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Subject: »NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
Michael Brown shooting
Ferguson police officer won't be charged in shooting death of Michael Brown
- Grand jury finds that Darren Wilson, 28, did not break the law
- Jurors considered range of charges including manslaughter and murder
The mother of Michael Brown, Lesley McSpadden, covers her face after the announced decision by the grand jury in Ferguson not to indict Darren Wilson. Photograph: Larry W Smith/EPA
The police officer who shot dead an unarmed black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, leading to weeks of unrest and reviving a national debate about law enforcement and race in America, will not face state criminal charges, it was announced on Monday.
A grand jury in St Louis County declined to indict Darren Wilson for killing Michael Brown on 9 August, following an altercation after the officer stopped him and a friend for jaywalking. Wilson is also under investigation by federal authorities, which could bring civil rights charges.
There were multiple reports of looting in Ferguson after the announcement by St Louis County prosecuting attorney Bob McCulloch, and windows were broken at shops near the Ferguson police department.
A series of witnesses had claimed Brown was shot after fleeing Wilson and raising his hands in an apparent surrender. But in announcing the decision, McCulloch said some of those witnesses had recanted while others admitted not seeing the shooting.
“I’m ever mindful that this decision will not be accepted by some,” McCulloch said at a press conference in Clayton. “It may cause disappointment for others. But all decisions in the criminal justice system must be determined by the physical and scientific evidence, and credible testimony corroborated by that evidence. Not in response to public outcry, or for political expediency.”
Speaking moments after McCulloch finished, Barack Obama urged protestors to seek “constructive” outlets for their anger as his appeal for calm from the White House briefing room failed to quell growing violence on the streets of Ferguson.
“There is undoubtedly going to be some form of negative reaction and it will make for good TV,” said the president, warning that “throwing bottles or smashing cars” will not solve the underlying mistrust and genuine problems still facing African Americans.
As he has throughout, Obama refused to comment on the specifics of the case, saying all Americans should recognise the decision not to indict Darren Wilson.
“We are a nation based on the rule of law so we need to accept that this was the special jury’s decision to make,” he said.
But the president also said there were legitimate grounds for mistrust of police more generally and argued it would be wrong to try to “tamp this down” or “paper it over”.
“This is not just an issue for Ferguson; this is an issue for America. We have made enormous progress in race relations over the course of the past several decades – I have witnessed that in my own life – and to deny that progress is to deny America’s capacity for change,” he said. “But what is also true is that there are still problems and that communities of colour are not making these problems up.”
As he spoke, protests has already broken out in Ferguson and elsewhere. In New York, hundreds of people gathered in Union Square and Times Square before marching uptown.
In Ferguson, a Walgreens pharmacy was seen in flames, and people were seen entering other stores – a beauty supply shop and a nail salon among them. The Associated Press reported that a Little Caesar’s pizza shop and a storage unit were among the buildings that burned.
In Oakland, California, dozens of people blocked traffic on Interstate 580, while the Associated Press reported largely peaceful protests in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.
The grand jurors had been asked to decide whether there was probable cause to charge Wilson with any of five crimes ranging from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder. McCulloch declined to say whether the decision was unanimous. Nine out of 12 votes had been needed for an indictment.
Autopsies by the county and Brown’s family found that he was shot by Wilson at least six times, including twice to the head. McCulloch disclosed on Monday that Wilson’s gun was fired 12 times in the course of the encounter. The prosecutor said that the struggle ensued after Wilson realised that Brown matched a description broadcast over police radio moments earlier for a grocery store robber.
Brown’s family said in a statement: “We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions.” They called for peaceful demonstrations over the decision, saying that “answering violence with violence is not the appropriate action”. They said: “We ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change.”
The entire St Louis region was immediately braced for protests over the grand jury’s decision. Brown’s death was followed by successive nights of intense clashes between police and protesters. Some businesses closed while some school districts cancelled classes for the week.
It had been widely anticipated in Ferguson that Wilson would not be indicted. Many of those involved in demonstrations accuse white authority figures in the city, whose population is two-thirds black, of covering up the truth about the killing of Brown by Wilson, 28, who is white.
Residents said that Brown’s shooting caused the boiling over of long-simmering discontent between Ferguson’s majority-black population and the 94% white police force. Many accused McCulloch, whose father was a white police officer killed by a black man, of a pro-police bias and called for his recusal from the case.
Officials and police around St Louis have been making extensive preparations for renewed protests and more than a dozen arrests were made in the past week. James Knowles, Ferguson’s mayor, said this month that they would “prepare for the worst”. He told a local television station: “There are expectations that demonstrations probably will break out in several places.”
McCulloch pre-emptively defended the grand jury from inevitable attacks they will receive from supporters of Brown’s family. “They are the only people who have heard and examined every witness and every piece of evidence.”
Missouri law states that an officer may shoot someone who is reasonably feared to pose an imminent threat of death or serious injury to the officer or another person. Courts have ruled that officers may also shoot to stop someone suspected of a killing or grievous injury from fleeing if they pose others a serious threat.
Wilson chose to testify before the jury for more than four hours. He told jurors that Brown assaulted him in his patrol car and that the pair struggled over his pistol. McCulloch said that several witnesses had testified that after fleeing, Brown turned and advanced on the officer. He said that there was disagreement about where Brown’s hands were when he was shot.
While some did they say they saw Brown raise his hands in the air, McCulloch said, “several witnesses said that Mr brown did not raise his arms at all, or raised them briefly”.
In a long and at times angry statement, McCulloch sharply criticised people in the region and on social media for spreading a version of the shooting that he said had been disproved by physical evidence and a series other eyewitnesses. Some African American witnesses testified that they saw Brown charging or moving towards Wilson before the 18-year-old was shot dead, he said.
Dorian Johnson, a friend who was with Brown at the time, has said repeatedly that Wilson simply reacted aggressively when the pair declined to comply with the officer’s request for them to move from the middle of the road to the sidewalk on Canfield Drive.
