Excessive Force, Excessive Deceit: The Final Nail in the 'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' rhetoric

[TemplarKormac]

The Washington Post fact checked the "Hands up, don't shoot" rhetoric from top to bottom and found it patently false.

It then proceeded to track the origins to people who for one reason or another lazily chose to believe it, or simply chose to repeat what they heard from their friends, members in their community or social media. Others still felt pressured to stick to the false narrative. That is until the DOJ report was released nearly three weeks ago:

Some witnesses who claimed they saw Brown’s hands raised had testimonies that were inconsistent with physical and forensic evidence. Some admitted to federal investigators they felt pressured to retell the narrative that was being spread after Brown’s shooting. Others recanted their initial testimonies saying they had heard it through media reports or via social media. A few witnesses said Brown had his hands out to his side with his palms up, as if saying “What?” Others said Brown’s hands were not raised, as he was charging at Wilson. A few said Brown’s hands were “balled up.”

Investigators narrowed down the “hands up” claim to a witness – Witness 128 – who had told his family and neighbors his inaccurate version of events as crowds gathered minutes and hours after the shooting, the report says. Another witness could not confirm what she saw because of her poor vision, but she heard a man running around the apartments along the street where Wilson shot Brown. The man was saying something to the effect of, “The police shot my friend and his hands were up.” The witness said that “quickly became the narrative on the street, and to her frustration, people used it both as an excuse to riot and to create a ‘block party’ atmosphere.”

A key passage from the report:

Investigators tracked down several individuals who, via the aforementioned media, claimed to have witnessed Wilson shooting Brown as Brown held his hands up in clear surrender. All of these purported witnesses, upon being interviewed by law enforcement, acknowledged that they did not actually witness the shooting, but rather repeated what others told them in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. … Witness accounts suggesting that Brown was standing still with his hands raised in an unambiguous signal of surrender when Wilson shot Brown are inconsistent with the physical evidence, are otherwise not credible because of internal inconsistencies, or are not credible because of inconsistencies with other credible evidence. In contrast, Wilson’s account of Brown’s actions, if true, would establish that the shootings were not objectively unreasonable under the relevant Constitutional standards governing an officer’s use of deadly force.

The rhetoric then permeated to Washington, where members of the Congressional Black Caucus made the now infamous and misleading gesture with their hands in the air, both on the House Floor and on the steps of the Capitol Building:

However, if that weren't enough, the liberal media chose to further the lie when members of a panel on CNN made the gesture in a live broadcast. Other media outlets such as MSNBC chose to perpetuate the lie in the same manner:

Then preceding a football game in November of last year, St. Louis Rams players Stedman Bailey, Jared Cook, Chris Givens, Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin came out of the tunnel making the same gesture in solidarity with Micheal Brown with their hands up in the air:

Using facts and the DOJ report, the WaPo finally puts this myth to bed once and for all:

The Pinocchio Test
Catchy phrases like “Hands up, don’t shoot,” “Black lives matter,” “an unarmed black person is killed every 28 hours” (which we have fact checked) have resulted from protests over the deaths of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner. They are emotional messages spread easily, like the “We are 99 percent” mantra of Occupy Wall Street.

We care about facts, how they’re used and the context in which the facts are portrayed. In this case, it is important for us to note that the initial “Hands up, don’t shoot” chant after Brown’s shooting has evolved into a message that is no longer connected solely to the Ferguson event. A series of other fatal shootings by police occurred following Brown’s death, and the “Hands up, don’t shoot” came to symbolize the need to hold law enforcement accountable. And the DOJ report on Ferguson Police Department confirmed the agency systemically profiled black residents.

But we also care about setting the record straight. Investigators have overwhelmingly rejected witness accounts that Brown had his hands up in a surrender before being shot execution-style. The DOJ has concluded Wilson did not know whether Brown was armed, acted out of self-defense and was justified in killing Brown. The majority of witnesses told federal investigators that the initial claims that Brown’s hands were up were not accurate. “Hands up, don’t shoot” did not happen in Brown’s killing, and it is a characterization that deserves Four Pinocchios. Politicians should step carefully if they try to highlight this expression in the future.

Hands up don t shoot did not happen in Ferguson - The Washington Post

 

[SassyIrishLass]

I'm weary of all this nonsense about race, Ferguson, Don't Shoot, etc. I suspect America is getting tired of it also

 

[TemplarKormac]

I'm weary of all this nonsense about race, Ferguson, Don't Shoot, etc. I suspect America is getting tired of it also

I agree. But I intend on not letting those who bought in to it live it down.

