprised at this, but still saddened and greatly concerned.
I understand about the apprehension a woman alone in her house might feel if a stranger of any sort suddenly starts banging on the door.
That used to happen to me often when I lived in Los Angeles. I didn’t have a peep hole to my apartment door, so I would always have to yell and ask who the heck it was. Sometimes they were asking for a previous tenant, sometimes they went away without replying. I never once called the police. Contrary to movie fiction, it is very hard to kick in a door, and if the knocking, or pounding or whatever turned to kicks and body slams, why then I have plenty of time to respond accordingly.
Now if I had ever gotten a reply of “hey I need some help” I would cautiously open the door and verify. I would then call an ambulance. Which I did when I saw a guy lying prone unmoving on the pavement near my place. When I see people in need of assistance, I render it.
Things were set in motion when that woman chose to call the police and either not listen to Jonathan’s pleas, or ignore them – because most likely a big Black man would not be hurt and needing help, and there is only one reason why he would be pounding on her door. Stereotypes and the ingrained racism of our society helped kill that young man. She was safe inside her house, just as I was safe inside my apartment.
I am in no way letting those cops off the hook. They fired 12 shots at Jonathan, 10 of which struck him. Many people are victim blaming and discussing what Jonathan should or should not have done.
Get in a car wreck, and see how clear headed and not in shock you are going to be. He was doing what everyone else would have done in that situation. Panicky, shaken, disoriented, most likely in shock – seeking help. Just one call for an ambulance. That woman need not have let him in her home for her to still render assistance.
Speaking to him through her door, or window, telling him to stay put, that she had called for an ambulance, and that help was on the way. That was all she needed to do. Maintain her own personal safety, while helping out a fellow human being.
But no. Now a man is dead, and those who murdered him are on paid vacation.
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@ biff
Right… I find it interesting that a college student who just got into a major car accident, and then hiked a half mile for help would then see three uniformed and armed police officers and decide to charge them like a bull!
Imagine… a single man looks at 3 cops and says to himself “I can take them!” and just runs at them without saying a word, in an attempt to take them all down, for no reason at all.
Or…. you be logical. He did not charge the officers at all. The story was made up once the young rookie cop shot shot what turned out to be an unarmed man who wasn’t even trying to break into the house, but instead knocked on the door.
As for the woman in the house, are we to believe that Jonathan walked all the way to her and then said nothing when she opened the door? He didn’t say, “I was just in an accident and I need help?” Or did he say that and she did not believe him, and instead called the police because a Black man had knocked on her door.
The time has long past to stop taking police reports as if the police never cover anything up, or lie to get themselves out of a bad situation. Use your head.
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@King
White men lose their d@mn minds when it comes to SPORTS, PRETTY WOMEN, & RACE.
I expect that astute observation to hold up today.
Remember, white men lynched black men & then made up a cockamamie reason why they attacked him. The crazier & implausible, the better.
Those racial ideologies, stereotypes & fear of dangerous black men have not gone anywhere.
We still have not heard from Trayvon’s friends outside of Rachel. You show his close friends (which the media CONVENIENTLY won’t show you), you see the truth about the type of young black man Trayvon was. And the aggressive black brute stereotype he was far from. Probably more nerdy than anything.
The young man Ferrell was in a panicked, frenetic state, and ran into all the wrong people in that panicked, frenetic state.
There were 3 officers, and they could have engaged in hand to hand combat & then the truth would have been figure out while arresting him.
Also, alot of police officers & CORRECTION officers tend to be scared weak beta males.
Males who are uncomfortable with power & authority. Come from a culture of powerlessness & instability (classic bullied become the bully)
So the force across have a bunch of weak males acting as bounty hunters & scared at the first sign of conflict.
Add racial fears & ideologies. Black men have no chance when interacting with the police more often than not.
Sigh.
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This is just too scary. Getting shot for trying to get help after an accident? I know that mistakes happen, but surely people can wait long enough to identify a REAL threat before opening up on a guy.
I’m glad I don’t live in the USA. Guns are effing crazy and, with respect, so is a society that has them everywhere. Especially in the hands of trigger happy cops…
RIP, Mr Ferrell. 😦
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As far as I am concerned, it is entirely the woman’s fault for assuming that Ferrell was a criminal. She could have talked to him with the door closed and called for help for him but she assumed the worst and basically caused an innocent man’s death.
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Reblogged this on revealingartisticthoughts and commented:
Why?
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This is so tragic and sad , and , we white people need to get this is racist , and is our problem . Its bigger than even a concious racism , its loaded with a subconcious programming , its really time for us to get a handle on this…its past time…
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So depressing and really nauseating.