Johnson told reporters that Wilson grabbed Brown by the neck and shot the 18-year-old as he escaped the struggle. Several other witnesses, including two workmen cutting nearby trees at the time, have agreed that Brown appeared to be surrendering when he was shot dead.
McCulloch also attacked the “insatiable” appetite of the news media, accusing the industry of hindering the grand jury process. The grand jury of seven men and five women met on 25 days over three months, he said. Nine of them were white and three were black. McCulloch said they heard more than 70 hours of testimony from more than 60 witnesses and watched “hours and hours” of interviews witnesses gave to police and the media.
Evidence was presented to the jury by two assistant prosecutors, Kathi Alizadeh and Sheila Whirley. McCulloch pledged that all material from the case would be published if Wilson were not indicted. His office immediately made public some documents and testimony.
The jury had already been impanelled to hear other cases in the county when Brown was shot dead. Paying tribute to the jurors’ service, he said: “These grand jurors poured their hearts and souls into this,” adding that they “gave up their lives, put their lives on hold, put their families on hold, put everything on hold so they could come in and do their civic duty”.
Asked for his message to the Brown family, McCulloch said: “My heart goes out to them. Regardless of the circumstances, they lost a young man, they lost a young life.” He added: “No young man should ever be killed by a police officer, but no police officer should ever be put in that position.”
Unfortunatly not really a surprise :/
(edited)
Ferguson police officer won't be charged in shooting death of Michael Brown
- Grand jury finds that Darren Wilson, 28, did not break the law
- Jurors considered range of charges including manslaughter and murder
The mother of Michael Brown, Lesley McSpadden, covers her face after the announced decision by the grand jury in Ferguson not to indict Darren Wilson. Photograph: Larry W Smith/EPA
The police officer who shot dead an unarmed black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, leading to weeks of unrest and reviving a national debate about law enforcement and race in America, will not face state criminal charges, it was announced on Monday.
A grand jury in St Louis County declined to indict Darren Wilson for killing Michael Brown on 9 August, following an altercation after the officer stopped him and a friend for jaywalking. Wilson is also under investigation by federal authorities, which could bring civil rights charges.
There were multiple reports of looting in Ferguson after the announcement by St Louis County prosecuting attorney Bob McCulloch, and windows were broken at shops near the Ferguson police department.
A series of witnesses had claimed Brown was shot after fleeing Wilson and raising his hands in an apparent surrender. But in announcing the decision, McCulloch said some of those witnesses had recanted while others admitted not seeing the shooting.
“I’m ever mindful that this decision will not be accepted by some,” McCulloch said at a press conference in Clayton. “It may cause disappointment for others. But all decisions in the criminal justice system must be determined by the physical and scientific evidence, and credible testimony corroborated by that evidence. Not in response to public outcry, or for political expediency.”
Speaking moments after McCulloch finished, Barack Obama urged protestors to seek “constructive” outlets for their anger as his appeal for calm from the White House briefing room failed to quell growing violence on the streets of Ferguson.
“There is undoubtedly going to be some form of negative reaction and it will make for good TV,” said the president, warning that “throwing bottles or smashing cars” will not solve the underlying mistrust and genuine problems still facing African Americans.
As he has throughout, Obama refused to comment on the specifics of the case, saying all Americans should recognise the decision not to indict Darren Wilson.
“We are a nation based on the rule of law so we need to accept that this was the special jury’s decision to make,” he said.
But the president also said there were legitimate grounds for mistrust of police more generally and argued it would be wrong to try to “tamp this down” or “paper it over”.
“This is not just an issue for Ferguson; this is an issue for America. We have made enormous progress in race relations over the course of the past several decades – I have witnessed that in my own life – and to deny that progress is to deny America’s capacity for change,” he said. “But what is also true is that there are still problems and that communities of colour are not making these problems up.”
As he spoke, protests has already broken out in Ferguson and elsewhere. In New York, hundreds of people gathered in Union Square and Times Square before marching uptown.
In Ferguson, a Walgreens pharmacy was seen in flames, and people were seen entering other stores – a beauty supply shop and a nail salon among them. The Associated Press reported that a Little Caesar’s pizza shop and a storage unit were among the buildings that burned.
In Oakland, California, dozens of people blocked traffic on Interstate 580, while the Associated Press reported largely peaceful protests in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.
The grand jurors had been asked to decide whether there was probable cause to charge Wilson with any of five crimes ranging from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder. McCulloch declined to say whether the decision was unanimous. Nine out of 12 votes had been needed for an indictment.
Autopsies by the county and Brown’s family found that he was shot by Wilson at least six times, including twice to the head. McCulloch disclosed on Monday that Wilson’s gun was fired 12 times in the course of the encounter. The prosecutor said that the struggle ensued after Wilson realised that Brown matched a description broadcast over police radio moments earlier for a grocery store robber.
Brown’s family said in a statement: “We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions.” They called for peaceful demonstrations over the decision, saying that “answering violence with violence is not the appropriate action”. They said: “We ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change.”
The entire St Louis region was immediately braced for protests over the grand jury’s decision. Brown’s death was followed by successive nights of intense clashes between police and protesters. Some businesses closed while some school districts cancelled classes for the week.
It had been widely anticipated in Ferguson that Wilson would not be indicted. Many of those involved in demonstrations accuse white authority figures in the city, whose population is two-thirds black, of covering up the truth about the killing of Brown by Wilson, 28, who is white.
Residents said that Brown’s shooting caused the boiling over of long-simmering discontent between Ferguson’s majority-black population and the 94% white police force. Many accused McCulloch, whose father was a white police officer killed by a black man, of a pro-police bias and called for his recusal from the case.
Officials and police around St Louis have been making extensive preparations for renewed protests and more than a dozen arrests were made in the past week. James Knowles, Ferguson’s mayor, said this month that they would “prepare for the worst”. He told a local television station: “There are expectations that demonstrations probably will break out in several places.”
McCulloch pre-emptively defended the grand jury from inevitable attacks they will receive from supporters of Brown’s family. “They are the only people who have heard and examined every witness and every piece of evidence.”
