Hindsight is always 20-20: stop the violence

Race & politics aside, on August 9th two peoples lives were forever changed; one was cut short at the young age of 18 & another man will 2nd guess his decisions for the rest of Eternity.

The entire exchange between the 18 year old Michael Brown and officer Wilson only took 90 seconds from start to finish but now people will debate over their actions for years to come.

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I admit I didn't follow this case for the last 108 days but I can not believe the barbaric behavior that is going on in protest to the verdict of one man.  Right, wrong or indifferent, the photos of the rioting that is going on almost resemble that of a natural catastrophe or terrorist attack.

Long time family friend 19 year old Kenlen Morse shares the following Monday night during the Riots and I could not agree more. "this ferguson crap is ridiculous. WHITES ARE THE MINORITY. not all whites are racist. not all blacks are criminals. not all Mexicans are illegal. not all asains are smart. the stereotypes need to end. "equality" will never exist, although it is written in the court of law. the fact that I was talking about blacks and a black man corrected me by saying "*African American" makes me crazy because if you are implying that I need to call you an African American then I will expect you to call me a "Caucasian" in return. I HATE when people pull the race card. I do not care about the color of your skin. if you are nice to me, I will be nice to you. but if you think whites don't struggle, you are wrong. EVERYONE OF ALL RACES STRUGGLE WHY DOES THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN CHANGE PEOPES VIEWS."  

In today's age with social media and news outlets reporting what is good for ratings and not just the news, people are quick to form a biased stance and instantly we all have Law Degree's from Yale University.  It's good we have opinions but it is nearly Impossible for us to say what we would do in someone else's situation.  If you have the time, educate yourself on the facts, try to have some compassion & resist the urge that someone has to be "Right or Wrong" because that is subjective.                                         STOP THE VIOLENCE

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4,799 pages of grand jury testimony and evidence in the Darren Wilson case.  

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Ferguson Timeline: Grief, Anger And Tension

Aug. 9: Brown is shot by Wilson around noon local time on Canfield Drive in Ferguson, Mo., just outside St. Louis. Wilson was responding to another call but encountered Brown.

Earlier, Brown and a friend, Dorian Johnson, were videotaped in a nearby convenience store, Ferguson Market and Liquor, apparently stealing a box of cigars. Someone at the store placed a 911 call and a police dispatcher put out a description of Brown. It's unclear whether Wilson was aware of that report before the altercation with Brown.

Witness testimony differs: Some say Brown, who was unarmed, assaulted Wilson in his police vehicle and tried to grab his gun. Johnson said there was no struggle for the weapon. Another witness says Wilson tried to draw Brown into his vehicle. All accounts seem to agree that Brown was killed after he ran but then turned back toward the patrol car.

Aug. 10: St. Louis County police Chief Joe Belmar says in a news conference that Brown was unarmed but had assaulted the officer, who had not been named at that point. Belmar says one shot was fired inside the car and another outside the car.

Aug. 10-13: Several nights of peaceful and not-so-peaceful protests. Police fire tear gas and arrest dozens of people, many charged with vandalism and rioting. Many accuse the police of a heavy-handed approach in dealing with the city's black residents.

Aug. 14: President Obama addresses the nation and urges calm and an "open and transparent" investigation into Brown's death. Gov. Jay Nixon announces that the Missouri Highway Patrol, led by Capt. Ron Johnson, will take over security in Ferguson. A night of demonstrations is nonviolent for the first time in days.

Aug. 15: Police name Darren Wilson as the officer who shot Brown. Video of the convenience store robbery allegedly perpetrated by Brown and Johnson is made public for the first time. Clashes between police and protesters resume. Nearly 200 people are arrested.

Aug. 16: Nixon declares a state of emergency and curfew in Ferguson.

Aug. 18: Nixon orders the National Guard to be deployed to the St. Louis suburb.

President Obama announces that Attorney General Eric Holder will be dispatched to Ferguson to monitor the situation there.

Aug. 20: A grand jury begins investigating the actions of Wilson.

Aug. 21: As calm appears to return to Ferguson, Nixon orders the National Guard to begin withdrawing from the city.

Aug. 25: Brown's funeral service draws family, friends and strangers to the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis.

Aug. 25-Sept. 26: Sporadic protests continue in Ferguson.

Sept. 27: A Ferguson police officer is shot while responding to a burglary. The shooting does not appear to be connected to the Brown case.

Oct. 14: Police arrest dozens of people during fresh protests in Ferguson.

Oct. 22: A leaked autopsy report on Brown is published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It reportedly supports accounts that there was an altercation between Brown and Wilson at the officer's patrol car. A toxicology screening also reportedly suggests that Brown had marijuana in his system at the time of his death.

Nov. 17: Nixon declares a state of emergency and activates the National Guard in anticipation of a grand jury decision on whether to indict Wilson.

Nov. 24: St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert McCulloch announces that a grand jury decided not to indict police officer Wilson for any crimes related to the fatal shooting of Brown.

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