[VIDEO] On CNN, Grandmother Rips 'Black Lives Matter;' Marc Lamont Hill Blasts Back

On Monday's CNN Tonight, Don Lemon spotlighted the online "rant" of a grandmother who attacked the "Black Lives Matter" movement. In her video, Peggy Hubbard criticized the lack of outrage in her community over Jamyla Bolden, a nine year old child who was killed near Ferguson, Missouri: "Her life mattered; her dreams mattered; her vision mattered. She could have been the next secretary of state. She could have been the next attorney general. She never got a chance." Lemon interviewed Hubbard, who later later blasted the left-wing concept of "white privilege." 

[video below] Minutes later, liberal CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill went after the grandmother for her anti-"Black Lives Matter" rant: "We don't have to attack one movement to support another. We don't have to destroy the fine work that activists have been doing for the last year." Hill asserted that "some of us get so caught up in our pain and the, sort of, narratives that get put out by mainstream media, that we start rejecting our own, instead of accepting our own and being ourselves. That's the problem for me with this woman." He later ripped Bolden's contention about white supremacy as not being "grounded in reality." 

Lemon noted how "Black Lives Matter" decried the recent shooting of "Mansur Ball-Bey, a young black man who was killed by two white St. Louis police officers," and wondered, "Where is the outrage over another death – the death of...nine-year-old Jamyla Bolden – killed by a stray bullet in her home as she did her homework. At least one woman is very angry." He continued with two extended clips from Hubbard's online video.

The CNN anchor then turned to the grandmother, who first decried the lack of media coverage of Bolden's death, as well as the rioting in her home neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri over the police shooting of a suspect who shot at the law enforcement officers:

PEGGY HUBBARD, MADE VIDEO RANT ABOUT BLACK LIVES MATTER: Jamyla died the day before. I didn't hear anything on it on the news – and I'm an avid news watcher. Nothing was about – nothing was reported. It was just a blip. This guy dies – this bad guy dies – and all of a sudden, there's a full-blown riot in the neighborhood I grew up in. And there's nothing for her. And we're hollering, 'black lives matter.' He had his chance to matter. He chose his path. He chose his destiny. Jamyla never got her destiny. She never got her promises. Her life mattered; her dreams mattered; her vision mattered. She could have been the next secretary of state. She could have been the next attorney general. She never got a chance.

Via: Newsbusters

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[EDITORIAL] Our Officers at Risk

With the second wave of Ferguson protests marking the anniversary of the police shooting of a black teen — who assaulted and robbed a store clerk and then assaulted an officer when he attempted to detain him — there’s been a renewed, and ongoing, focus on the actions of police in such situations.

Police continue to be under the microscope — and on cellphone video — but many allegations of police brutality are absolutely absurd, and some tales are fabricated.

We’re not saying all cops are saints and their actions under stress are always correct.

Certainly there are bad apples in police departments, just like there are bad doctors, lawyers, even journalists.

And like all of us, they’re human and make mistakes.

But for the most part, based on our experiences dealing with police for many decades, the majority are sincere in their jobs to “serve and protect” citizens and property.

The fact is that police, deputies and other law enforcement officers daily face the risk that they will be assaulted, and wounded as they go about their job of investigating crimes and apprehending criminals. Sometimes they face danger in responding to routine calls.

It happened last week in Franklin County when a deputy encountered a suspect while investigating an armed robbery at a Villa Ridge business.

After hours of searching, a deputy answered reports of a suspicious man in a subdivision not far from the business. He approached the man who at first appeared cooperative.

Then the situation quickly changed and the deputy found himself looking down the barrel of a handgun the suspect pulled from his waistband.

In that instant, with his life on the line, he took action and charged the suspect. During an ensuing scuffle over the deputy’s gun, the suspect was shot in the head, but was not seriously wounded.

It turned out that the suspect has a long history of violent crimes in several states and was free on parole after serving a number of years in a federal prison. He now is facing new charges in Franklin County.