Missouri law states that an officer may shoot someone who is reasonably feared to pose an imminent threat of death or serious injury to the officer or another person. Courts have ruled that officers may also shoot to stop someone suspected of a killing or grievous injury from fleeing if they pose others a serious threat.
Wilson chose to testify before the jury for more than four hours. He told jurors that Brown assaulted him in his patrol car and that the pair struggled over his pistol. McCulloch said that several witnesses had testified that after fleeing, Brown turned and advanced on the officer. He said that there was disagreement about where Brown’s hands were when he was shot.
While some did they say they saw Brown raise his hands in the air, McCulloch said, “several witnesses said that Mr brown did not raise his arms at all, or raised them briefly”.
In a long and at times angry statement, McCulloch sharply criticised people in the region and on social media for spreading a version of the shooting that he said had been disproved by physical evidence and a series other eyewitnesses. Some African American witnesses testified that they saw Brown charging or moving towards Wilson before the 18-year-old was shot dead, he said.
Dorian Johnson, a friend who was with Brown at the time, has said repeatedly that Wilson simply reacted aggressively when the pair declined to comply with the officer’s request for them to move from the middle of the road to the sidewalk on Canfield Drive.
Johnson told reporters that Wilson grabbed Brown by the neck and shot the 18-year-old as he escaped the struggle. Several other witnesses, including two workmen cutting nearby trees at the time, have agreed that Brown appeared to be surrendering when he was shot dead.
McCulloch also attacked the “insatiable” appetite of the news media, accusing the industry of hindering the grand jury process. The grand jury of seven men and five women met on 25 days over three months, he said. Nine of them were white and three were black. McCulloch said they heard more than 70 hours of testimony from more than 60 witnesses and watched “hours and hours” of interviews witnesses gave to police and the media.
Evidence was presented to the jury by two assistant prosecutors, Kathi Alizadeh and Sheila Whirley. McCulloch pledged that all material from the case would be published if Wilson were not indicted. His office immediately made public some documents and testimony.
The jury had already been impanelled to hear other cases in the county when Brown was shot dead. Paying tribute to the jurors’ service, he said: “These grand jurors poured their hearts and souls into this,” adding that they “gave up their lives, put their lives on hold, put their families on hold, put everything on hold so they could come in and do their civic duty”.
Asked for his message to the Brown family, McCulloch said: “My heart goes out to them. Regardless of the circumstances, they lost a young man, they lost a young life.” He added: “No young man should ever be killed by a police officer, but no police officer should ever be put in that position.”
Unfortunatly not really a surprise :/
(edited)
I had to agree with this man :-)
http://rt.com/news/208459-zeman-beer-czech-filth/
They called him russian czech president and USA think that they should deliver new bigpack of democracy there again.
Maybe new maidan had to start there...
(edited)
the 3d was dead before rumpil posted something. something I don't like btw..
+1 !!
+1 !!
Ferguson decision: Ruling sparks night of violence
Police chief: 'Violence... probably worse than the worst night we had in August'
The St Louis suburb of Ferguson has seen rioting and looting after a jury decision not to bring charges over the killing of Michael Brown.
A local police chief said the violence was "probably much worse than the worst night we ever had in August" after the black teenager was killed.
St Louis county police chief Jon Belmar said he had heard 150 shots fired by crowds.
Mr Brown was shot by a white police officer on 9 August, sparking protests.
Many in the African American community had called for police officer Darren Wilson to be charged with murder.
President Barack Obama joined the teenager's family on Monday in appealing for calm, urging Americans to accept the decision was "the grand jury's to make''.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool reported seeing more vandalism and looting after the ruling than on any night in August.
Some demonstrators celebrated as businesses burned in Ferguson
Police say they did not use their firearms during the rioting
Pepper spray was fired by police - here a woman reacts
As shops burned, protesters demanded "justice for Mike Brown"
'Out of control'
"I didn't see a lot of peaceful protest out there tonight, and I'm disappointed about that," Mr Belmar said. "Unfortunately this spun out of control."
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool abandoned an interview as tear gas landed near him
Most of at least a dozen burned businesses were "total losses", he said, and two police cars had been "basically melted".
"I don't think we were underprepared," he added. "But I'll be honest with you, unless we bring 10,000 policemen in here, I don't think we can prevent folks who really are intent on destroying a community."
Some protesters charged barricades and taunted police. Chants of "murderer" could be heard.
Police responded with smoke and tear gas.
One protester, Charles Miller, told the BBC that while he did not advocate violence, he understood why people were angry.
"You can't just go shoot an 18-year-old who's unarmed on the street, despite what the story may have been," he said.
"He was unarmed and you are an armed law enforcement officer who's been trained in combat. So I think people are rightfully upset."
After the situation calmed down, he added, he hoped there would be an "opportunity to really grow and change a lot of things, and make sure [Michael Brown's] death didn't mean nothing".
'Heart and soul'
Explaining the jurors' decision, state prosecutor Robert McCulloch said their job had been to separate fact from fiction, and that some witness statements had been contradicted by physical evidence.
"These grand jurors poured their hearts and soul into this process," he said.
State prosecutor Bob McCulloch: No "probable cause" for indictment
Protesters have been chanting, "Hands up, don't shoot" - a reference to statements by some witnesses who said Mr Brown had had his hands up in apparent surrender to the officer when he was shot.
Police say there was a struggle between the teenager and the officer before the shooting.
In his own testimony, Mr Wilson says that before the shooting Mr Brown pushed him back into his car, hit him and briefly grabbed his drawn gun.
The jury was made up of 12 randomly picked citizens - nine white and three black.
At least nine votes were needed in order to issue an indictment.
bbc.com
The violance won't stop soon I think :/
Police chief: 'Violence... probably worse than the worst night we had in August'
The St Louis suburb of Ferguson has seen rioting and looting after a jury decision not to bring charges over the killing of Michael Brown.
A local police chief said the violence was "probably much worse than the worst night we ever had in August" after the black teenager was killed.
St Louis county police chief Jon Belmar said he had heard 150 shots fired by crowds.