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SMH. So much potential, his life was cut short so soon. It would kill me to have a child so hard-working and ambitious lose his life because of something he had no choice in. I could understand them firing warning shots, I might even understand one shot hitting this guy, but 10 shots? Did they think he was Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers?
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I have to wonder why the other cops did not stop him or yell for him to stop shooting.
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This is messed up. I wonder if they even gave him a command or just started shooting. More proof that if u aren’t on the field or doing something for them u are a target for termination. the man in blue is no friend to you. So the ppl saying he shouldn’t have did xyz, ok then what are we supposed to do? put our hands in the air and lay down on the ground, ooh but wait even laying down on the ground unarmed isn’t enough (Oscar Grant). so what are we supposed to do now, I guess we should start wearing bullet proof vests and have a sign that says i’m unarmed don’t shoot.
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At this point, anyone who implies that we live in a post-racial society should just slap themselves in their own faces and play hopscotch on the nearest, busiest freeways.
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@ Adonis
yeah the police do have a lot of geeky looking small guys that are power tripping, but a lot are also former military and are crazy as he11. I saw a vid where a cop I think he was former army or marine and he shot a latino male that was running then after he shot him and the guy was on the ground, he stood over him and shot him again.
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the cop that killed Wendell Allen, got 4yrs, I won’t hold my breath for this guy to be convicted even then its not a lot of time.
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Dave Chapelle said it best: “Johnson, that n*gger’s on pcp”. King is exactly right, the victims alleged actions make no sense, he had no motive to act aggressively towards anyone, especially three uniformed police officers. My guess is they saw a disoriented black man approaching them in the dark, and decided that was enough of a threat to start blasting without asking any questions or thinking logically about the situations. Afterwards, when they realized they had killed someone without evidence he was a threat, and thought about the repercussions of such actions, they made up that nonsensical 5th grader lie, that no one would buy for a second if the victim was white with the same background or if they gave any thought to what kind of man he really was. It’s just like trayvon, no one is asking what possible motive he could have had for his alleged actions, they just assume black men with or without a history of violence are like rabid animals deep down, who will mindlessly attack anyone without provocation or reason.
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Reblogged this on donatelloturtle.
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Joaquin said:
That sounds about right – making up a story to try climb out of the hole they shot themselves into.
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Another sad incident. It is crazy that it is now open season on us against by the Whites. It is crazy. It is like the 1960s again but this time with a vengeance.
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The story about the woman calling 911 doesn’t add up, the police say that he “viciously knocked on the door”, but if that were true, why did she think it was her husband and open the door?
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I lived in Charlotte off and on for years. It is a mostly white city compared with some, and there are blacks in key positions (the police chief is black in fact). But it has had its share of ‘white cop shoots unarmed black’ situations. This isn’t the first time such a tragedy has occurred,and will not be the last, alas.
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“viciously knocked on the door”
– – –
Wow, that is melodramatic, as I can’t imagine how one would go about “viciously” knocking on a door. Pounding on it to get someone’s attention at 2:30 in the morning, yes, but “viciously knocking” on it is a silly description, and likely is nothing more than a desperate attempt to justify murdering an unarmed man.
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So sad. I wonder if the squad cars had those dash cams.
His family should sue.
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Shaking my head and sighing. This is just too sad. RIP Jonathan Ferrell.
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Yes, there is a video from the police car but I don’t think it has been published yes.
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I mean, “yet’
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@Fiamma, yes that description “viciously” must be part of the attempt to justify the killing.
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I hope the family pursue legal action. Something needs to be done.
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@ Joaquin
Right, shot like he was a wild dog.
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“Viciously knocking on a door” belongs in the same category as:
– “Cruelly unlocking the door
– “Dishonestly turning the key”
– “Maliciously crossing the threshold”
“Vicious” really necessitates getting into Jonathan Ferrell’s and interpreting his state of mind. How is a “vicious” knock different than a “vigorous” knock?
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[…] Jonathan Ferrell (1988-2013) was an unarmed black American man shot dead by the police. The Charlotte/Mecklenberg county police in North Carolina gunned him down in the early hours of Saturday, Sep… […]
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[…] the comments by “Awake BW” and […]
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@king
Semantics. But vicious has a rabid dog, uncontrollable, put a KneeGrow down type vibe.
Somebody mentioned it upthread. Black folk need to stop playing with the dominant society.
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WELP
I rest my case:
http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/09/17/the-911-call-that-led-to-jonathan-ferrells-death/
There is a long history here of WW calling down death on Black people, especially Black men. Rosewood is just one example of what I’m talking about.
The interview I’m interested in, is now that this woman (hopefully) knows that she got an innocent human being killed, someone who needed her help, how she feels about the whole thing now.
She’s all “I feared for my life and the life of my children” in the press. I wonder if she truly still feels the same way. If she has sat down and had a hard look at herself. And if she might see the humanity in Black people and especially Black males should her paths cross a POC in a similar manner again.
