Hayward inquired as to where was the National Guard units and riot response troops while the city was being burned down. Firefighters actually fell back from battling the fires because looters were firing at them. The only people with a legitimate grievance worth protesting were the hard-working shop owners who saw their businesses go up in smoke and the employees who just lost their jobs. The reporter pointed out that business owners paid exorbitant taxes “to the multiple layers of flabby, useless government tottering over us – from local authorities to Barack Obama’s worse-than-useless federal apparatus – and their reward was getting to watch their property looted and destroyed, with scarcely a thought given to protecting them.”
President Obama stated the following: “First and foremost, we are a nation built on the rule of law. And so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make. There are Americans who agree with it, and there are Americans who are deeply disappointed, even angry. It’s an understandable reaction. But I join Michael’s parents in asking anyone who protests this decision to do so peacefully. Let me repeat Michael’s father’s words: Hurting others or destroying property is not the answer. No matter what the grand jury decides, I do not want my son’s death to be in vain. I want it to lead to incredible change, positive change, change that makes the St. Louis region better for everyone. Michael Brown’s parents have lost more than anyone. We should be honoring their wishes.”
John Hayward pointed out that a strong defense of the rule of law requires a lot more than just saying it is important and the nation was built on it. You have to explain what it means right now. John Hayward stated the following: “But as his own actions have amply demonstrated, the rule of law is an entirely abstract concept to Obama – something to be discussed in a classroom or used as a rhetorical prop during a speech, not something to be embraced and lived. After spending an equal amount of time admonishing the police to show restraint, Obama delivered a windy homily to the “lessons that we draw from these tragic events,” assuring us “there are good people on all sides of this debate.” Really?
John Hayward severely criticized the president’s speech. He wrote that including the side that insists on pretending Officer Wilson is a racist killer who murdered Brown for fun, ignoring the forensic evidence and hundreds of hours of testimony by many witnesses to the grand jury is a terrible moral equivalence. Hayward said that this was a moment when a real leader, a real President, would have stood tall and made it clear that there was nothing to protest. Such a declaration would have meant a lot at this moment, coming from the first Black president. President Obama should have pointed out that justice cannot be achieved by throwing bottles, smashing car windows, and burning and vandalizing property.
John Hayward wrote that as for the moral authority of Brown’s parents, while it is true, and helpful, that they called for a non-violent response, they are not doing anything to dispel the ugly mythology that drove these protests. The Brown family put out the following statement: “We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions. While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen.” But what is the system that the Brown family is criticizing? As Hayward pointed out the following: “That would be the system that allows a police officer to defend himself against a violent assailant who tries to gain control of his weapon. Unless you want to live in a bloody scrum of unending gang violence without the protection of armed law enforcement, I strongly suggest you do not change that particular system.”
On the night of November 24, 2014, officers reported heavy automatic gunfire in the area of W. Florissant and Canfield. A University City police officer was shot at the intersection of Canton Avenue and Lamb Avenue, according to police. Assistant Fire Chief Steve Fair with the Ferguson Fire Department said they found structure fires along the corridor of Florissant, West Florissant, and Halls Ferry roads. “We have been fighting approximately 25 structure fires tonight, along with a car dealership where we lost 10 cars that were burned up,” said Fair.
John Hayward wrote that a senior citizen was carjacked and run over with his own car in the name of “social justice.” Social justice was also pursued by the criminals burning and looting a variety of stores, including Little Caesar’s Pizza, Federal Express, Toys R Us, the St. Louis Bread Company restaurant, a pawn shop, and a Metro PCS cell phone store. Looters also ransacked a liquor store they also struck in August 2014 during the last round of major vandalism. At least five major fires were burning along the street, including another cell phone store, a public storage business, an auto parts store, and a title company. The enduring image of the night for the reporter was not the images of buildings coming down in flames and looters running wild in the streets, but an African American woman, Natalie DuBose, the owner of a cake shop in Ferguson, weeping helplessly as her cake shop was destroyed.
Over the weekend, Natalie DuBose – a single mother with two children – begged the criminal mob to spare her little shop. She told the thugs: “If I can’t open my doors every morning, I can’t feed my kids in the evening. Just don’t burn my shop down. Don’t destroy it.” She should not have needed to plead with the criminals who ignored her and burned her shop.