Mr Brown was shot by a white police officer on 9 August, sparking protests.
Many in the African American community had called for police officer Darren Wilson to be charged with murder.
President Barack Obama joined the teenager's family on Monday in appealing for calm, urging Americans to accept the decision was "the grand jury's to make''.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool reported seeing more vandalism and looting after the ruling than on any night in August.
Some demonstrators celebrated as businesses burned in Ferguson
Police say they did not use their firearms during the rioting
Pepper spray was fired by police - here a woman reacts
As shops burned, protesters demanded "justice for Mike Brown"
'Out of control'
"I didn't see a lot of peaceful protest out there tonight, and I'm disappointed about that," Mr Belmar said. "Unfortunately this spun out of control."
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool abandoned an interview as tear gas landed near him
Most of at least a dozen burned businesses were "total losses", he said, and two police cars had been "basically melted".
"I don't think we were underprepared," he added. "But I'll be honest with you, unless we bring 10,000 policemen in here, I don't think we can prevent folks who really are intent on destroying a community."
Some protesters charged barricades and taunted police. Chants of "murderer" could be heard.
Police responded with smoke and tear gas.
One protester, Charles Miller, told the BBC that while he did not advocate violence, he understood why people were angry.
"You can't just go shoot an 18-year-old who's unarmed on the street, despite what the story may have been," he said.
"He was unarmed and you are an armed law enforcement officer who's been trained in combat. So I think people are rightfully upset."
After the situation calmed down, he added, he hoped there would be an "opportunity to really grow and change a lot of things, and make sure [Michael Brown's] death didn't mean nothing".
'Heart and soul'
Explaining the jurors' decision, state prosecutor Robert McCulloch said their job had been to separate fact from fiction, and that some witness statements had been contradicted by physical evidence.
"These grand jurors poured their hearts and soul into this process," he said.
State prosecutor Bob McCulloch: No "probable cause" for indictment
Protesters have been chanting, "Hands up, don't shoot" - a reference to statements by some witnesses who said Mr Brown had had his hands up in apparent surrender to the officer when he was shot.
Police say there was a struggle between the teenager and the officer before the shooting.
In his own testimony, Mr Wilson says that before the shooting Mr Brown pushed him back into his car, hit him and briefly grabbed his drawn gun.
The jury was made up of 12 randomly picked citizens - nine white and three black.
At least nine votes were needed in order to issue an indictment.
bbc.com
The violance won't stop soon I think :/
Most US police shootings aren't prosecuted
WASHINGTON (AP) " A grand jury's decision to spare Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson from criminal charges makes his case the latest in a long line of police shootings that show the latitude that the law and the courts give law enforcement in using deadly force.
The question for the panel that decided the case was never whether Wilson, who is white, fatally shot unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown, but rather whether the Aug. 9 killing constituted a crime. In declining to indict Wilson, the grand jury reached a conclusion that is far more the norm than the exception.
"For a cop to be indicted and especially to be convicted later of a crime in these kinds of situations is very, very unusual," said Chuck Drago, a police practices consultant and former police chief in Oviedo, Florida.
States and police departments have developed their own policies that generally permit officers to use force when they reasonably fear imminent physical harm. The Supreme Court shaped the U.S. standard in a 1989 decision that said the use of force must be evaluated through the "perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene" rather than being judged after the fact. That means officers are often given the benefit of the doubt by prosecutors and grand jurors reluctant to second-guess their decisions.
Many of the cases that don't result in charges involve armed suspects shot during confrontations with police. But even an officer who repeatedly shoots an unarmed person, as was the case in Ferguson, may avoid prosecution in cases where he contends he felt at imminent risk.
But even though police are legally empowered to use deadly force when appropriate, Chicago lawyer Lori Lightfoot said an officer's perception of danger can be strongly influenced by the race of a suspect, particularly in a community like Ferguson, where an overwhelmingly white department patrols a majority-black city.
"Take any environment you live in " if there's not diversity in your workplace, that is a void in your experience," she said.
The Ferguson shooting followed a skirmish that began when Wilson told Brown and a friend to move from the street onto the sidewalk. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said Monday the two men fought inside Wilson's car and said Wilson shot Brown multiple times after Brown charged at the officer. In explaining the grand jury's decision, McCulloch cited what he said were inconsistent and erroneous witness accounts.
The Justice Department is continuing to investigate the shooting for evidence of a potential civil rights violation, and federal investigators are relying on the same evidence and witness statements as the grand jury. But they face a higher burden of proof to establish whether Wilson willfully deprived Brown of his civil rights. That standard has been tough to satisfy in past high-profile shootings. Federal prosecutors, for example, declined this year to charge officers who fatally shot an unarmed woman with a baby in her back seat after a high-speed car chase from the White House to the U.S. Capitol.
It's hard to know how often police use force. A federal Bureau of Justice Statistics study found that an estimated 1.4 percent of the nearly 60,000 U.S. residents who reported having contact with police in 2008 said the officers used or threatened to use force against them.
Some cases do result in criminal charges. A North Carolina police officer was indicted in January in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man who wrecked his vehicle and apparently knocked on the front door of a home seeking help. Thinking incorrectly that the man was trying to break into her home, the homeowner called police. Three officers responded and one shot the unarmed victim, authorities say.
But far more often officers aren't prosecuted.
A grand jury in Ohio, for instance, declined to indict a police officer who in August shot a man carrying an air rifle inside a Wal-Mart.
nzherald.co.nz
WASHINGTON (AP) " A grand jury's decision to spare Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson from criminal charges makes his case the latest in a long line of police shootings that show the latitude that the law and the courts give law enforcement in using deadly force.
The question for the panel that decided the case was never whether Wilson, who is white, fatally shot unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown, but rather whether the Aug. 9 killing constituted a crime. In declining to indict Wilson, the grand jury reached a conclusion that is far more the norm than the exception.
"For a cop to be indicted and especially to be convicted later of a crime in these kinds of situations is very, very unusual," said Chuck Drago, a police practices consultant and former police chief in Oviedo, Florida.