WP need to know that when you panic-call the cops on POC/MOC, you are calling for their death, like as not. I wonder if you care even so. And I wonder truly what is in that woman’s heart of hearts right now, this minute, today.
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I wonder if the panicked woman realizes she got an innocent young man killed?
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Oh, I forgot to add this. According to that article, notice she talks about how he was yelling. All she saw and heard was yelling, but didn’t take even a moment to hear just WHAT he was yelling.
Her racism and fears translated Jonathan’s pleas for help into a yelling ravening beast trying to break down her door and get to herself and her children. (seriously? The way she was speaking to the 911 operator you’d have thought a horde of orcs was at her door).
And even IF there was a ravening beast at her door, as I said in my first comment: She. Was. Safe. Inside. Her. House.
You bet a house equipped with a panic button and all that had a nice strong door/frame and locks. So miss me with all this fear and whatnot. Miss Me!
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Will she be able to have a clear conscience?
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I read about this either yesterday or the day before. When I saw all the photos of a young, smiling Black man, I didn’t need to scroll down any further to know that he was an innocent shot dead by the police.
I hope Jonathan rests in peace.
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Disgusting. May both that frantic lady and Kerrick forever be haunted by that night. Utter disregard for life that isn’t white. So sick and tired of this crap!
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“Will she be able to have a clear conscience?”
– – –
I’m gonna crawl out on a limb and say that her conscience is already clear.
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joaquin
Dave Chapelle said it best: “Johnson, that n*gger’s on pcp”
I’m wondering if the toxicology report will show some serious illegal substances in his system. That would account for wrecking his car, viciously banging on the woman’s door, not responding to officers’ commands to stop and continuing even after being tazed.
Having said that, shooting an unarmed person is usually (though not always) excessive force. For example, if someone is on top of you slamming your head into a concrete sidewalk then shooting them isn’t excessive. However, that wasn’t the case here. So unless the officer thought he saw a weapon (which is possible since it was dark) I’m going to say he was in a high stress situation and responded inappropriately.
Also, calling the police when there’s a large guy banging on your door and won’t leave at 2:30 in the morning doesn’t seem unreasonable to me.
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It is like is said in my part of the woods were I grew up. See a fire call the police now we ask why you put on that grease.
Da Jokah you can never pass up a jib can you? We have no idea what happen good or bad. However, how about if you got in an accident you want help right away. I still think that Serve and Protect is such false advertising and should be something like Shoot, Kill, ask Questions later. So many countries ask why American police have to kill unarmed people. I mean a lot of people from many different countries always ask me if our police are so untrained they cannot handle and armed person.
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KoT
We have no idea what happen good or bad.
That’s right. We don’t. That’s why I left my comment open to other possibilities. Unlike the rest of your friends who immediately started caterwauling about racism. I was seriously lmao reading some of it.
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@DaJokah
Never seem to disappoint.
If this was the first time in history where a unarmed black male gets shot by the cops, then we can talk about not rushing to judgement & hold back on throwing out the race card.
Just like when I brought up those struggling Appalachian whites in Kentucky & you immediate provided context to why they are having a hard time making in society.
He have too many incidents historically, where black people were targeted, maimed, killed in the most barbaric of ways by whites or HONORARY whites (Zimmerman who can’t seem to just LAY LOW).
I have yet to hear of a similar story where someone’s white or near-white young son have been shot by the police or a guy like Zimmerman.
When white males interact with the cops, albeit violently, they seem to find a way to bring these menaces alive & with very little harm.
Even on the Boston Bombers, they found a way to leave him alive.
But Christopher Dorner, wasn’t so fortunate.
Smart people don’t get dumb overnight… Unless they have an agenda.
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adonis
He have too many incidents historically, where black people were targeted, maimed, killed in the most barbaric of ways by whites or HONORARY whites (Zimmerman who can’t seem to just LAY LOW).
Zimmerman was flat on his back having his head slammed into a concrete sidewalk at the time.
I have yet to hear of a similar story where someone’s white or near-white young son have been shot by the police
I have. The son of my uncle’s girlfriend was killed by police while standing unarmed on the front porch of his mother’s house. What’s more, my uncle was a retired officer and his girlfriend worked as a dispatcher for that very same police department. When you act crazy around the police then bad things happen.
Even on the Boston Bombers, they found a way to leave him alive.
One was killed and the other was in critical condition with multiple gunshots to the head, neck, legs and hand.
But Christopher Dorner, wasn’t so fortunate.
The autopsy showed Dorner was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot.
Smart people don’t get dumb overnight… Unless they have an agenda
You were never smart to start with. By all means, keep talking. You prove my case for me.