Natalie Dubose the owner of a cake shop in Ferguson, weeping helplessly as her livelihood was destroyed.
John Hayward concluded his article by stating the following: “The ruling elite was too busy playing footsie with the rioters, feeling them out for useful political connections, playing into their paranoid fantasies in the hopes of goosing them to the ballot box to vote Democrat, preserving the influence of the organizers, and peddling an ideology of helpless victimization that relieves even violent assailants of responsibility for their actions. There were also violent demonstrations in California, plus a more peaceful march in Times Square that nevertheless violated New York City ordinances, which were of course waived without comment. What were any of those people “protesting” for? The right of people with a certain skin color to assault police officers of a certain skin color, without repercussions? What they need, more than anything else, is for some people they respect to tell them they’re acting like fools.”
FOXNews.com published an article on November 25, 2014 entitled “Gunshots, looting after grand jury in Ferguson case does not indict officer in Michael Brown shooting.” The article explained that violence erupted in Ferguson and the St. Louis area on the night of November 24, 2014, leading to more than 80 arrests, as protesters fired more than 100 gunshots and burned and looted as many as 25 buildings and vandalized police cars in Ferguson, Missouri after a grand jury did not indict a white police officer who shot and killed an 18-year-old black man in August 2014. St. Louis County police department released records early November 25 indicating that 61 people were arrested in Ferguson on charges including burglary and trespassing. And St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said 21 people were arrested in the city.
FOXNews.com pointed out that heavily armed police fired pepper spray and smoke canisters to disperse the crowds of protesters. Police seized a .45-mm. automatic handgun as well. “We have no loss of life, but I am disappointed the night turned out this way. What I’ve seen tonight is probably worse than the worst night we had in August,” St. Louis Police Chief Jon Belmar said. Belmar said he heard more than 150 shots ring off in the night.
FOXNews.com explained that more than 1,500 National Guard troops will join about 700 guardsmen already in Ferguson to help local police protect residents and property in the Missouri city, one day after a grand jury declined to hand up an indictment against Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon stated the following: “No one should have to livelike this. No one deserves this. We must do better and we will. Lives and property must be protected. This community deserves to have peace.”
FOXNews.com wrote that on November 25, 2014 Officer Wilson made his first public comments since the grand jury decision, telling ABC’s George Stephanopoulos there was “no way” Brown had his hands up in a sign of surrender at the time of the shooting, and said he had a “clean conscience” because “I know I did my job right.”
FOXNews.com explained that Jon Belmar, chief of the St. Louis County police, said that unless his agency could bring in 10,000 officers, “I don’t think we can prevent folks who really are intent on destroying a community.” At least 18 people were injured and needed treatment at area hospitals, including someone who was shot and was recovering. The hospital didn’t give any details about the shooting. “We’re expecting it to flare up again, especially when it gets dark,” said the Rev. Dusty Thompson, of Ferguson Church of the Nazarene. “There’s definitely some trepidation for tonight, but we are just praying that peace will be pursued and that our community will come together.”
Justice was done by the grand jury but infuriated many blacks in Ferguson and other parts of the nation FOXNews.com said that St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Bob McCulloch announced the decision not to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson on the evening of November 24. A grand jury of nine whites and three blacks had been meeting weekly since August 20 to consider evidence in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. The panel met for 70 hours and heard from 60 witnesses, including many African-Americans.
Prosecuting attorney McCulloch stressed that the grand jurors were “the only people who heard every witness … and every piece of evidence. These grand jurors poured their hearts and soul into this process.” He said many witnesses presented conflicting statements that ultimately were inconsistent with the physical evidence.
Brown’s family immediately issued a statement following McCulloch’s announcement saying the following: “We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions. While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen.”
The Missouri National Guard did not arrive on time to stop the looting and burning of businesses
Phillip Swarts wrote an article entitled “Ferguson Mayor Blasts Governor Jay Nixon for Delayed National Guard Deployment” which was published in The Washington Times on November 25, 2014. The reporter explained that Ferguson Mayor James Knowles blasted the Missouri state government’s response to the rioting in his town, stating that the National Guard was not deployed fast enough to save many area businesses. Mayor Knowles called the decision to delay the deployment “deeply disturbing” since many businesses were burned by the rioters. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered additional soldiers National Guard but not in time to prevent looting and arson. The day after the riot, over 2,000 soldiers moved into Ferguson to keep the peace.