States and police departments have developed their own policies that generally permit officers to use force when they reasonably fear imminent physical harm. The Supreme Court shaped the U.S. standard in a 1989 decision that said the use of force must be evaluated through the "perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene" rather than being judged after the fact. That means officers are often given the benefit of the doubt by prosecutors and grand jurors reluctant to second-guess their decisions.
Many of the cases that don't result in charges involve armed suspects shot during confrontations with police. But even an officer who repeatedly shoots an unarmed person, as was the case in Ferguson, may avoid prosecution in cases where he contends he felt at imminent risk.
But even though police are legally empowered to use deadly force when appropriate, Chicago lawyer Lori Lightfoot said an officer's perception of danger can be strongly influenced by the race of a suspect, particularly in a community like Ferguson, where an overwhelmingly white department patrols a majority-black city.
"Take any environment you live in " if there's not diversity in your workplace, that is a void in your experience," she said.
The Ferguson shooting followed a skirmish that began when Wilson told Brown and a friend to move from the street onto the sidewalk. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said Monday the two men fought inside Wilson's car and said Wilson shot Brown multiple times after Brown charged at the officer. In explaining the grand jury's decision, McCulloch cited what he said were inconsistent and erroneous witness accounts.
The Justice Department is continuing to investigate the shooting for evidence of a potential civil rights violation, and federal investigators are relying on the same evidence and witness statements as the grand jury. But they face a higher burden of proof to establish whether Wilson willfully deprived Brown of his civil rights. That standard has been tough to satisfy in past high-profile shootings. Federal prosecutors, for example, declined this year to charge officers who fatally shot an unarmed woman with a baby in her back seat after a high-speed car chase from the White House to the U.S. Capitol.
It's hard to know how often police use force. A federal Bureau of Justice Statistics study found that an estimated 1.4 percent of the nearly 60,000 U.S. residents who reported having contact with police in 2008 said the officers used or threatened to use force against them.
Some cases do result in criminal charges. A North Carolina police officer was indicted in January in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man who wrecked his vehicle and apparently knocked on the front door of a home seeking help. Thinking incorrectly that the man was trying to break into her home, the homeowner called police. Three officers responded and one shot the unarmed victim, authorities say.
But far more often officers aren't prosecuted.
A grand jury in Ohio, for instance, declined to indict a police officer who in August shot a man carrying an air rifle inside a Wal-Mart.
nzherald.co.nz
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-11-25/hacked-us-documents-said-reveal-extent-undisclosed-us-lethal-aid-ukraine-army
I am sure you know about this, just nobody want comment it :-)
I am sure you know about this, just nobody want comment it :-)
Supermarkets prepare to be shamed over chicken contamination
Food Standards Agency set to publish rates of campylobacter contamination for each supermarket brand’s poultry meat
Supermarkets are rushing out plans to clean up their chicken supply chains as they face being named and shamed over contamination rates of the potentially lethal food-poisoning bug campylobacter.
The Food Standards Agency will publish rates of contamination for each supermarket chain. The industry is bracing itself for the results to be significantly worse than those published by the FSA in August, which found six in 10 chickens were contaminated. Campylobacter rates tend to rise in the summer and averages similar to 75% found by the European Food Safety Authority in 2010 are expected.
Retailers have this week announced a raft of changes to the way chicken is produced in an effort to fend off a major food scare. Possible measures include: cook-in-the-bag packaging for whole chickens making it unnecessary to touch them before they are cooked, new technologies to flash freeze batches to kill bacteria on the surface of chicken during processing, and changes in the way chickens are reared on intensive farms.
Retailers are desperate to appear to be proactive as they face potentially damaging revelations, just weeks away from the second anniversary of the horsemeat scandal which sent sales of beef ready meals through the floor.
Campylobacter thrives in the gut and faeces of poultry and can easily be spread from bird to bird on farms or in abattoirs. The bug is killed by cooking but is easily spread when raw meat contaminates surfaces and utensils in the kitchen. It is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK, making about 280,000 people ill each year and causing about 100 deaths.
Thursday’s test results on chicken come after a decade-long campaign by the FSA to get supermarkets and the poultry industry to clean up their meat. But a Guardian investigation into industry hygiene lapses earlier this year revealed that the majority of fresh supermarket chicken remained contaminated with the food poisoning bug.
The trade paper Food Manufacture suggests that as many as nine in 10 samples have been tainted in some summer batches, but these numbers may not be immediately apparent because the FSA said it would only publish the retailers’ results averaged over two quarters because the sample size for just one quarter would not be statistically robust.
One of the companies that has helped develop a way to flash freeze the surface of birds to kill campylobacter bacteria after slaughter, Bernard Matthews, said that retailers had been resistant to the extra cost, which is about 4-5p per bird.
However, the Co-op, Marks & Spencer, Asda and Sainsbury’s all told the Guardian they were supporting the trials of technology which rapidly chills or steams the surface of a chicken to significantly reduce levels of campylobacter.
Tesco said it would be helping to fund a full-scale trial of rapid chill technology with one of its suppliers from January to test feasibility on a commercial scale.
Andrew Large, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, which represents the largest producers and processors, said the industry was focusing on about 10 measures that looked promising, but he warned that there was “no silver bullet” to end campylobacter contamination.
The technologies that had been tested, such as rapid surface chilling or steam treatment of slaughtered birds, did cut rates of the bug but they are yet to be tried out in large-scale abattoirs running at full speeds, Large said.
He declined to comment on the cost or who would pay for it, saying that was a matter of negotiation between supermarkets and processors.
The consumer watchdog Which? said it would need serious financial investment from supermarkets and processors to tackle the problem.
“Supermarkets need to not only publish realistic plans to tackle these scandalously high levels of campylobacter but also demonstrate action to deliver them,” said Richard Lloyd, the executive director of Which?
“By releasing information about which supermarkets are performing poorly, more public pressure will be put on the entire industry to clean up their act. Until then, consumers will question how far they can trust the big brands.”