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Where on this blog, “racist” has become a cheap commodity, this horrible sad incident is blatent racism on display..the kind that is etched deep into societies head to feel threatened by an unarmed black man running towards you, so an officer shoots first and asks questions later
If white people cant look in the mirror on this one and admit the horrible truith, then I just dont blame the indignation and anger coming from many black Americans..
This definitly an incident that should provoke some serious introspection and asking somme hard questions
If zimmerman, who now is obviously a loose cannon, wasnt racist in the sence that he judged a person just how they were dressed, a cultural racism, Martin would be alive today
Its this cultural racism , deeply imbedded in many whites, that wil produce exactly this result, shoot first and ask questions later
Knocking on someones door late at night is foggy…I would be very defensive also
Its obvious, Ferral was in shock from his accident…who can walk around calmly and speak coherantly after a horrible accident? He was running for help…this is really sad
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@DaJokah
@daJokah
As far as that personal incident. Did it make the news? Link?
And the fact that you had to go PERSONAL, you cannot even pull of link of the top of your head of a random story where a unarmed white man was killed by police, and the family is suing the pants off that police dept.
What does that tell you @Jokah
I will concede to Chris Dorner, although that story has hoax written all over it. We have poor access to the story.
That is what was reported, but LAPD is notorious for corruption & cover ups.
So, for you to believe the story outright, face-value is a blatant display of your bigotry & racial bias.
Zimmerman was flat on his back having his head slammed into a concrete sidewalk at the time.
By whose account are you believing? Nobody can definitively prove that Zimmerman was fighting for his life & Trayvon was assaulting Zimmerman.
If you there when it happens, please enlighten us.
Zimmerman is expected go along with that fantasy. I could care less that he is free. He won’t be free for too long.
Those wounds are superficial & it is not out of the realm of reality, that those wound were self-inflicted, like they reported Chris Dorner.
The only definitive facts about the case, is that
– Zimmerman followed, stalked & comfronted Trayvon. Which he had no authority.
– Trayvon was where he was suppose to be. He was not trespassing.
– Zimmerman was free as a bird for over a month & didn’t get arrested until national protests ensued.
– Zimmerman up until this day has MULTIPLE accusations & incidents of violent interactions, & exercising poor judgement. That is on the record.
– Trayvon has been documented of being suspended for being late for school & smoking weed. If you know who his friends are, PLEASE show them us.
Because he is was the brute & savage that you imply him to be, than should reflect in the people he hung out with most of the time.
– The Jury showed clear bias in favor of Zimmerman (not only bias, but the Jury wasn’t sequestered properly)
So again, the only reason you would even support Zimmerman’s account without using sense, is if you are a bigot and harbor racial bias, but parading around as if you are objective.
Let us get into the Aaron Alexis story Abagond. I am geeked what to see what the right-winger will run with.
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adonis
What does that tell you @Jokah
It tells me there is a race-baiting industry to manufacture controversy when blacks are shot but not when whites are. Ya know, kind of like Abagond did here.
I will concede to Chris Dorner, although that story has hoax written all over it. We have poor access to the story.
We have poor access to the Ferrell story but it didn’t stop you. Not that it would matter. You scream conspiracy even when the autopsy report says self-inflicted.
By whose account are you believing? Nobody can definitively prove that Zimmerman was fighting for his life & Trayvon was assaulting Zimmerman.
Does the accused not have the right to plead his case? Of course, there’s physical evidence and eye-witness testimony to support his account. Not to mention that it’s not necessary to “definitively prove that Zimmerman was fighting for his life”. He only needs to show reasonable doubt.
So again, the only reason you would even support Zimmerman’s account without using sense, is if you are a bigot and harbor racial bias
Like I told sondis, you’re definition of a white racist is any white person who disagrees with a black racist.
Let us get into the Aaron Alexis story Abagond. I am geeked what to see what the right-winger will run with.
Actually, I’m chomping at the bit to hear what kind of conspiracy nonsense you guys will come up with. You do realize, however, the only reason Abagond wrote about Ferrell the day after Alexis was to deflect. It’s one of the biggest stories of the year — a mass shooting with 27 shot and 13 killed. And he writes about Ferrell. LOL
You guys have no idea how entertaining I find this blog. 🙂
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Knocking desperately on a door after an accident is not a crime; it is a natural thing to do when seeking urgent assistance. It is reasonable to accept that, after an accident, a person may not be thinking clearly enough to realise how an onlooker may misinterpret the situation.
It is also reasonable for a woman to be alarmed by insistent knocking by a person who may appear to be acting in an odd manner (as an accident victim might well do). Calling the police is not unreasonable.
The reports I have seen are pretty sketchy. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of info out there.
