Michigan legislative action thread
Posted on 01/31/2015 8:05:29 PM PST by cripplecreek
A group of more than a hundred gathered in front of Ann Arbor's Justice Center and City Hall Saturday at 4:30 p.m. to protest Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie's decision to not charge police officer David Ried in the fatal shooting of 40-year-old Aura Rosser.
Monique Barker was the first to speak to the crowd through a megaphone outside 310 East Huron Street, which houses City Hall, the 15th District Court and the Ann Arbor Police Department.
"You can pretend that she deserved to die or that her life doesn't matter, so long as you're a cop or a racist ally of this system of oppression," she said. "All lives matter. Black lives matter. Black women's lives matter. Aura Rosser's life matters."
Barker and a group of organizers then took over downtown Ann Arbor streets, disrupting traffic and frustrating some motorists. They carried signs that read: "Black lives matter" and "Prosecute Ried" while shouting chants like, "Show me how democracy works, this is how democracy works!"
The protesters went south on Fifth Avenue to Washington, headed east to State, went south to Liberty, and then went west until they got to Main Street.
At Main Street and Huron, one of downtown Ann Arbor's busiest intersections, the crowd stopped and effectively took it over. Many sat for a moment of silence. Vehicle traffic stopped. Ann Arbor police showed up to help direct traffic, but the protest remained peaceful.
Ann Arbor police said there were no arrests and the demonstration broke up a little after 6 p.m.
Melvin Parson, of Ann Arbor, said the issue of police brutality brought him to the event.
"I would like to assume that the prosecutor's decision was based on sound evidence and not based upon certain systemic influences," he said.
Claire Whitlinger, a sociology graduate student at U-M, said she wasn't quite sure what she felt about the prosecutor's report.
"This is a really complicated issue," she said. "I do know that we really need to fundamentally change the way we do policing. The people being most affected are African Americans and I'm not OK with that."
Rosser was attacking her boyfriend, 54-year-old Victor Stephens, in the hallway of his home at 2083 Winewood Ave. in Ann Arbor around 11:45 p.m. Nov. 9 when police arrived after being called by Stephens, according to a 12-page memo issued by the prosecutor Friday evening. Video: Protestors take the streets after police officer not indicted for Aura Rosser shooting.
"After the officers yelled at Ms. Rosser to drop the knife, she came at the officers with the knife still raised in an attack position," Mackie said in a release. "Ms. Rosser ignored repeated commands to drop the knife. As she continued to advance on the officers, Officer Ried fired one shot from his department issued handgun, killing Rosser."
Mackie determined the killing was justified and did not choose to prosecute.
At least that's what you would think these people want.
The idiot protesters throw strings of words together like “systemic influences” like they’re saying something profound but what does it even mean?
Well, I'm not a cop so I must be "a racist ally of this system of oppression".
There's a race war raging, I didn't start it but I have chosen sides.
...by the criminal activities of African Americans.
They'd find themselves in far fewer of these bad situations if they'd obey the laws and avoid threatening armed police officers.
Or is that too difficult a concept for them to comprehend?
All I know is that there isn’t a judge in the state who would convict a private citizen in similar circumstances. Our stand your ground law is pretty much identical to the one in Florida.
it MEAN...Get Witey,,,,no wut Im sayin n whatevuh
woman was cookin SEAFOOD...n whatevuh...../S
I once saw a western movie where the good guy was sitting at the bar and a bad guy was sneaking up behind him, knife in hand. The good guy didn't even turn around just drew his pistol and while looking in the bar room mirror, shot the knife out of the bad guys hand.
Now, why didn't the cops just do that in this case?
The good guys always shoot the bad guys in the hand.
Yeah. I could absolutely care less about skin color. I only care about character and belief systems.
But if someone wants to treat me badly because I am white or male or for some reason other than my actions and behavior... I will respond with the appropriate level of force to make them stop.
I hope the welfare pimps (many of whom had good intentions) are proud. Between that and legal abortion the black community in the US has been all but destroyed. And now many want to finish the job by promoting racial anger and hatred - which is real bright when you comprise 15% of the population.
That’s why there used to be so many guys called Lefty.
Well, I profess to know what the words mean (being a retired writer and all), but I doubt that the speaker cared.
I watched this video and see this stupid young white girl holding up a sign that reads, “End Police Violence.”
I would like to get her delusional azz another sign that reads, “End Black Violence.”
Black violence is killing a lot more innocent people than “police violence” so let’s take a look at that too you clueless idiot. She would rather be in denial than address black violence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0RAYuc19bs
Officer Ried did not have a mirror or he would have for sure.
Even the educated black people side with the rabble.
Yes there is, but right now, only one side is engaging in combat operations, and so far, the other side has yet to enter the fray. When they do, they might find themselves fighting the government. Judging from the scum bags in charge now, the government will come in on the side of the other scum bags in the streets.
I guess they felt left out there...
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