That is just one dramatic example of the dangers deputies face each day.

Over the weekend, a man who was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend on a float trip on the Meramec River fought deputies when they tried to take him into custody. He had to be stunned with a taser gun.

It’s another example of the risks that officers undertake to provide a peaceful society for all of us.

Like others, we’re fed up with all the jabs, both verbal and physical, being taken at police!

Via: Emissourian

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[OPINION] Stories such as Ferguson are difficult to discuss as news, not opinion

By far the story I’ve spoken with readers about the most this week was the centerpiece of the Sunday print edition. It was a look at how the U.S. has changed in the year since the death of Michael Brown in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson.

It included a variety of voices and data, and explored such uneasy topics as attitudes toward law enforcement among different racial groups. Some of those quoted were positive, and others negative.

The most common complaint was voiced by one emailer today:

“To say that Michael Brown was ‘…the unarmed black 18-year-old shot by white police officer Darren Wilson...’ is like saying Donald Trump is running for president. There is an awful lot that is unsaid. The facts of the Michael Brown shooting should not be ignored.”

I can’t argue with that though Brown’s death was really the taking-off point for the story. It didn’t attempt to recount the incident, which has been done ad nauseum over the past year.

But that goes two ways. Many of the readers I spoke to wanted the story to underline that Michael Brown had been seen on security footage strong-arming a convenience store clerk, and that he had alleged, but unproven, juvenile criminal records.

None of this information is new of course. But on the other hand, telling the “whole story” also means that facts about Darren Wilson that his supporters may be uncomfortable with as well should be included, including details about his attitudes on race from a recent New Yorker interview that many critics have found troubling.

This is one of those news events where I’ve felt readers really end up discussing their feelings about the case, rather than the journalism surrounding it. We all tend to impose good guy/bad guy thinking on these stories, where the truth often is that both sides bore at least some culpability in the outcome.

The one knock against this story and others like it is one I haven’t heard from readers, but I’ve thought myself: People on all sides of the issue are making some pretty big leaps in lumping too many incidents together when they really share very little in common.

The death of Trayvon Martin at the hands of a civilian has very little relationship to the question of others who have died in altercations with police officers. Those are matters of public policy and safety, while Martin’s death — while undeniably tragic — was caused by a private citizen, and really never should have become international news.

And further, the individual cases of other black people while in fights with police or under arrest are themselves disparate. I’ve argued many times that news events aren’t fiction, and there’s no such thing as symbolism or other narratives techniques there. It cheapens each of these people’s stories to weave them into an imaginary storyline, and journalists should be careful about drawing any parallels.

Via: Kansas City Star

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Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/public-editor/article31136117.html#storylink=cpy

Leftists FURIOUS After #Ferguson Police Officer Posts How He Spent His “Mike Brown Bonus” Cash

Leftists are FURIOUS after a Ferguson police officer posted how he spent his “Mike Brown bonus” cash this week with his wife.

Bakula and his wife took a bike ride, had dinner and stayed at a bed-and-breakfast.

They needed the downtime after the hectic week.

WTOP reported, via Free Republic:

St. Louis County police are investigating a Facebook post in which one of its officers discusses how he spent his “annual Michael Brown bonus.”

The Guardian (http://bit.ly/1LdORpa ) reports that Officer Todd Bakula posted on his Facebook page that he took his wife to a bed and breakfast using money earned for staffing the protests this week in Ferguson, where Brown was fatally shot by a white officer last year.

St. Louis County Sgt. Shawn McGuire told the newspaper that Bakula is a patrolman and the post would be investigated.

He also said the department understands the post is “controversial.”

The officer has taken down his facebook page.

Via: Gateway Pundit

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A Year After Ferguson Rioters Damaged Her Shop, Woman Rebuilding With Tea Party’s Help Is Robbed Again

This week, on the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, a familiar image came out of Ferguson, Mo., as protesters faced off against police in the city just as they did 12 months ago.