Beyond that it seems that things get unreasonable, and the question of racism comes into it. I have seen nothing to directly suggest that the woman’s concern was based on Mr Ferrell’s race, but it seems very likely that it had some bearing on how she perceived him. Like it or not, it is a fact that many white people would feel more threatened by an agitated black man than by an agitated white man. She may have called the police in either case, but might her report have been less melodramatic if he had been white? I don’t know, and I haven’t seen enough information to feel confident in judging her.
The police, on the other hand, seem to have been the criminals in this episode. An innocent man was shot 10 times. Even if he was approaching the officers in a random manner, at speed, if there was no suggestion of him having a gun why would it be necessary to shoot him at all? Can American police not subdue agitated suspects without shooting them?
The shooter, in my view, was not justified. His actions were criminal.
And the use of the word “vicious” to describe the way Mr Ferrell knocked at the door? That is both a stupid thing to say and a deliberately disingenuous attempt to sow a seed of justification.
Giving cops guns is asking for trouble. A lot of people who seek positions of uniformed authority do so for the wrong reasons, and are not fit people to hold those positions. In the UK our police are not routinely armed with guns, and they still manage to kill a surprising number of people – including innocent people.
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Wow, the persistence of some people to prove the guilt of a dead man. I still think the woman over reacted. If she had not reported an attempted robbery the police would not have come out there looking for a criminal.
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And if the police came out there looking for a car crash victim who needed help, they would have approached with less apprehension. They would not have tried to subdue him. I think the details that are missing are the identity of the woman and the recording of the call she made.
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Anne said:
Agreed. That recording could be enlightening.
Does anyone know policy regarding the publication of emergency call recordings? Is its release into the public domain guaranteed?
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Da Jokah,
It seems like the only one race-bating here is you.
Everyone,
Just being black in this country can be hazardous to your health. I’m not saying that being black is wrong, but that’s what a lot of people think to some degree. When they say it’s hard out there for a black man, it is no exaggeration. As you can see in cases like this, it can get you killed.
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Anne & Rick,
http://www.blackyouthproject.com/2013/09/911-call-that-led-to-fatal-shooting-released/
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brotherwolf
It seems like the only one race-bating here is you.
Speaking of race-baiting. I took the liberty of debunking YOUR race-baiting about church fires on the next post. ttfn
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@Brothawolf:
Thanks for that.
Here’s the audio:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiG-JMU8BbY)
Even before being asked for a description the woman says “He’s a black man/male” (Not sure whether she says man or male). The dispatcher had just asked “Have you seen this person”, he hadn’t asked for a description at that point.
In my opinion, that suggests that there is certainly a case to be argued that Mr Ferrell’s race was prominent in the woman’s mind.
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@wolf,
I saw that. Only proves my suspicion.
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[…] Jonathan Ferrell (1988-2013) was an unarmed black American man shot dead by the police. The Charlotte/Mecklenberg county police in North Carolina gunned him down in the early hours of Saturday, Sep… […]
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Yes, the woman’s emergency call recording would be very revealing.
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Can I ask why people continue to debate with white racist trolls? They show up on websites and blogs like this one to derail and disrupt conversation and to put their sociopathic contempt and hatred for black people on display, DO NOT FEED THEM. White males in particular love to use sarcastic, pseudo-intellectual word salads and non-logical personal opinion and pass it off as some kind of ‘truth’. They believe they are right and will ultimately ‘win’ the arguments that THEY start.
They are persons of ill-will, negativity, mean-spiritedness, hatred, and contempt. Deception and lying are second nature to them. They are NOT here to have conversations that might ultimately lead to any kind of understanding or insight because they have no interest in those things. Do not fall for their psychological trickery when they use made up terms like “race-baiting”, “the grievance industry”, the “race card”, the “victim card” and “black racists” etc. These are lies and deceptions that they hope will take root if they are repeated long enough and often enough.
You cannot reason with these people as if they are normal. They are not, so don’t waste your precious time trying.
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I think this cop was so untrained, so fearful that he would have shot any male black or white. I think the alarm company should be sued. Just listening to the 911 call makes me see how a blaring alarm can make a bad situation MUCH worse. Plus that lady was so confusing in her call, if she was so scared why didn’t she grab the baby and lock herself in the bathroom?
She was looking out the window, he’s in the yard, blah, blah, omg, no, no, whatever. She had no assessment, logic, or thinking skills.
Oh yeah lady, knock, knock, can I rob you? no, okay go ahead and close the door. I will just wait out here and try to figure out how to “break in”
It is just a bad situation. Mr Ferrell may have been in shock and not thinking straight. Because of the freaking alarm you cannot tell if he was really “banging viciously” on the door. If he was, that is not good. I doubt if he was. But he may have not been thinking well at all. What a mess.
