At one point this afternoon, I switched to MSNBC. It was just as bad. I lasted for two minutes, long enough to hear some activist ranting about lynchings and how that's the correct word to use, and that there's a new incident of police killing a black person almost every day. He then gave examples of recent unfair police killings, and included Trayvon Martin. (George Zimmerman was not a police officer.)
When I switched back to CNN, Wolf Blitzer introduced a police officer who represents the police union as a personal friend of Officer Wilson. The officer said he has spoken with Officer Wilson several times since the shooting, but has no information about the details of the Brown killing except what's been in the news. He claimed to know no more than the public. Yet he expressed his belief Wilson did nothing wrong, calling him a "brother in blue."
The spin from both sides on the shooting death of Michael Brown, and the media hype predicting unprecedented violence, are doing nothing but fueling the flames.
I have no idea what happened between Michael Brown and Officer Wilson. An unarmed teenager was shot and killed. The officer apparently claims Brown tried to grab his gun inside his vehicle. Does that justify Wilson's shooting Brown after he exited the vehicle? It seems unlikely to me, but I really have no idea. The witness reports (at least of those who have chosen to speak to the media) are conflicting. The prosecutor has said he'll release the grand jury transcripts after the decision (a clear sign to me Wilson is not going to be indicted)so I'll reserve forming an opinion until I've read them.
The militaristic police response to protesters in the aftermath of the shooting is another matter. We saw that with our own eyes, thanks to web cams and video reports. That was wrong. But the media's current non-stop predictions of unprecedented levels of violence after the grand jury decision is announced are doing nothing but increasing tension and the likelihood police will overreact and respond the same way. I understand the need to fill air time while awaiting an important official announcement, but the media needs to understand the wisdom of exercising some self-restraint in its coverage.
The latest: Hundreds of civil rights lawyers are headed to Ferguson in anticipation of the violence that will occur.
The attorneys are arriving in Ferguson as talks between protest groups and police have stalled over a refusal by officials to rule out the use of riot gear, tear gas and militarized equipment if demonstrations turn violent should a grand jury decide not to indict police officer Darren Wilson, protest leaders say.
...The lawyers are taking instructions from the CCR, the National Lawyers Guild, the Missouri Chapter of the ACLU and the NAACP Legal defense Fund. "We are in a crisis situation and we are here to ensure police let people voice their anger and frustration and don't crack down on protesters as hooligans," [CCR lawyer] Warren said.
And as of two minutes ago, the grand jury is still meeting and no announcement has been made as to when the decision will be revealed.