For one business owner, a night of rioting and looting disrupted a year of rebuilding not just her business, but a community.

Over the course of last year, Dellena Jones, owner of 911 Hair Salon on West Florissant Avenue, found an ally eager to help her rebuild: the St. Louis Tea Party Coalition.

But on Sunday, a group of young men shattered the left window of her beauty salon as protests flared once again in the St. Louis suburb.

Jones’ shop is located in the epicenter of where the protests occurred last year in Ferguson after Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, was killed by former police officer Darren Wilson.

The looters, who robbed the store after police shot and injured a young black man who allegedly fired several shots at officers, took beauty supplies such as scissors and curling irons and flipped over one of Jones’s hair dryers. It will likely cost hundreds of dollars to purchase a new hair dryer.

“I was hoping for the best and believing for the best,” Jones said in an interview with The Daily Signal of her expectations for the anniversary of Brown’s death. “We were expecting for things to be good, and if it weren’t, not [this] bad.”

For Jones, who worked for more than a decade at the salon before taking over as owner in 2012, the burglary came after a year of struggling to get her business back on its feet.

“It’s been very challenging,” Jones said. “I’ve been trying to keep up the bills here and at home. It’s proven to be very difficult and challenging and almost impossible.”

One year ago, as the nation turned to watch Ferguson following Brown’s death, Jones became a victim of the riots and looting that took place in its wake. Her store was one of more than 30 businesses looted and damaged. One business, a QuikTrip convenience store, was burned to the ground.

Jones estimated that in the last 12 months, the protests have caused her to lose roughly $75,000—a combination of lost revenue from a decrease in foot traffic along West Florissant Avenue and the cost of repairing her shop.

“You have all of these different protesters. They don’t pop into your business and say, ‘Hey, what do you need?’ or ‘Hey, are you all OK?’” Jones said. “It just seems like with the protests, it seems very selfish.”

After last year’s protests, the St. Louis Tea Party Coalitionrallied volunteers to participate in “buycotts” of Ferguson businesses to show people that yes, the stores in the town were open for business, and yes, it’s safe to shop in the city.

And over the last few months, the group has also been helping Jones put her store back together.

Via: Daily Signal

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Oath Keepers arrival at Ferguson protest ‘inflammatory,’ top cop says

Four white men armed with rifles who arrived early Tuesday at protests in Ferguson, Mo., said they were there to protect journalists, but they were not welcomed by police, who fear their presence could prove "inflammatory" amid demonstrations marking the one-year anniversary of the racially charged police shooting of a black man.

Members of the group "Oath Keepers," an association of current and former soldiers or law enforcement and self-professed guardians of the Constitution, told Reuters they were there to provide protection for journalists from the conservative website Infowars.com. But like the police, the mostly African-American protesters seemed to find their presence provocative.

"I hope some black "oath keepers" show up tonight," read one tweet. Another user tweeted, "If oath keepers were black, they would have been killed by the trigger happy white cops."

Meanwhile, authorities arrested nearly two dozen people during a protest that stretched into early Tuesday, marking the anniversary of the Aug. 9, 2014, fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, although there was no repeat of the violence that scarred weekend demonstrations. Police and community leaders are desperately hoping to avoid a replay of the rioting that occurred after Brown was shot and again in November, after a grand jury declined to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.

"Their presence was both unnecessary and inflammatory"

- Jon Belmar, the St. Louis County police chief

On Tuesday, there were no shots fired and no burglaries, looting or property damage during the protest along West Florissant Avenue, St. Louis County police spokesman Shawn McGuire said. That thoroughfare was the focus of months of massive protests and sometimes violent unrest last summer after the killing of Brown by a Ferguson police officer. McGuire said approximately 23 arrests were made, though police were still confirming official totals.Four white men armed with rifles who arrived early Tuesday at protests in Ferguson, Mo., said they were there to protect journalists, but they were not welcomed by police, who fear their presence could prove "inflammatory" amid demonstrations marking the one-year anniversary of the racially charged police shooting of a black man.