People need a plan for if someone bangs on your door in the middle of the night. Your first thought is fear BUT they are at the door not crawling thru the window. Call 911 and just tell what is happening, nothing more, nothing less, just what is happening. DO NOT turn on a freaking blaring alarm that freaks out everybody within 2 miles.
no matter what color the cops are, no matter what color the big bad male, don’t make up a story in your head before you get to the scene,
I want them to release the video from the cop car.
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I posted a link to the audio from the emergency call, but the post is still in the moderation queue.
If you search “jonathan ferrell call” on YT it comes up on the first results page at the time of writing this.
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[…]viciously banging on the woman’s door[….]
– – –
LMBO….Apparently the cruel and very dangerous knocking wasn’t so unusual, however, that it stopped the woman from opening her front door in the wee hours of the morning figuring that it was her husband doing the depraved and evil knocking.
Or maybe the truth is that darling hubby was in the habit of going on the attack with the poor beleaguered door everytime he came home; and possibly that’s why she figured it must have been him….
Yeah. That makes sense.
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I would think if it was her husband then he would have a key.
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If the thought it was her husband I meant to say.
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I live in Charlotte . Johnathan was 5’11 150 pounds. On the video tape he has his hands raised . He clearly shows he is unarmed . He actually smiles when he comes into the police camera’s view from the car as if to to think I am safe . He was unaware of the 911 call where the lady said she was being robbed , he had kicked her door down and entered her home . So the police arrived looking for the savage brute beast she described and the police reacted . The media in Charlotte also has not reported he was injured from the accident .
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The policeman is being defended by a black lawyer. The prosecutor in the case use to work at the same law firm . Coincidence? Yeah right. The cop will walk because he feared for his life. Its the same tired excuse they use all the time . It should be 1st degree murder .
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Sharina writes:
“I would think if it was her husband then he would have a key.”
– – –
Yes. I thought about that too. Why doesn’t her husband have his own key? Why does he have to knock on the door at 2:30AM? The “I thought it was my husband” bit was probably an afterthought to explain why she’d respond to a knock at that time of the morning.by opening her door.
I will hazard a guess by stating that the knocking at her door might have been loud, but not so incessant or unusual as to cause her any degree of trepidation. She might even have opened the door thinking it was a neighbor. If someone pounds on MY door – regardless of the time of day – I’m not opening the door until I surmise who it is and exactly what it is he wants. If it turns out to be a stranger, then we’ll continue to conduct our conversation through the closed door.
Bottom line: I doubt the knocking at her door was in any way unusual. My feeling is that it was only after she opened the door and saw a Black men standing there that the situation, in her mind anyway, suddenly turned “vicious”.
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“Can I ask why people continue to debate with white racist trolls? They show up on websites and blogs like this one to derail and disrupt conversation and to put their sociopathic contempt and hatred for black people on display, DO NOT FEED THEM. White males in particular love to use sarcastic, pseudo-intellectual word salads and non-logical personal opinion and pass it off as some kind of ‘truth’.”
**************
Thank you, Pamela!
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@ Fiamma
That is about the same thing I was thinking. Either she is a liar or her husband comes home drunk as a skunk at 2:30 am and proceeds to kick her door down.
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@DaJokah
It would not be a racial issue if black & whites were equal across the board.
There are racial disparities on how cops deal with whites vs. blacks.
Race is an issue because white people who are the dominant group make it an issue.
Again, if Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, Amadu Diallo, Kenneth Chamberlain didn’t happen, and there were white men & teenagers that were unarmed getting shot also, then we can just chalk this up to police incompetence & malfeasance.
Only because of reputation.
LAPD has a history of DOCUMENTED corruption, cover up & RACIST practices. That is not up for debate, and it is very appropriate to bring that up when discussing the Chris Dorner or any other case involving black males.
Absolutely, and in that aspect, our justice system worked. I am not outraged that Zimmerman went free. Good for him. Live your life. Get your money
It is very telling how white identified people like yourself collectively support him & automatically believe his side of the story.
That reeks of bias
Nothing definitive. If you were there, or you have footage. Please show us!
Not a problem. I support the non-guilty verdict. I was not expecting anything more from a corrupt justice system.
Where is this black racism?
Are black people impeding anybody from getting a job?
Are black people killing anybody & there is a justice (support) system in place for them to consistently get acquitted?
Are there ANY laws on the books that specifically benefit black people at the exclusion of another group?
Are black people going out of their way to imprison another group strictly for profit for mostly non-violence offense?
Please @Jokah, you have the floor, educate us on black racism, and how it is holding you back as non-black person.
And I called you a bigot, not a racist, even though an argument can be made.
If you are in a position to systematically impede and/or oppress a particular group of people to enjoy the most basic of freedoms, rights & ability to acquire wealth. Than yes, you are a stone cold RACIST.
