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by smiths » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:08 am
by 8bitagent » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:17 am
by seemslikeadream » Thu Aug 14, 2014 8:29 am
Ferguson riots prompt hacker collective Anonymous to wage ‘Day of Rage’
By Lindsey Bever August 14 at 6:39 AM
Demonstrations, social media and talk shows swirled with anger aimed at both Michael Brown’s death and the violent protests that followed the shooting of the unarmed teen Saturday night
Aug. 13, 2014 Police officers work their way north on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo., clearing the road of people. Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP
The international hacker collective Anonymous deemed Thursday a “Day of Rage” following another night of mayhem in Ferguson, Mo., where authorities said police were dodging flying bottles and protesters were running from tear gas and smoke bombs.
Protesters chanting “We ain’t leaving until we have justice” were met Wednesday night with riot police and SWAT teams in armored vehicles, the New York Times reported. At least 10 people were taken away in handcuffs, according to KSDK-TV, reportedly including St. Louis Alderman Antonio French, who was arrested and charged with unlawful assembly. Tworeporters, Wesley Lowery from The Washington Post and Ryan Reilly from Huffington Post, said they were detained. And, hours later, Anonymous released a video describing the night’s riots and calling people to act:
‘The police began preemptively striking the protesters with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs. We’ve seen journalists assaulted and arrested, targeted by tear gas and rubber bullets and told to turn off their cameras and move away or be subject to arrest. We witnessed as police threatened demonstrators to disperse and return to their homes then subsequently firing teargas in people’s own yards,’ a computerized voice announced over bagpipes. ‘Anonymous plans to assist with protests by leaving our keyboards and going on the ground with the people.’
In the video, a voice urged demonstrators to assemble Thursday in cities from Chicago to Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in protest of the police-involved shooting of the unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.
As the ongoing protest marked its fourth night, President Obama was briefed on the situation and Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) released a statement calling the Ferguson violence “deeply troubling.”
The statement said:
The worsening situation in Ferguson is deeply troubling, and does not represent who we are as Missourians or as Americans. While we all respect the solemn responsibility of our law enforcement officers to protect the public, we must also safeguard the rights of Missourians to peaceably assemble and the rights of the press to report on matters of public concern.
I have been closely monitoring the situation and will continue to be in communication with local leaders, and I will be in north St. Louis County tomorrow. As Governor, I am committed to ensuring the pain of last weekend’s tragedy does not continue to be compounded by this ongoing crisis. Once again, I ask that members of the community demonstrate patience and calm while the investigation continues, and I urge law enforcement agencies to keep the peace and respect the rights of residents and the press during this difficult time.
Earlier in the day on Wednesday, Anonymous released the alleged 911 audio from moments following the shooting that killed Brown. In the audio, someone identified as a county police dispatcher indicated Ferguson police were unaware one of their officers had been involved. County police did not respond to a request for comment.
Brown, 18, was shot and killed by an officer who has not been identified.
Anthony Gray, Brown’s family attorney, told KSDK-TV that the teen’s body has been released to family members. The county medical examiner said he died of gunshot wounds, but authorities are not releasing further information until toxicology tests can be completed, the station reported Wednesday night. Brown’s family is reportedly planning to hire someone to complete a second autopsy.
by stefano » Thu Aug 14, 2014 8:37 am
The Huffington Post's Ryan J. Reilly was arrested Wednesday while covering the protests in Ferguson, Missouri surrounding the death of unarmed African American teenager Michael Brown, who was shot to death by a police officer last week.
Reilly tweeted at around 8:00 P.M. EDT that SWAT officers invaded the McDonald's at which he was working, requesting his identification after he took a photo of them. The Washington Post's Wesley Lowery was also working at the fast food restaurant.
by Project Willow » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:02 pm
by seemslikeadream » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:16 pm
St. Louis County Police to Be Removed From Ferguson: Clay
By Jonathan Allen and Toluse Olorunnipa Aug 14, 2014 10:47 AM CT
Police stand watch on Aug. 13, 2014 as demonstrators protest the shooting death of... Read More
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon will announce that St. Louis County law enforcement will be relieved of duty in Ferguson, which has been roiled by protests after the shooting death by police of an unarmed teenager, according to Representative William Lacy Clay.
“The governor just called me, and he’s on his way to St. Louis now to announce he’s taking away St. Louis County police out of the situation,” Clay, a Missouri Democrat, said in a telephone interview. He added that Nixon may ask the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to step in.
Clay said that he has been urging U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to “take over the entire situation because we will not get justice for Michael Brown and his family and friends if the St. Louis County police and prosecutor have a say.”
by elfismiles » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:17 pm
8bitagent » 14 Aug 2014 04:17 wrote:where's the damn right wing tea party gun nuts racing to Fergusson like they were the Bundy ranch?
by Luther Blissett » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:22 pm
by seemslikeadream » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:25 pm
by elfismiles » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:28 pm
by elfismiles » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:35 pm
Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police
Police Shooting Missouri
Police in riot gear watch protesters in Ferguson, Mo. on Aug. 13, 2014. Jeff Roberson—AP
Anyone who thinks that race does not skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention. And the root of the problem is big government.
If I had been told to get out of the street as a teenager, there would have been a distinct possibility that I might have smarted off. But, I wouldn’t have expected to be shot.
The outrage in Ferguson is understandable—though there is never an excuse for rioting or looting. There is a legitimate role for the police to keep the peace, but there should be a difference between a police response and a military response.
The images and scenes we continue to see in Ferguson resemble war more than traditional police action.