Members of the group "Oath Keepers," an association of current and former soldiers or law enforcement and self-professed guardians of the Constitution, told Reuters they were there to provide protection for journalists from the conservative website Infowars.com. But like the police, the mostly African-American protesters seemed to find their presence provocative.

"I hope some black "oath keepers" show up tonight," read one tweet. Another user tweeted, "If oath keepers were black, they would have been killed by the trigger happy white cops."

Meanwhile, authorities arrested nearly two dozen people during a protest that stretched into early Tuesday, marking the anniversary of the Aug. 9, 2014, fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, although there was no repeat of the violence that scarred weekend demonstrations. Police and community leaders are desperately hoping to avoid a replay of the rioting that occurred after Brown was shot and again in November, after a grand jury declined to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.

"Their presence was both unnecessary and inflammatory"

- Jon Belmar, the St. Louis County police chief

On Tuesday, there were no shots fired and no burglaries, looting or property damage during the protest along West Florissant Avenue, St. Louis County police spokesman Shawn McGuire said. That thoroughfare was the focus of months of massive protests and sometimes violent unrest last summer after the killing of Brown by a Ferguson police officer. McGuire said approximately 23 arrests were made, though police were still confirming official totals.

Via: Fox News

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Black Lives Matter Racists Strike Again

Ferguson, MO turned once again into a scene of violent race hatred when a man police authorities say opened fire on them on the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death was critically wounded when police returned fire. He released a “remarkable amount of gunfire” against the officers using a stolen handgun, explained St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar. That incident occurred shortly after “an exchange of gunfire between two groups” Belmar described as criminals, not protesters. “There is a small group of people out there that are intent on making sure that peace doesn’t prevail,” he said.

So-called “peaceful” protests in Ferguson on Sunday descended into shootings, as well as protesters pelting cops with rocks and bottles. Protestors marking the one-year anniversary of the confrontation between Michael Brown and officer Darren Wilson that resulted in Brown’s death roasted and ate a pig with a policeman’s hat on its head and the words #Darren Wilson scrawled on its body. Make no mistake, the roasted, consumed pig represented more than Darren Wilson, but was a representation of “white” police forces, whom #BlackLivesMatter (BLM) activist view as the enforcers of the white power structure that deliberately oppresses black people. As the protest worn on in Ferguson, people once again engaged in looting a beauty store, police were injured by debris tossed at them, and members of the mob chanted, “We’re ready for what? We’re ready for war.”

On Saturday at Westlake Park in Seattle, WA Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was ultimately driven from the stage when a group of BLM protestors stepped on the podium and took control of the microphone. Sanders was on hand to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Social Security and Medicare. He had begun to deliver his address thanking Seattle for being “one of the most progressive cities in the United States of America.” That was as far as he got before two women strolled onto the stage and grabbed the microphone. One of the two made their intentions clear. “If you do not listen to her, your event will be shut down now,” Sanders was told. After an exchange ensued with screaming protesters, event organizers relented and allowed the demonstrators to proceed.

The largely white crowd was not particularly appreciative, showering the protesters with boos and chants about allowing Sanders to speak. A few urged the police to take control. That was too much for protester Marissa Johnson. “I was going to tell Bernie how racist this city is, filled with its progressives, but you did it for me,” she declared. And true to the racist underpinnings of BLM movement Johnson further insisted the audience was guilty of “white supremacist liberalism.”

Via: Canada Free Press

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[VIDEO] State of emergency issued in St. Louis County, Mo.

St. Louis County, Mo. has issued a state of emergency following a spate of violence amid protests marking the one-year anniversary of the death of Michael Brown.

“In light of last night’s violence and unrest in the City of Ferguson, and the potential for harm to persons and property, I am exercising my authority as county executive to issue a state of emergency, effective immediately,” St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger said in a statement obtained by FOX2.