The worse SONDIS & I can be, are bigoted & prejudiced, which at the end of the day, is not keeping you as a non-black person, from living life freely & your rights & privileges are still intact.
“500 words a day on whatever I want” is the motto.
I am sorry that Aaron Alexis didn’t wait a week before he murdered people in cold blood. One post at a time.
I would be happy for him to write about it, but I am not pressed if he doesn’t.
Good Day
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@ Adonis
I don’t think da jokah has realized how entertaining we find him yet. Oh it is just too comical. LOL
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@Matari
You’re very welcome! Let’s just stick to whatever topic that Abagond has posted and not get sidetracked by devil’s imps like this “DaJokah” guy. I’ve been reading this blog only for a little while and I have seen how much of a distraction and disruption he and other white trolls are to intelligent conversation. DON’T FEED THE TROLLS!
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@Pamela
I am a troll debating a troll.
That being said, @Sharina took the words out of my mouth.
When debating trolls get boring. I stop & move on.
The thing is, you cannot debate a troll from a emotional standpoint. They will eat you alive.
Jokah picks out what he chooses to debate, and runs fast against the rest. Evidence is overwhelming in my favor
It is too hot in here, he is debating against heavyweights.
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@ Pamela: I wholeheartedly agree with your post.
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Speaking of race-baiting. I took the liberty of debunking YOUR race-baiting about church fires on the next post. ttfn
It’s funny how it’s referred as race baiting only when black people discuss black victims of violence.
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@Adonis and @mary burrell:
Thanks! I’m pretty sure you all have also seen how these racists have polluted and infected certain so-called black news websites. Some of them are simply name-calling mouth-breathers who come up with the most disgusting and sick ish imaginable, which proves every point I put forth in my original post. This ‘DaJokah’ character is the ‘intellectual’ type; the kind who fancies he has a ‘superior’ brain with superior reasoning skills and some unique ability to interpret facts and figures that we, of course, do not have. He, like the rest of them, think they are ultimately going to ‘win’ this endless argument about race and racism in this society, as if we are all in some kind of ‘stare down’ contest.
The blog post was about that poor man Jonathan Ferrell who lost his life because of another trigger-happy, racist white male cop. This incident, in my opinion, just provides further proof of what our ancestors knew and told their children: white males are dangerous and simply cannot be trusted, especially if they are wearing uniforms. But we’ll see how this incident plays out. I’d be willing to wager that the creep gets away with murder and his fellow racists will rally around to defend him.
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The cop who shot Ferrell, has a black lawyer go figure.
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@ Mary
That is because it is use to garner the sympathy of the jury. If they see a black lawyer then they can show it was not an act of racism. Legal battles are all about who can paint the better picture. The better liar. Every now an then you might get a decent one looking to do the right thing.
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@ Pamela
Their (trolls) tactics are played. Either way they will look to get some jab in and make a joke of everything, but personally I think the joke is on them.
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even more funny when they don’t know it.
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@sharina and @mary burrell
That cop’s lawyer must be living in some kind of post-racial bubble, imo. That or he’s the type who’ll do anything for a buck.
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@Pamela
True. I would have frankly told him he was on his own. 2 shots are perhaps justifiable for fear or something like that so I might give him that but 10…11 if you count the one that missed. That was over kill.
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@ Average Bee: Comment deleted for call to violence.
https://abagond.wordpress.com/comment-policy/
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@ Pamela
Excellent summary.
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Pamela said:
Um… well he is a lawyer.
Seriously, for several reasons I don’t see how a black person would feel comfortable defending a white person in a case like this. Firstly, this kind of case seems to be happening way too often – usually with the same outcome – and that can’t sit easy. Also, surely that lawyer can understand how many black people are going to react to an apparent sell-out. Lastly, and just as surely, the lawyer must be able to see that this kind of tokenism is, as Sharina observed, likely to be a calculated ploy in the hope of manipulating jury perception.
The lawyer quip above was partly tongue-in-cheek, but I guess some people really will do almost anything for money.
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Of topic… But I wish Aabond would do a post about debating styles of the regular trolls.
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@Anne
That would be quite interesting.
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@Adonis
There arguments are so weak that it is bot even funny. That is the sad part. I mean if they are going to throw out dumb sh*t at least try to some degree.
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Excuse the spelling errors and typos.
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@Abagond
Thanks. Love your blog. I’m new here and I’ve already learned so much.
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@Pamela
Also keep in mind, these bigots could be one someone’s payroll, aka agent provocateurs aka law enforcement.
And all this talk comes down to money. If black people can get organized for two minutes to figure out our issues & what need. It would call for a redistribution of wealth (reparations, Native Americans, Japanese, Jews all got).