The Co-op said it was working with suppliers on trials of more than one methodology and was aiming to have developed a solution suitable for full-scale production within a year. Sainsbury’s said it intented to make a “multimillion pound investment” to support supply chain technology and packaging that could help tackle campylobacter, while Morrisons said it was working with suppliers to improve standards of carcase washing and gutting of chickens to reduce contamination.
Marks & Spencer said its supplier 2 Sisters had put rapid chilling technology in place at several of its facilities in September as part of a five-point plan which also includes cutting out the “thinning” in which birds are harvested part way through the rearing process in order to give the remaining birds more room to develop. Research has shown that thinning can raise levels of contamination. Tesco said it was also taking part in a “no thinning” trial and funding incentives for farmers to keep their flocks campylobacter-free.
Several stores including Asda and Tesco said they would be increasing their range of cook-in-the-bag whole chickens which reduce human contact with the birds’ raw skin and lower the risk of juices spreading bacteria on to kitchen surfaces.
Morrisons will be introducing the idea for the first time in January across half of its whole chicken range. It said it wanted to give customers the choice of whether to handle raw chicken or not.
Faccenda Foods, one of the largest four poultry suppliers in the UK which produces for Asda among other retailers, this month launched full-scale trials of SonoSteam and has committed to invest more than £1m on this new method.
The flurry of announcements from retailers comes in the wake of lobbying by the industry against the FSA’s plans to publish its results.
The shadow food and farming minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, raised concerns about inappropriate lobbying over campylobacter at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.
The Guardian revealed this week that Tim Smith, the former boss of the FSA who left the regulator to become a director of Tesco, is said to have contacted a senior official in the Department of Health in June to warn that the FSA’s plans could provoke a major food scare, in an apparent breach of the terms approved by David Cameron for his move to industry.
theguardian.com
Our foot is not that good anymore, every time something new is wrong with it :S
Food Standards Agency set to publish rates of campylobacter contamination for each supermarket brand’s poultry meat
Supermarkets are rushing out plans to clean up their chicken supply chains as they face being named and shamed over contamination rates of the potentially lethal food-poisoning bug campylobacter.
The Food Standards Agency will publish rates of contamination for each supermarket chain. The industry is bracing itself for the results to be significantly worse than those published by the FSA in August, which found six in 10 chickens were contaminated. Campylobacter rates tend to rise in the summer and averages similar to 75% found by the European Food Safety Authority in 2010 are expected.
Retailers have this week announced a raft of changes to the way chicken is produced in an effort to fend off a major food scare. Possible measures include: cook-in-the-bag packaging for whole chickens making it unnecessary to touch them before they are cooked, new technologies to flash freeze batches to kill bacteria on the surface of chicken during processing, and changes in the way chickens are reared on intensive farms.
Retailers are desperate to appear to be proactive as they face potentially damaging revelations, just weeks away from the second anniversary of the horsemeat scandal which sent sales of beef ready meals through the floor.
Campylobacter thrives in the gut and faeces of poultry and can easily be spread from bird to bird on farms or in abattoirs. The bug is killed by cooking but is easily spread when raw meat contaminates surfaces and utensils in the kitchen. It is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK, making about 280,000 people ill each year and causing about 100 deaths.
Thursday’s test results on chicken come after a decade-long campaign by the FSA to get supermarkets and the poultry industry to clean up their meat. But a Guardian investigation into industry hygiene lapses earlier this year revealed that the majority of fresh supermarket chicken remained contaminated with the food poisoning bug.
The trade paper Food Manufacture suggests that as many as nine in 10 samples have been tainted in some summer batches, but these numbers may not be immediately apparent because the FSA said it would only publish the retailers’ results averaged over two quarters because the sample size for just one quarter would not be statistically robust.
One of the companies that has helped develop a way to flash freeze the surface of birds to kill campylobacter bacteria after slaughter, Bernard Matthews, said that retailers had been resistant to the extra cost, which is about 4-5p per bird.
However, the Co-op, Marks & Spencer, Asda and Sainsbury’s all told the Guardian they were supporting the trials of technology which rapidly chills or steams the surface of a chicken to significantly reduce levels of campylobacter.
Tesco said it would be helping to fund a full-scale trial of rapid chill technology with one of its suppliers from January to test feasibility on a commercial scale.
Andrew Large, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, which represents the largest producers and processors, said the industry was focusing on about 10 measures that looked promising, but he warned that there was “no silver bullet” to end campylobacter contamination.
The technologies that had been tested, such as rapid surface chilling or steam treatment of slaughtered birds, did cut rates of the bug but they are yet to be tried out in large-scale abattoirs running at full speeds, Large said.
He declined to comment on the cost or who would pay for it, saying that was a matter of negotiation between supermarkets and processors.
The consumer watchdog Which? said it would need serious financial investment from supermarkets and processors to tackle the problem.
“Supermarkets need to not only publish realistic plans to tackle these scandalously high levels of campylobacter but also demonstrate action to deliver them,” said Richard Lloyd, the executive director of Which?
“By releasing information about which supermarkets are performing poorly, more public pressure will be put on the entire industry to clean up their act. Until then, consumers will question how far they can trust the big brands.”
The Co-op said it was working with suppliers on trials of more than one methodology and was aiming to have developed a solution suitable for full-scale production within a year. Sainsbury’s said it intented to make a “multimillion pound investment” to support supply chain technology and packaging that could help tackle campylobacter, while Morrisons said it was working with suppliers to improve standards of carcase washing and gutting of chickens to reduce contamination.
Marks & Spencer said its supplier 2 Sisters had put rapid chilling technology in place at several of its facilities in September as part of a five-point plan which also includes cutting out the “thinning” in which birds are harvested part way through the rearing process in order to give the remaining birds more room to develop. Research has shown that thinning can raise levels of contamination. Tesco said it was also taking part in a “no thinning” trial and funding incentives for farmers to keep their flocks campylobacter-free.
Several stores including Asda and Tesco said they would be increasing their range of cook-in-the-bag whole chickens which reduce human contact with the birds’ raw skin and lower the risk of juices spreading bacteria on to kitchen surfaces.
