Posted on 11/30/2014 11:56:37 AM PST by Veggie Todd
A few days after Saints tight end Benjamin Watson wrote a moving post about Ferguson and all that's happened there since the shooting death of Michael Brown, a few Rams players gave their own tribute Sunday.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbssports.com ...
Hands down, Brown is in the ground.
I missed the game. Was there any fan reaction? Or could you even tell?
I don’t either.
From TV it was your typical Iron Bowl. TV doesn’t do it justice. I always tell. Y friends in the Southwest they need to be there in person to experience the atmosphere.
Disregard that last message I thought I was posting to anther thread
Thanks for posting this witness statement.
It does seem that Michael Brown was running out of steam. He was, up to his turning around, bleeding badly from his right thumb wound (this type of wound is notorious for high blood loss - some people will pass out within a few seconds after such a wound). He was also partially (at least) under some drug influence. His run away from the police SUV has been described as anything but running - rather, he was not well-coordinated at it nor moving rapidly.
Since leaving the immedate locale of the police SUV, Police Officer Darren Wilson had been trying to do his duty: Stop and apprehend Michael Brown. Police Officer Darren Wilson had yelled at least twice, for Michael Brown to Stop and Get Down!
After the first 2 shots fired in the vicinity of the SUV, and up to the last 4 shots fired by Police Officer Darren Wilson, among all the other shots fired, the shots that struck Michael Brown were winging Michael Brown. Whether Darren Wilson is such a good shot or not, these shots make an argument for Darren Wilson trying to get Michael Brown to just plain stop.
Among the witness statements, are observations that Michael Brown extended his arms out to his sides, probably just after a shot by Police Officer Darren Wilson, that grazed Michael Brown’s (inside) right arm just above the elbow. It’s a particularly sensitive area that often gets a person’s attention, and it probably got Michael Brown’s attention, finally, causing Michael Brown to initiate his turn about with arms out and saying “Okay. Okay” (at least twice).
Michael Brown apparently attempted to use his un-wounded hand - to support himself at a point in this turn, and that hand may have momentarily touched the ground.
As he came around in his turn, Michael Brown was unable to maintain his footing while he raised his hands the 1 to 2 seconds (the witness you cite), during which time his palms were toward Police Officer Darren Wilson.
But *that* did not last.
Michael Brown, losing power and self-control and probably some concious-ness, also lost control over his countenance -— which happens to people on the verge of exhaustion.
Michael Brown’s face became contorted (and *that* alarmed Police Officer Darren Wilson). Michael Brown began to stumble in the direction of the police SUV, and his hands changed posture from palms forward ... to fists ... and then his left arm dropped (more steam lost), and his left hand snagged his waistband.
Police Officer Darren Wilson appeared to some witnesses, to back up a little, but this witness whom you cite says that Police Officer Darren Wilson side-stepped. The empty .40 cal casings on the lawn, support that.
At the moment of Michael Brown’s losing self-composure, at the tail-end of his turning around to face the direction from which he’d sort-of run, Michael Brown did not then apparently have the energy left to do, other than the arm and hand movements, anything more than an effort to get his feet under him -— his center of gravity was too far ahead of his feet, and he was, it seems, on his way down.
When, given everything that Police Officer Darren Wilson had been thru, one may theorize then, and there, was a split-second for Darren Wilson’s mind to determine: Is Michael Brown in control of his faculties or not? Darren Wilson might have taken a greater risk, by stepping further to the side, in order to see if Michael Brown was making a crash landing or actually headed for Darren Wilson?
It’s a timeframe too short and too late, when Police Officer Darren Wilson has a duty to -— after all that had transpired -— to both, stop Michael Brown and defend himself.
It would be rare and super-human, for an individual to be able to detect that at the last, Michael Brown’s momentum toward the ground, was not directed at Darren Wilson ... but at the ground.
It would be rare and super-human, for Police Officer Darren Wilson to be able to detect Michael Brown’s intention to stop *despite* Michael Brown’s loss of self-control.
How was Darren Wilson supposed to sense that Michael Brown had finally taken a decision to comply ... but actually could not because of draining “battery power?”
After the fact, yeah, Police Officer Darren Wilson could have stepped further to the side and “just let things happen.” Oh, look, Michael Brown just crash landed ... but, there was not, at the end of Michael Brown’s motions, enough to support Michael Brown’s intention to surrender -— his brief 1 to 2 seconds of arms up, palms out toward the SUV, had failed and devolved into another formation like fists preparing to crash to the ground, and then his left arm fell and its hand snagged his waistband.
In the residue of events at the police SUV, where Police Officer Darren Wilson certainly had reason to defend himself, and those events were fresh -— not a quarter mile away nor 10 minutes back in time -— the very last, tragic countenance, motions, and posture of Michael Brown, could not safely be determined to be a compelling act of surrender.
Police Officer Darren Wilson did his duty in accordance with his training.
“And this is why I no longer watch professional sports.”
I quit watching baseball , football and basketball when the millionaires went on strike. Needless to say dont do soccer just because it sucks. ESPN gets blocked on all my receivers.
Haven’t seen a Superbowl since Vince Ferragamo vintage Rams went.
Sorts is the opiate of the masses and is controlled and populated by liberals.
Dont miss it either.
Their very own water boy!
Does this means that the NFL still is against Domestic Violence but condones violence against domestic shopkeepers?
Don’t spank you kids but it’s alright to abuse a Clerk at the store.
My God! You support football players doing a Nazi salute?!?
as you see fit...however, the VAST majority of these sports figures are the epitome of what we expect of people who seek to achieve success...unrelenting hard work, sacrifice that neither you nor I would even consider, talent beyond all belief, and for the most part are responsible, sucessful family men/women....don't judge hundreds by the actions of a VERY few....
agree with you. Time wasted on sports is time we will never get back.
NFL football is a total loss.
Growing up, my Dad insisted I have a crew cut. Finally, one day, a stroke of genius struck me.
“Dad”, I said, “even Johnny Unitas doesn’t have a crew cut any more!”
My Dad stared at me, sighed, and gave me permission to grow my hair out - provided it wasn’t any longer than Unitas’s. I figure I owe Johnny U a long delayed thanks. ;>)
Bit of a mixed message, eh?
Yet another reason that the National Felons League is on its fifth year of no longer disturbing my Sunday afternoons.
It’s the Holier than thou hypocritical attitude from the people who do moan about it while professing to be pure as snow that is irritating.
But like you said, do whatever you want.
We are all entitled to our opinion, but...
It all depends on your definition of VAST...
.. . but for me, even a large minority, say 40% is embarrassing and disgraceful, and causes me to suspect your judgment.
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