And white people, as in the wrong as they are, they ain’t trying to pay nobody & CERTAINLY ain’t trying to give up that privileged status.
So, I know what time it is.
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@Pamela
For someone who is new you sure said a heck of a lot of stuff that was right on the money. I have to salute you on that one. 🙂
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@sharina
Thank you. I’m a constant reader who believes that the educational process never stops. I still have much to learn, but as you can see I have pretty strong views about racists.
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Read a piece in the “View Point” section of the local newspaper in my city. The piece was by blogger Tressie McMillan Cottom. It mentions how stereotypes have consequences. McMillan Cottom, tells about a book called “Whistling Vivaldi”, by social psychologist Claude Steel. The book talks about how stereotypes affect society and African Americans as a whole. The narrative of the book alludes to a friend of the author, whose physical presence terrified whites. I wonder if the presence of Jonathan Ferrell frightened this white woman, who panicked and called the police, who seeing Ferrell, a dark skinned, powerfully built ex-college football player. In “Whistling Vivaldi, the friend of the author, goes on to tell the story when he encounters whites, he whites a tune from the classicical music to reassure whites he is cultured. Maybe the stereotype of the black brute, came into play when Ferrell encountered the police. Who shot Ferrell to death. All of this gives me pause. It’s all quite thought provoking.
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I plan to order this book Whistling Vivaldi
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So the gist of all of this is that the white people were afraid of the big black man. That is the excuse they will use. So stereotypes do affect African Americans, whites do believe the negative stereotypes about black people.
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I just listened to the 911 tape and the woman was annoying. *sobs* omg omg, why did I open the door. he tried to kick the door down. He’s yelling.omg my child omg my husband has some guns here but idk where. are they here yet, oh plz hurry. Omg they leaving *sobs* I hope they get him. This lady let her fear of the big black man get in the way of at least asking through the door what was going on. I watch a show called I survived on the biography channel sometimes and it will be ppl that have been stabbed or shot and are bleeding and they go to someone’s house for help and some of the idiots won’t help or won’t open the door but at least some of them do call 911 for the person and ask what is wrong.
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Interesting comment, Mary.
Remembering back to the the Time magazine cover which featured a much darker skinned OJ Simpson as compared to his naturally medium brown-skinned self (link below), I too have considered that it is most probably the white woman’s own prejudices in regards to Ferrells racial appearance that ultimately lead to him being killed, rather than anything he himself supposedly said or did, as the accusations go.
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/photo_database/image/darkened_mug_shot/
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^ that is crazy they darkened the photo, I see darken the photo to make the bad ones look darker and lighten the good ones to make them appear lighter( india arie, beyonce, etc) yep more bs of trying to say darkness = bad and light/white= good. but then again this is what we are brainwashed into believing at the church too.
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[…] Jonathan Ferrell – car crash […]
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[…] Jonathan Ferrell (2013) – Charlotte police officer Randall Kerrick, white, charged with voluntary manslaughter. […]
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[…] Williams (New York, NY) 2013: Carlos Alcis (New York, NY) 2013: Deion Fludd (New York, NY) 2013: Jonathan Ferrell (Bradfield Farms, NC) 2013: Kimani Gray (New York, NY) 2013: Kyam Livingstone (New York, NY) 2013: […]
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Update: After the first grand jury refused to charge Officer Kerrick with a crime, the second one charged him with voluntary manslaughter. It went to trial. The jury was racially mixed, a victory in its own right. But the jury deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial. No word yet on whether prosecutors will try Kerrick again.
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Thanks for the update.
Any analysis of the hung jury? (ie, whites declaring him innocent)?
The death was not declared a homicide? Was the death then an accident if not manslaughter?
What principles were used (ie, rules or any precedent) to classify the killing of an unarmed person not in the process of committing any crime? If a civilian did it, would one not be charged with a crime also?
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[…] Williams (New York, NY) 2013: Carlos Alcis (New York, NY) 2013: Deion Fludd (New York, NY) 2013: Jonathan Ferrell (Bradfield Farms, NC) 2013: Kimani Gray (New York, NY) 2013: Kyam Livingstone (New York, NY) 2013: […]
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[…] Williams (New York, NY) 2013: Carlos Alcis (New York, NY) 2013: Deion Fludd (New York, NY) 2013: Jonathan Ferrell (Bradfield Farms, NC) 2013: Kimani Gray (New York, NY) 2013: Kyam Livingstone (New York, NY) 2013: […]
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[…] Williams (New York, NY) 2013: Carlos Alcis (New York, NY) 2013: Deion Fludd (New York, NY) 2013: Jonathan Ferrell (Bradfield Farms, NC) 2013: Kimani Gray (New York, NY) 2013: Kyam Livingstone (New York, NY) 2013: […]
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