Stenger said Police Chief Jon Belmar will have the authority to “exercise all powers and duties necessary to preserve order, prevent crimes, and protect the life and property of our citizens.”

Two instances of gun violence broke out Sunday night as protesters commemorated the death of Brown, an unarmed black man shot by a white police officer. One of the incidents allegedly involved a gunman firing at a group of police in an unmarked fan. Cops returned fire and the suspect is currently in critical condition in the hospital.

“The recent acts of violence will not be tolerated in a community that has worked so tirelessly over the last year to rebuild and become stronger,” Stenger said in the statement. “The time and investment in Ferguson and Dellwood will not be destroyed by a few that wish to violate the rights of others.”

Via: Fox News

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[VIDEO] POLICE: SUSPECT SHOT NEAR FERGUSON RALLY CRITICALLY INJURED

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) -- A suspect who authorities say opened fire on officers in Ferguson, Missouri, on the anniversary of Michael Brown's death was critically wounded when the officers shot back, St. Louis County's police chief said early Monday.

Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference that officers had been tracking the suspect, who they believed was armed, during a protest marking the death of Brown, the black, unarmed 18-year-old whose killing by a white Ferguson police officer touched off a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.

The suspect approached the plainclothes officers, who were in an unmarked police van, and opened fire, Belmar said. The officers shot back at him from inside the vehicle and then pursued him on foot when he ran.

The suspect again fired on the officers, the chief said, and all four officers fired back. He was struck and fell.

The suspect was taken to a hospital, where Belmar said he was in "critical, unstable" condition. Authorities didn't immediately release the identities of anyone involved, but Tyrone Harris told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the injured suspect was his son, 18-year-old Tyrone Harris Jr.

The elder Harris told the newspaper shortly after 3 a.m. that his son had just gotten out of surgery.

None of the officers was seriously injured. All four have been put on standard administrative leave. They were not wearing body cameras, Belmar said.

The shooting happened shortly after a separate incident that the chief called "an exchange of gunfire between two groups" rang out around 11:15 p.m. Sunday while protesters were gathered on West Florissant Avenue, a business zone that saw rioting and looting last year after Brown's killing. The shots sent protesters and reporters running for cover.

The chief said an estimated six shooters unleashed a "remarkable" amount of gunfire over about 45 seconds.

Belmar waved off any notion that the people with the weapons were part of the protest.

"They were criminals. They weren't protesters," he said.

The suspect who fired on officers had a semi-automatic 9 mm gun that was stolen last year from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, according to the chief.

"There is a small group of people out there that are intent on making sure that peace doesn't prevail," he said. "There are a lot of emotions. I get it. But we can't sustain this as we move forward."

Some protest groups were critical of police.

"It was a poor decision to use plainclothes officers in a protest setting because it made it difficult for people to identify police officers, which is essential to the safety of community members," Kayla Reed, a field organizer with the Organization of Black Struggle, said in a statement.

"After a year of protest and conversation around police accountability, having plainclothes officers without body cameras and proper identification in the protest setting leaves us with only the officer's account of the incident, which is clearly problematic."

Early Monday, another reported shooting drew officers to an apartment building in the area. Two males told police they were targeted in a drive-by shooting near the memorial to Brown outside Canfield Apartments. A 17-year-old was shot in the chest and shoulder while a 19-year-old was shot in the chest, but their injuries were not life-threatening, the St. Louis County Police said in a news release.

Separately, police said a 17-year-old suspect has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon and one count of resisting arrest after he fired shots near the protesters late Sunday. He is being held on $100,000 bond.

The anniversary of Brown's killing, which cast greater scrutiny on how police interact with black communities, has sparked days of renewed protests, though until Sunday they had been peaceful and without any arrests.

Before the gunfire, protesters were blocking traffic and confronting police. One person threw a glass bottle at officers but missed.

For the first time in three consecutive nights of demonstrations, some officers were dressed in riot gear, including bullet-proof vests and helmets with shields. Police at one point early Monday shot smoke to disperse the crowd that lingered on West Florissant, Belmar said.