Morrisons will be introducing the idea for the first time in January across half of its whole chicken range. It said it wanted to give customers the choice of whether to handle raw chicken or not.
Faccenda Foods, one of the largest four poultry suppliers in the UK which produces for Asda among other retailers, this month launched full-scale trials of SonoSteam and has committed to invest more than £1m on this new method.
The flurry of announcements from retailers comes in the wake of lobbying by the industry against the FSA’s plans to publish its results.
The shadow food and farming minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, raised concerns about inappropriate lobbying over campylobacter at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.
The Guardian revealed this week that Tim Smith, the former boss of the FSA who left the regulator to become a director of Tesco, is said to have contacted a senior official in the Department of Health in June to warn that the FSA’s plans could provoke a major food scare, in an apparent breach of the terms approved by David Cameron for his move to industry.
theguardian.com
Our foot is not that good anymore, every time something new is wrong with it :S
Qatar’s chances of hosting 2024 Olympics boosted by rule changes
• IOC expects ‘one or two bids’ from Middle East cities
• Doha likely to mount Olympic Games bid for third time
• Changes to rules would help countries in hot climates
• Owen Gibson on the IOC’s bidding changes
The opening ceremony of the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar in 2006. The city is set to make a third successive bid to host the Olympics. Photograph: Stringer/EPA
The contest for the 2024 Olympic Games could feature two cities from the Middle East, including Qatar’s capital Doha, with their chances boosted by proposed changes to bidding rules.
The International Olympic Committee member Prince Feisal al-Hussein, from Jordan, said he expects “one or two” bids from the Middle East for 2024.
Olympic Games watchers expect Doha to bid for a third successive time, following its controversial success in winning both the 2019 World Athletics Championships and the 2022 World Cup. Dubai has also been mentioned as a possible candidate city.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/nov/26/2024-olympics-qatar-changes-bid-rules
Absolutely crazy if the Olympics are also hosted by this country. The WC hosted by this country is already a bad idea, not to mention all those dead people, and now maybe also the Olympics :S
• IOC expects ‘one or two bids’ from Middle East cities
• Doha likely to mount Olympic Games bid for third time
• Changes to rules would help countries in hot climates
• Owen Gibson on the IOC’s bidding changes
The opening ceremony of the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar in 2006. The city is set to make a third successive bid to host the Olympics. Photograph: Stringer/EPA
The contest for the 2024 Olympic Games could feature two cities from the Middle East, including Qatar’s capital Doha, with their chances boosted by proposed changes to bidding rules.
The International Olympic Committee member Prince Feisal al-Hussein, from Jordan, said he expects “one or two” bids from the Middle East for 2024.
Olympic Games watchers expect Doha to bid for a third successive time, following its controversial success in winning both the 2019 World Athletics Championships and the 2022 World Cup. Dubai has also been mentioned as a possible candidate city.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/nov/26/2024-olympics-qatar-changes-bid-rules
Absolutely crazy if the Olympics are also hosted by this country. The WC hosted by this country is already a bad idea, not to mention all those dead people, and now maybe also the Olympics :S
this:
and this:
http://www.un.org/en/ga/third/69/docs/voting_sheets/L56.Rev1.pdf
EU is now facists group or what?
and this:
http://www.un.org/en/ga/third/69/docs/voting_sheets/L56.Rev1.pdf
EU is now facists group or what?
How to fight information war with Russia
What does the Russian propaganda war mean for Ukraine and the world? How do you fight it? Experts from the United States, Britain and Ukraine attempted to answer these and other questions at the Kyiv Post Tiger Conference. Below are some of the highlights from their talks.
Macon Phillips, Coordinator of the Bureau of International Information Programs at the U. S. Department of State and Ariel Cohen, Director of Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics at the Institute for Analysis of Global Security discuss Russian information wars in Kyiv on Nov. 19 at the Kyiv Post Tiger Conference. © Anastasia Vlasova
Macon Phillips, Coordinator of the Bureau of International Information Programs at the U. S. Department of State and Ariel Cohen, Director of Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics at the Institute for Analysis of Global Security discuss Russian information wars in Kyiv on Nov. 19 at the Kyiv Post Tiger Conference.
Macon Phillips, coordinator of Bureau of International Information Programs at the U.S. Department of State
“Russia, the Kremlin push a lot of disinformation and you nearly want to argue about every individual piece of information, why it’s right or wrong. … We need to do more in terms of response. We need to actually protect the open system of media that is by far the best way to respond to these things.”
“The most effective way to counter the information war here in Ukraine is for Ukraine to succeed. We can spend all of our time trying to respond to this or that. But ultimate reality is going to drive that. If the Ukrainian government continues to implement reforms, continues to move forward, continues to sustain itself, eventually the reality will reach everyone.”
“The best way to respond to misinformation is with the truth. But the truth is a difficult thing to talk about.”
Dmytro Kuleba, Ambassador-at-Large for Strategic Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
“Russian information aggression is a threat not only to Ukraine but to all democracies. … The only difference is that Ukraine is in the front line.”
“What Russians are doing is not information attacks or information campaigns or information operations. They created a comprehensive reality encompassing all aspects of their interests. When you have to confront reality you have to create your own reality.”
“Russian information machine is built on fakes and manipulation, so if we want to win this game we have to focus on credibility.”
“It’s about changing communication culture inside the Ukrainian government. For example, minister of defense is key here. And we are working to change the communication culture to become more available for media. This is critical.”
“Russian strategy is based on the use of weapons of mass destruction. By this I mean Russia Today, Sputnik, army of trolls, bots, proxies, paid commentators. We base our strategy on something completely different, we base it on opinion leaders. I call them precision weapons. What cannot be done by us, can be done by opinion leaders in their countries. They can help us to disseminate the message. All we have to do is make them trust. They need to have trust in us.”
Ariel Cohen, director of the Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics at the Institute for Analysis of Global Security
“We believe that Ukraine can make it as a European, free, Western-minded country. So does Vladimir Putin. And he is scared of that because an alternative Slavic, Eastern Slavic, Orthodox, half-of-the-country Russian-speaking country next to Russia is something they cannot tolerate. And information warfare is a very-very important part of the fight that has been launched.”