The mayor was joined by several area church leaders who called for calm and an end to the rioting. Bishop Calvin Scott, pastor of Believers Temple World Fellowship in St. Louis, stated the following: “As I watch the unraveling of our community last night … my heart was grieved by the site of the destruction. My heart goes out to the community at large.” Bishop Scott said that it would take “a concerted effort from all of us working together” to stop the violence and address racial tensions.
Conclusion
It is important to note that in spite of the immense pressure placed upon the members of the grand jury to indict Officer Wilson, justice prevail. However, many blacks disagreed with the conclusion of a grand jury. They wanted an indictment of the white police officer, even though the grand jury met 70 hours and heard testimony from 60 witnesses, including African-Americans.
One person that refuse to accept the lack of indictment of the grand jury was the head of the Justice Department, Eric Holder. He announced that the Justice Department was conducting an ongoing investigation into the shooting of Michael Brown and that he was also investigating the Ferguson Police Department. Incredible and repugnant!
There are two people responsible for the tragic events in Ferguson. One is President Barack Obama and the other one is Attorney General Eric Holder. Based on all their previous statements prior to the conclusion of the grand jury, these two national leaders seem to blame Officer Wilson, the white policeman who shot Brown. It is quite obvious that Obama and Holder do not respect the police in general and if a black was killed by a non-Black officer, both of them assume that the policeman is at fault.
Astoundingly, the president sent Attorney General Holder and two White House official to the funeral of Michael Brown. Yet, the president did not send a cabinet member or a White House official to the funeral of a two-star general who was shot dead in Afghanistan and was buried at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. This was shameful!
The shooting of Michael Brown in August 2014 triggered riots and the looting in and around the Ferguson area. Police officers responded to protesters with armored vehicles and tear gas. Protests continued for weeks — often peacefully, but sometimes turning violent, with demonstrators throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails and police firing smoke canisters, tear gas and rubber bullets. Those wanting to see the white officer indicted for murder carried signs saying “No Justice, No Peace.” President Obama, one more time, abdicated his responsibility by not forcibly speaking to those who were demonstrating, and, some of them violently, telling them to allow an impartial grand jury and the criminal justice system to work.
Obama frequently likes to make incorrect moral equivalency, such as comparing the Israelis and the Palestinian radicals who murder Jews. The president’s speech was not helpful. Obama pretending that those people who protested and committed violence in Ferguson and who believed that Officer Wilson is a racist killer who murdered Brown for fun, ignoring the forensic evidence and hundreds of hours of testimony by many witnesses to the grand jury is a terrible moral equivalence. President Obama should have stood tall and made it clear that there was nothing to protest.
In this situation there was no moral equivalency. Justice was done by the grand jury in spite of the immense pressure placed on its members to recommend an indictment for Officer Wilson. The only victims were the business owners whose businesses were burned to the ground and the law enforcement authorities who had to deal with weeks of unrest and violent demonstrations. Other victims were the employees of those businesses who no longer have a job and the peaceful citizens of Ferguson who had to endure weeks of violent protests, often led by outside agitators.
Barack Obama needs to addressed the black on black assassinations. Blacks are killing other blacks in 92% of the incidents. In his own city of Chicago, black on black murders are reaching epidemic levels.
The liberal established media is also responsible since it does not cover the many whites and Hispanics who are killed by African Americans each day in America. The liberal media does not seem to care about these assassinations. This is as shameful as the speeches made by president and his attorney general which do not promote peace and understanding between ethnic groups. The president who campaigned for president as a great uniter has divided us by race and ethnic groups and by social class as no other in history.
It was a most ironic to hear President Barack Obama saying that “We are a nation built on the rule of law,” since from the time he was sworn into office in January 2009 to the present, he has violated the Constitution and other laws many times. Obama governs by executive fiat ignoring Congress. Obama is the president who has presided over the most criminal administration in the nation’s history. The president picks and chooses which laws he wants to enforce. The bad example that President Obama has set for the nation does not help in a situation like the one in Ferguson, Missouri.
One of the 12 cars that was burned in Ferguson as other businesses were also torched.