One officer was treated for cuts after a rock was thrown at his face, and two officers were pepper-sprayed by protesters, county police spokesman Officer Shawn McGuire said in an email. Five people were arrested, according to records McGuire released.

Several other peaceful events earlier Sunday were held to mark the anniversary.

Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., led a march through town. It started at the site where Brown was fatally shot by officer Darren Wilson. A grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November.

Later, a few hundred people turned out at Greater St. Mark Family Church for a service to remember Brown, with his father joining other relatives sitting behind the pulpit.

Organizers of some of the weekend activities pledged a day of civil disobedience on Monday, but have not offered specific details.

Via: AP

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Are We In for Another High-Crime Era After the Response to Ferguson and Baltimore?

Are we seeing a reversal of the 20-year decline in violent crime in America? A new nationwide crime wave?

Heather Mac Donald fears we are, and as a premier advocate and analyst of the policing strategy pioneered by Rudy Giuliani in New York City and copied and adapted throughout the country, she is to be taken seriously. And the statistics she presented in an article in last weekend's Wall Street Journal are truly alarming.

Gun violence is up 60 percent in Baltimore so far this year compared to 2014. Homicides are up 180 percent in Milwaukee, 25 percent in St. Louis, 32 percent in Atlanta and 13 percent in New York in the same period.

Why is this happening? Mac Donald writes, "The most plausible explanation of the current surge in lawlessness is the intense agitation against American police departments over the past nine months."

That's a reference to the reactions to the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y., last summer, and to the death this spring of Freddie Gray in Baltimore.

The narrative propagated by mainstream media, the Eric Holder Justice Department and the Barack Obama White House was that unarmed innocent blacks were being slaughtered by racist police. "Black lives matter," read the hashtag, as if most cops believed the opposite.

The facts of these cases, as revealed through competent investigations, did not support the meme. In one case in which video evidence did, in South Carolina, the policeman was quickly charged with murder by local authorities.

But the propagation of the racist-cops narrative was followed by days of rioting in Ferguson last year and Baltimore last month. The (perhaps misspoken) response of Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake: "We also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well."

Another response: Across the country, Mac Donald notes, "offices scale back on proactive policing under the onslaught of anti-cop rhetoric." Proactive "broken windows" policing is being replaced by non-benign neglect. The victims of the increased numbers of homicides are almost all black.

Via: Real Clear Politics

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Ferguson Protesters Now Protesting Over Not Getting Paid

At least some of the protesters who looted, rioted, burned buildings and overturned police cars in Ferguson, Missouri, last year were promised payment of up to $5,000 per month to join the protests.

However, when the Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE), the successor group to the now-bankrupt St. Louis branch of ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), stiffed the protesters, they launched a sit-in protest at the headquarters of MORE and created a Twitter page to demand their money, the Washington Times reports.

Presidential candidate and former Rep. Allen B. West, R-Fl., noted on his website, "Instead of being thankful for getting off the unemployment line for a few weeks and having a little fun protesting, the paid rioters who tore up Ferguson, MO, are protesting again.

"First of all, can you even imagine getting paid $5,000.00 a month for running around holding a sign and burning down an occasional building? That's around $1,250.00 per week. Try making that at McDonalds or Starbucks."

The Kansas City Star estimates that the Ferguson riots, characterized as a spontaneous eruption of anger over the shooting of unarmed black criminal Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, cost the county $4.2 million.

Millennial Activists United (MAU) posted a letter on their website stating, "On May 14, 2015 many individuals and organizations of the protest movement that began in Ferguson, Missouri, organized a sit-in in the office of Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE). The demand was simple: Cut the checks.

"Questions have been raised as to how the movement is to sustain when white non-profits are hoarding monies collected of off (sic) black bodies? When we will (sic) hold the industry of black suffering accountable? The people of the community are fed up and the accountability begins here and now," the 
letter continues.

Via: Newsmax

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