“To me Ukraine is now fighting its war for independence. This is where the United States was in 1776, where Israel was in 1948. This is creation of a nation. A part of it is an understanding that information is one of the battle fields, it’s an integral part of the strategy, of the war fighting.”
“To answer your question about Ukraine, what this is going to be in terms of the information campaign or information warfare, there is a famous quote from the cult novel of the Soviet times “The Twelve Chairs”: ”Saving of those who sink is the matter for those who sink themselves.” So, it will be up for Ukraine.”
Timothy Ash, London-based head of emerging market research for Standard Bank
“Over twenty years Russian interests infiltrated the West.”
“To know your enemy is key. The Russian state knows exactly how West functions because they infiltrated business, banking, academia, journalism, politics in the West. … The infiltration of Russian interests in the West is a huge threat to Western values and Western civilization. … The weaknesses of European Union is certainly been exploited.”
“This is a wonderful opportunity for radical change. Countries very really get this opportunity. Crises create opportunities, they force change. Ukraine is in desperate need of deep structural change. Putin has done a huge favor by uniting the population around this concept of European values. There is the price, but the fighting for democracy and freedom is worth it.”
Paul Niland, managing director of PAN Publishing
“The Russian media is acting to continue this fight to encourage people as volunteers to come and to kill people in the east of Ukraine. And for that reason my conclusion is that the Kremlin is directly responsible for all those deaths. They are directing media campaign, they are responsible.”
“The second conclusion is as long as Russia’s media campaign against Ukraine continues we can expect the hot war continue as well. They go hand in hand one to support the other.”
What does the Russian propaganda war mean for Ukraine and the world? How do you fight it? Experts from the United States, Britain and Ukraine attempted to answer these and other questions at the Kyiv Post Tiger Conference. Below are some of the highlights from their talks.
Macon Phillips, Coordinator of the Bureau of International Information Programs at the U. S. Department of State and Ariel Cohen, Director of Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics at the Institute for Analysis of Global Security discuss Russian information wars in Kyiv on Nov. 19 at the Kyiv Post Tiger Conference. © Anastasia Vlasova
Macon Phillips, Coordinator of the Bureau of International Information Programs at the U. S. Department of State and Ariel Cohen, Director of Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics at the Institute for Analysis of Global Security discuss Russian information wars in Kyiv on Nov. 19 at the Kyiv Post Tiger Conference.
Macon Phillips, coordinator of Bureau of International Information Programs at the U.S. Department of State
“Russia, the Kremlin push a lot of disinformation and you nearly want to argue about every individual piece of information, why it’s right or wrong. … We need to do more in terms of response. We need to actually protect the open system of media that is by far the best way to respond to these things.”
“The most effective way to counter the information war here in Ukraine is for Ukraine to succeed. We can spend all of our time trying to respond to this or that. But ultimate reality is going to drive that. If the Ukrainian government continues to implement reforms, continues to move forward, continues to sustain itself, eventually the reality will reach everyone.”
“The best way to respond to misinformation is with the truth. But the truth is a difficult thing to talk about.”
Dmytro Kuleba, Ambassador-at-Large for Strategic Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
“Russian information aggression is a threat not only to Ukraine but to all democracies. … The only difference is that Ukraine is in the front line.”
“What Russians are doing is not information attacks or information campaigns or information operations. They created a comprehensive reality encompassing all aspects of their interests. When you have to confront reality you have to create your own reality.”
“Russian information machine is built on fakes and manipulation, so if we want to win this game we have to focus on credibility.”
“It’s about changing communication culture inside the Ukrainian government. For example, minister of defense is key here. And we are working to change the communication culture to become more available for media. This is critical.”
“Russian strategy is based on the use of weapons of mass destruction. By this I mean Russia Today, Sputnik, army of trolls, bots, proxies, paid commentators. We base our strategy on something completely different, we base it on opinion leaders. I call them precision weapons. What cannot be done by us, can be done by opinion leaders in their countries. They can help us to disseminate the message. All we have to do is make them trust. They need to have trust in us.”
Ariel Cohen, director of the Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics at the Institute for Analysis of Global Security
“We believe that Ukraine can make it as a European, free, Western-minded country. So does Vladimir Putin. And he is scared of that because an alternative Slavic, Eastern Slavic, Orthodox, half-of-the-country Russian-speaking country next to Russia is something they cannot tolerate. And information warfare is a very-very important part of the fight that has been launched.”
“To me Ukraine is now fighting its war for independence. This is where the United States was in 1776, where Israel was in 1948. This is creation of a nation. A part of it is an understanding that information is one of the battle fields, it’s an integral part of the strategy, of the war fighting.”
“To answer your question about Ukraine, what this is going to be in terms of the information campaign or information warfare, there is a famous quote from the cult novel of the Soviet times “The Twelve Chairs”: ”Saving of those who sink is the matter for those who sink themselves.” So, it will be up for Ukraine.”
Timothy Ash, London-based head of emerging market research for Standard Bank
“Over twenty years Russian interests infiltrated the West.”
“To know your enemy is key. The Russian state knows exactly how West functions because they infiltrated business, banking, academia, journalism, politics in the West. … The infiltration of Russian interests in the West is a huge threat to Western values and Western civilization. … The weaknesses of European Union is certainly been exploited.”
“This is a wonderful opportunity for radical change. Countries very really get this opportunity. Crises create opportunities, they force change. Ukraine is in desperate need of deep structural change. Putin has done a huge favor by uniting the population around this concept of European values. There is the price, but the fighting for democracy and freedom is worth it.”
Paul Niland, managing director of PAN Publishing
“The Russian media is acting to continue this fight to encourage people as volunteers to come and to kill people in the east of Ukraine. And for that reason my conclusion is that the Kremlin is directly responsible for all those deaths. They are directing media campaign, they are responsible.”
“The second conclusion is as long as Russia’s media campaign against Ukraine continues we can expect the hot war continue as well. They go hand in hand one to support the other.”