 

[TemplarKormac]

I just thought of something:

This thread may not get a lot of responses. I should know better.

Heh.

 

[LoneLaugher]

I'll give you a response. You won't be able to grasp it...but here it is.

The idea for people chanting "hands up, don't shoot" in Ferguson and elsewhere came from a bit of misinformation regarding how Michael Brown was dispatched by a frightened authority figure.

It turns out that there is no evidence that Brown had is hands up in the air as he was shot 6 times and killed.

To a simpleton like you, this fact is exoneration for Officer Wilson and represents some kind of weird victory of conscience.

The passion and purpose behind the protests are not lessened in any way by the recognition that Brown did not have his hands up. Not even a little. The image of a black man with his arms raised as a law enforcement officer points a gun at him serves the purpose just fine. It brings the issue of unarmed black men being killed by police officers to the masses in a neat little bumper sticker phrase.

You can expect to see it again the next time this shit happens. It's now part of the lexicon. And it carries meaning.

Ya dumb fuck.

 

[Antares]

I'll give you a response. You won't be able to grasp it...but here it is.

The idea for people chanting "hands up, don't shoot" in Ferguson and elsewhere came from a bit of misinformation regarding how Michael Brown was dispatched by a frightened authority figure.

It turns out that there is no evidence that Brown had is hands up in the air as he was shot 6 times and killed.

To a simpleton like you, this fact is exoneration for Officer Wilson and represents some kind of weird victory of conscience.

The passion and purpose behind the protests are not lessened in any way by the recognition that Brown did not have his hands up. Not even a little. The image of a black man with his arms raised as a law enforcement officer points a gun at him serves the purpose just fine. It brings the issue of unarmed black men being killed by police officers to the masses in a neat little bumper sticker phrase.

You can expect to see it again the next time this shit happens. It's now part of the lexicon. And it carries meaning.

Ya dumb fuck.

Really?

Are you a disaffected black man?

Brown died because he was a thug who violently tried to get his way.

That'sit, there is nothing more to talk about.

 

[Roadrunner]

The Washington Post fact checked the "Hands up, don't shoot" rhetoric from top to bottom and found it patently false.

It then proceeded to track the origins to people who for one reason or another lazily chose to believe it, or simply chose to repeat what they heard from their friends, members in their community or social media. Others still felt pressured to stick to the false narrative. That is until the DOJ report was released nearly three weeks ago:

Some witnesses who claimed they saw Brown’s hands raised had testimonies that were inconsistent with physical and forensic evidence. Some admitted to federal investigators they felt pressured to retell the narrative that was being spread after Brown’s shooting. Others recanted their initial testimonies saying they had heard it through media reports or via social media. A few witnesses said Brown had his hands out to his side with his palms up, as if saying “What?” Others said Brown’s hands were not raised, as he was charging at Wilson. A few said Brown’s hands were “balled up.”

Investigators narrowed down the “hands up” claim to a witness – Witness 128 – who had told his family and neighbors his inaccurate version of events as crowds gathered minutes and hours after the shooting, the report says. Another witness could not confirm what she saw because of her poor vision, but she heard a man running around the apartments along the street where Wilson shot Brown. The man was saying something to the effect of, “The police shot my friend and his hands were up.” The witness said that “quickly became the narrative on the street, and to her frustration, people used it both as an excuse to riot and to create a ‘block party’ atmosphere.”

A key passage from the report:

Investigators tracked down several individuals who, via the aforementioned media, claimed to have witnessed Wilson shooting Brown as Brown held his hands up in clear surrender. All of these purported witnesses, upon being interviewed by law enforcement, acknowledged that they did not actually witness the shooting, but rather repeated what others told them in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. … Witness accounts suggesting that Brown was standing still with his hands raised in an unambiguous signal of surrender when Wilson shot Brown are inconsistent with the physical evidence, are otherwise not credible because of internal inconsistencies, or are not credible because of inconsistencies with other credible evidence. In contrast, Wilson’s account of Brown’s actions, if true, would establish that the shootings were not objectively unreasonable under the relevant Constitutional standards governing an officer’s use of deadly force.

The rhetoric then permeated to Washington, where members of the Congressional Black Caucus made the now infamous and misleading gesture with their hands in the air, both on the House Floor and on the steps of the Capitol Building:

However, if that weren't enough, the liberal media chose to further the lie when members of a panel on CNN made the gesture in a live broadcast. Other media outlets such as MSNBC chose to perpetuate the lie in the same manner:

Then preceding a football game in November of last year, St. Louis Rams players Stedman Bailey, Jared Cook, Chris Givens, Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin came out of the tunnel making the same gesture in solidarity with Micheal Brown with their hands up in the air.