Glenn Reynolds, in Popular Mechanics, recognized the increasing militarization of the police five years ago. In 2009 he wrote:
“
Soldiers and police are supposed to be different. … Police look inward. They’re supposed to protect their fellow citizens from criminals, and to maintain order with a minimum of force.
It’s the difference between Audie Murphy and Andy Griffith. But nowadays, police are looking, and acting, more like soldiers than cops, with bad consequences. And those who suffer the consequences are usually innocent civilians.
The Cato Institute’s Walter Olson observed this week how the rising militarization of law enforcement is currently playing out in Ferguson:
“
Why armored vehicles in a Midwestern inner suburb? Why would cops wear camouflage gear against a terrain patterned by convenience stores and beauty parlors? Why are the authorities in Ferguson, Mo. so given to quasi-martial crowd control methods (such as bans on walking on the street) and, per the reporting of Riverfront Times, the firing of tear gas at people in their own yards? (“‘This my property!’ he shouted, prompting police to fire a tear gas canister directly at his face.”) Why would someone identifying himself as an 82nd Airborne Army veteran, observing the Ferguson police scene, comment that “We rolled lighter than that in an actual warzone”?
Olson added, “the dominant visual aspect of the story, however, has been the sight of overpowering police forces confronting unarmed protesters who are seen waving signs or just their hands.”
How did this happen?
Most police officers are good cops and good people. It is an unquestionably difficult job, especially in the current circumstances.
There is a systemic problem with today’s law enforcement.
Not surprisingly, big government has been at the heart of the problem. Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies—where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement.
This is usually done in the name of fighting the war on drugs or terrorism. The Heritage Foundation’s Evan Bernick wrote in 2013 that, “the Department of Homeland Security has handed out anti-terrorism grants to cities and towns across the country, enabling them to buy armored vehicles, guns, armor, aircraft, and other equipment.”
Bernick continued, “federal agencies of all stripes, as well as local police departments in towns with populations less than 14,000, come equipped with SWAT teams and heavy artillery.”
Bernick noted the cartoonish imbalance between the equipment some police departments possess and the constituents they serve, “today, Bossier Parish, Louisiana, has a .50 caliber gun mounted on an armored vehicle. The Pentagon gives away millions of pieces of military equipment to police departments across the country—tanks included.”
When you couple this militarization of law enforcement with an erosion of civil liberties and due process that allows the police to become judge and jury—national security letters, no-knock searches, broad general warrants, pre-conviction forfeiture—we begin to have a very serious problem on our hands.
Given these developments, it is almost impossible for many Americans not to feel like their government is targeting them. Given the racial disparities in our criminal justice system, it is impossible for African-Americans not to feel like their government is particularly targeting them.
This is part of the anguish we are seeing in the tragic events outside of St. Louis, Missouri. It is what the citizens of Ferguson feel when there is an unfortunate and heartbreaking shooting like the incident with Michael Brown.
Anyone who thinks that race does not still, even if inadvertently, skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention. Our prisons are full of black and brown men and women who are serving inappropriately long and harsh sentences for non-violent mistakes in their youth.
The militarization of our law enforcement is due to an unprecedented expansion of government power in this realm. It is one thing for federal officials to work in conjunction with local authorities to reduce or solve crime. It is quite another for them to subsidize it.
Americans must never sacrifice their liberty for an illusive and dangerous, or false, security. This has been a cause I have championed for years, and one that is at a near-crisis point in our country.
Let us continue to pray for Michael Brown’s family, the people of Ferguson, police, and citizens alike.
Paul is the junior U.S. Senator for Kentucky.
http://time.com/3111474/rand-paul-ferguson-police/
by seemslikeadream » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:38 pm
by seemslikeadream » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:45 pm
by Luther Blissett » Thu Aug 14, 2014 1:25 pm
by seemslikeadream » Thu Aug 14, 2014 1:29 pm
Ferguson police deny Anonymous' ID of alleged shooter
By Jose Pagliery @Jose_Pagliery August 14, 2014: 12:57 PM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
The St. Louis County Police Department said the hacking group Anonymous has identified the wrong shooter of unarmed teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.
Thursday morning, Anonymous released the name of the man it believes to be the police officer who shot and killed Brown over the weekend. A tit-for-tat is now underway, with hackers on one side and police on the other.
Brown's death has sparked protests in the city since his death Saturday. The city police department had refused to disclose the name of the officer, citing fears of retribution by an angry public.
In a brazen act of protest, vigilantes claiming to be members of Anonymous gave the Ferguson police department an ultimatum: Release the name or we will.
The "Operation Ferguson" group went through with its promise Thursday morning, publishing a man's name, his photograph and his conversation with a friend on Facebook.
Related story: Witnesses to Michael Brown's shooting detail his last minutes
In its typical fashion, Anonymous has been waging a digital battle on Twitter. It started with demands for the officer's name. Then the group hacked the police department's computers and obtained audio files of police dispatches.
County police responded to Anonymous on Twitter, denying that the man works for St. Louis County or Ferguson police. The department refused to identify the actual shooter and asked the group to halt its campaign.
"Do not release more info on this random citizen," the department said. "We only release suspect information after the investigation is complete and charges have been issued."
CNN is not disclosing the man's name until it can confirm he is indeed the officer who shot and killed Brown.
In the past, Anonymous hackers have seized data that is unreliable and relatively easy to obtain, casting initial doubts on authenticity.
Retweeted by Operation Ferguson
☭ ישי בן-אברהם ☭ @SFTovarishch · 24m
#BREAKING NYC looters continue to defy rule of law, steal billions, leave thousands homeless. No arrests. #Ferguson
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