Police in Ferguson, Missouri, committed human rights abuses as they sought to quell mostly peaceful protests that erupted after an officer killed an unarmed black teenager, an international human rights organization said in a report released on Friday.
The Amnesty International report said law enforcement officers should be investigated by U.S. authorities for the abuses, which occurred during weeks of racially charged protests that erupted after white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown, 18, on Aug. 9.
The use by law enforcement of rubber bullets, tear gas and heavy military equipment and restrictions placed on peaceful protesters all violated international standards, the group said.
Amnesty said it sent a delegation to Ferguson from Aug. 14-22 to monitor the situation.
When asked about the allegations, Brian Schellman, a spokesman for the St. Louis County Police Department, which helped oversee law enforcement operations in Ferguson, said police “had one mission, and that was the preservation of life.”
The report also criticizes a Missouri law that the group said may be unconstitutional because it allows police to use deadly force against someone even if there is no imminent threat of harm.
The report calls on state lawmakers to make Missouri law comply with international standards making lethal force by police a last resort, said Rachel Ward, director of research at Amnesty International.
“Lethal force is only to be used to protect life when there is an immediate threat,” Ward said. “The Missouri statute goes far beyond that. It is of grave concern.”
https://twitter.com/akacharleswade/status/526784341675094016
https://twitter.com/akacharleswade/status/526764532384157697
So, the cops ORDERED Amnesty International to leave…….sounds like Nazi’s at work to me.
How the hell do you get away with that ?? Like AI is a violent group ??
Hi Racer, they’re backwoods ignorant. I’ve never seen anything like this..live and in living color right on my tv, armored vehicles, tear gas, mace, dogs and snipers aiming down on citizens for protesting. Just unbelievable.
Democracy Now
Headlines October 23, 2014
“O22” Protests Against Police Brutality Held in Over 80 Cities
Protests against police brutality were held Wednesday in Ferguson, Missouri, and more than 80 other cities across the country. New York City residents joined the National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation.
Danette Chavis: “My name is Danette Chavis. I’m the mother of Gregory Chavis, who lost his life at the hands of NYPD in October 2004. I am convinced that nothing will change concerning this action until it is brought to the highest levels in government. We need nationwide action. We need the U.S. attorney general of the Department of Justice to deal with the issue of police brutality once and for all. Thousands of people are being murdered whose cases we know nothing about because they don’t have the ability to have their tragedy highlighted in the media.”
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/10/23/headlines#102310
A lot of folks are thinking this way, myself included. I do not believe that the DOJ would lose a civil rights case against Darren Wilson. The folks in Ferguson who have put their bodies on the front lines deserve this, not to mention the family of Michael Brown and the victim himself. It is good to see that Amnesty International is paying attention. These state sanctioned cop murders of young black men are human rights abuses and they should be presented to the entire world for what they are.
Didn’t the Nazi party start like this ??
Well racer, lets think about that.
Hmmmmmmm? the Nazi’s did start like this, but they were far more hateful of the Jews, who as we all know are so destructive of a society that the Nazi’s had to wipe them out.
Not the Nazi’s started killing Jew’s one at a time with impunity, then they had to escalate the killings and keep anyone in the outside world from finding.
You mean, they didn’t want any witnesses ?
Sure racer, that’s how bullies and thugs work in part. You eliminate the witnesses so nobody can contest the story.
Ohhhh, kind of like FogenPhoole.
Exactly, that’s what Wilson did, he never suspected that anyone saw what happened. He though he could just execute the witness, but like all idiots, he even forgot about Dorian Johnson in his anger.
Well, that sure makes sense, well, none of this makes actual sense, but it is a real explanation.
And they ordered Amnesty International to leave. First time ever. The cops escalated this situation which obviously had been bubbling just under the surface. The National Guard 5 star General ( sorry forgot his name) who quieted New Orleans offered to come to advise them. They turned down his request. He said ” the people should be given a shaded area, a mic, water and allowed to scream and protest for as long as they need. He was able to bring a much worse situation under control yet the Ferguson police refused Amnesty International’s ( they are experts) help and the 5 star National Guard General who was able to quiet a much worse situation following Katrina.
I am sure it has been horrific for the business and citizens ( referring to a comment) as any protest of this magnitude would be mostly unbearable. But nothing happens in a vacuum. This didn’t explode because of one dead AA teen left in the street. It was the final match to years of injustice and racial profiling unabated and systemic. Further ensured by the incredibly stupid remarks of the mayor, ” we don’t have a race problem in Ferguson” and the police Chief. Stupid to the point of parody. And the introduction of program 1013, surplus tanks , army camouflage fatigues, old tear gas. Were they in Baghdad? The army fatigues provided a bit of comic relief. If they really hoped to camouflage themselves in a small poor town, dressed in Walmart uniforms or Dollar Store clothing would have made more sense.;-)
Well, now there is this little thing called smart phones and twitter. It set off Arab Spring, which sadly didn’t continue. But that was ONE vegetable vendor who set himself on fire in protest of having to pay off the corrupt govt. Or be shut down. The pay to sell had been ongoing for years but ignited worldwide due to one smart phone video and twitter.
If smart phones had been prevalent when Trayvon was murdered, murderer would not have had a chance to get off.
I really don’t believe an indictment will be returned and this is a really bad cop, fired from the disbanded Jenson PD and was not one of the two hired back. We saw how tubs was embolden by his not guilty verdict and this is him but with an actual badge and license to shoot.
Here is Gov. Phone number to call to ask him to stop profiling, stop leaks and arrest Wilson.1- 573 751-3223.
There may not be any indictment but this protest has lasted longer than any this Deep South white grandmother has seen in her long life. The outrageous profiling will at least curtail. My favorite quote from
Snowden: ” technology is the great equalizer ”
Doctors had to adjust to patient’s searching internet.
Law enforcement better realize they are being videoed by someone.
Thank you for your blog!
2 dogs,
Thank you for stopping by to drop knowledge on us. Pls keep it coming.
Of course they committed abuses. It’s obvious. Anyone with eyes can see the abuses that they heaped upon Citzens of the United States. It was in living color on our tv screens
While –>@CNN<–was lying about protesters, Amnesty International was witnessing old people & little kids fighting the effects of tear gas. It was horrible. It will be embedded in my mind forever.