Using facts and the DOJ report, the WaPo finally puts this myth to bed once and for all:

The Pinocchio Test
Catchy phrases like “Hands up, don’t shoot,” “Black lives matter,” “an unarmed black person is killed every 28 hours” (which we have fact checked) have resulted from protests over the deaths of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner. They are emotional messages spread easily, like the “We are 99 percent” mantra of Occupy Wall Street.

We care about facts, how they’re used and the context in which the facts are portrayed. In this case, it is important for us to note that the initial “Hands up, don’t shoot” chant after Brown’s shooting has evolved into a message that is no longer connected solely to the Ferguson event. A series of other fatal shootings by police occurred following Brown’s death, and the “Hands up, don’t shoot” came to symbolize the need to hold law enforcement accountable. And the DOJ report on Ferguson Police Department confirmed the agency systemically profiled black residents.

But we also care about setting the record straight. Investigators have overwhelmingly rejected witness accounts that Brown had his hands up in a surrender before being shot execution-style. The DOJ has concluded Wilson did not know whether Brown was armed, acted out of self-defense and was justified in killing Brown. The majority of witnesses told federal investigators that the initial claims that Brown’s hands were up were not accurate. “Hands up, don’t shoot” did not happen in Brown’s killing, and it is a characterization that deserves Four Pinocchios. Politicians should step carefully if they try to highlight this expression in the future.

Hands up don t shoot did not happen in Ferguson - The Washington Post

I'll never spend a cent on anything NFL after that.

 

[Roadrunner]

I'll give you a response. You won't be able to grasp it...but here it is.

The idea for people chanting "hands up, don't shoot" in Ferguson and elsewhere came from a bit of misinformation regarding how Michael Brown was dispatched by a frightened authority figure.

It turns out that there is no evidence that Brown had is hands up in the air as he was shot 6 times and killed.

To a simpleton like you, this fact is exoneration for Officer Wilson and represents some kind of weird victory of conscience.

The passion and purpose behind the protests are not lessened in any way by the recognition that Brown did not have his hands up. Not even a little. The image of a black man with his arms raised as a law enforcement officer points a gun at him serves the purpose just fine. It brings the issue of unarmed black men being killed by police officers to the masses in a neat little bumper sticker phrase.

You can expect to see it again the next time this shit happens. It's now part of the lexicon. And it carries meaning.

Ya dumb fuck.

Really?

Are you a disaffected black man?

Brown died because he was a thug who violently tried to get his way.

That'sit, there is nothing more to talk about.

Simply a case of Instant Karma that made the world a better place.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

I'll give you a response. You won't be able to grasp it...but here it is.

The idea for people chanting "hands up, don't shoot" in Ferguson and elsewhere came from a bit of misinformation regarding how Michael Brown was dispatched by a frightened authority figure.

It turns out that there is no evidence that Brown had is hands up in the air as he was shot 6 times and killed.

To a simpleton like you, this fact is exoneration for Officer Wilson and represents some kind of weird victory of conscience.

The passion and purpose behind the protests are not lessened in any way by the recognition that Brown did not have his hands up. Not even a little. The image of a black man with his arms raised as a law enforcement officer points a gun at him serves the purpose just fine. It brings the issue of unarmed black men being killed by police officers to the masses in a neat little bumper sticker phrase.

You can expect to see it again the next time this shit happens. It's now part of the lexicon. And it carries meaning.

Ya dumb fuck.

So according to you it is to be applauded when violent black men attack cops, right?

 

[NYcarbineer]

You missed the part where the DoJ found rampant racism in the Ferguson government, including the police department.

 

[SassyIrishLass]

You missed the part where the DoJ found rampant racism in the Ferguson government, including the police department.

LOL Considering who heads the DoJ up....SURPRISE

 

[Antares]

You missed the part where the DoJ found rampant racism in the Ferguson government, including the police department.

...and yet found none in the shooting, nor any wrongdoing on the Officer's part.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

You missed the part where the DoJ found rampant racism in the Ferguson government, including the police department.

You missed the part where they made up those findings.

 

[Neotrotsky]

Excessive Force, Excessive Deceit: The Final Nail in the 'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' rhetoric


The Democrats really owe America an apology for pushing
the "hands-up" lie

 

[Roadrunner]

Excessive Force, Excessive Deceit: The Final Nail in the 'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' rhetoric


The Democrats really owe America an apology for pushing
the "hands-up" lie

Don't hold your breath.

 

[Roadrunner]

You missed the part where the DoJ found rampant racism in the Ferguson government, including the police department.

You missed the part where the Ferguson government, including the police department, found rampant racism in the DoJ.

 

[LoneLaugher]

I'll give you a response. You won't be able to grasp it...but here it is.

The idea for people chanting "hands up, don't shoot" in Ferguson and elsewhere came from a bit of misinformation regarding how Michael Brown was dispatched by a frightened authority figure.

It turns out that there is no evidence that Brown had is hands up in the air as he was shot 6 times and killed.

To a simpleton like you, this fact is exoneration for Officer Wilson and represents some kind of weird victory of conscience.

The passion and purpose behind the protests are not lessened in any way by the recognition that Brown did not have his hands up. Not even a little. The image of a black man with his arms raised as a law enforcement officer points a gun at him serves the purpose just fine. It brings the issue of unarmed black men being killed by police officers to the masses in a neat little bumper sticker phrase.

You can expect to see it again the next time this shit happens. It's now part of the lexicon. And it carries meaning.

Ya dumb fuck.

So according to you it is to be applauded when violent black men attack cops, right?

So? You began a post with the word so?

Go ahead and research what that means. Ya dumb shit.

PS.....my son is a cop. I'd expect him to defend himself should anyone attack him. And if the person who should attack him is unarmed, I'd expect him to deal with the matter without shooting the person a half dozen times.

Dickhead.

 

[Antares]

I'll give you a response. You won't be able to grasp it...but here it is.

The idea for people chanting "hands up, don't shoot" in Ferguson and elsewhere came from a bit of misinformation regarding how Michael Brown was dispatched by a frightened authority figure.

It turns out that there is no evidence that Brown had is hands up in the air as he was shot 6 times and killed.

To a simpleton like you, this fact is exoneration for Officer Wilson and represents some kind of weird victory of conscience.

The passion and purpose behind the protests are not lessened in any way by the recognition that Brown did not have his hands up. Not even a little. The image of a black man with his arms raised as a law enforcement officer points a gun at him serves the purpose just fine. It brings the issue of unarmed black men being killed by police officers to the masses in a neat little bumper sticker phrase.

You can expect to see it again the next time this shit happens. It's now part of the lexicon. And it carries meaning.

Ya dumb fuck.

So according to you it is to be applauded when violent black men attack cops, right?

So? You began a post with the word so?

Go ahead and research what that means. Ya dumb shit.

PS.....my son is a cop. I'd expect him to defend himself should anyone attack him. And if the person who should attack him is unarmed, I'd expect him to deal with the matter without shooting the person a half dozen times.

Dickhead.

Sure dickhead.

A 300lb thug attacks him in his car and tries to take his weapon and your are standing there begging him to moderate his response when the same thug comes back at him.

Your way gets your son killed.

God you are an ass.

 

[Antares]

I'll give you a response. You won't be able to grasp it...but here it is.

The idea for people chanting "hands up, don't shoot" in Ferguson and elsewhere came from a bit of misinformation regarding how Michael Brown was dispatched by a frightened authority figure.

It turns out that there is no evidence that Brown had is hands up in the air as he was shot 6 times and killed.

To a simpleton like you, this fact is exoneration for Officer Wilson and represents some kind of weird victory of conscience.

The passion and purpose behind the protests are not lessened in any way by the recognition that Brown did not have his hands up. Not even a little. The image of a black man with his arms raised as a law enforcement officer points a gun at him serves the purpose just fine. It brings the issue of unarmed black men being killed by police officers to the masses in a neat little bumper sticker phrase.

You can expect to see it again the next time this shit happens. It's now part of the lexicon. And it carries meaning.

Ya dumb fuck.

So according to you it is to be applauded when violent black men attack cops, right?

So? You began a post with the word so?

Go ahead and research what that means. Ya dumb shit.

PS.....my son is a cop. I'd expect him to defend himself should anyone attack him. And if the person who should attack him is unarmed, I'd expect him to deal with the matter without shooting the person a half dozen times.

Dickhead.

Fuck it, on second thought let's just have that giant thug snap your son's neck and leave him writhing in the car dying.

THEN let's see you scream for "moderated" behavior.

That would learn ya ass wipe.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I'm weary of all this nonsense about race, Ferguson, Don't Shoot, etc. I suspect America is getting tired of it also

I've been tired of the shit for the last thirty years.