Ferguson

[Content Note: Police brutality; images of aimed weapons; racism.]

Yesterday, the National Guard arrived in Ferguson, adding another layer of militarism to the scene of protests advocating for justice. The National Guard set up to defend the police's "command center," and the police kept everyone moving all night, disallowing anyone from standing still. If they wanted to protest, they had to march. Which is a clear violation of the right to assemble, but the police aren't especially concerned with rights in Ferguson, in case you hadn't noticed.

During an early evening interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said that cops "provide first amendment rights." Which I'm sure would be dismissed as his having "misspoke," if anyone with a platform actually bothered to challenge him on it, but that's sure an interesting bit of "misspeaking," no? The idea that police are the arbiters of who gets rights is what led to the shooting of Michael Brown in the first place, and that contention has underwritten every garbage decision by the state since.

Everything was pretty calm through most of the evening, but then, in a repeat of virtually every other night for more than a week, as soon as the sunlight fell from the sky, things changed. The police announced over a loud speaker that people should take their children home, and, despite the fact that the curfew had been lifted, announced over a loud speaker: "Get off the street. You are unlawfully assembled."

They told people to keep moving and get off the streets, but:


Different rules—and rights—for the police and the people.

Things devolved quickly (in no small part because of opportunistic white agitators from out of town, who have zero concern for the welfare of the people of Ferguson), and tear gas was deployed once again. Police had their weapons trained on protestors and members of the media.


More members of the media were detained, and there were 31 arrests by the end of the day, including Hedy Epstein, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor, who was wearing a shirt reading "Stay Human."

Police Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Michael Brown, still has not been taken into custody or indicted.

Meanwhile, CNN Anchor Rosemary Church asked on air why police aren't using water cannons to disperse protesters. Seriously. In the year of our lord Jesus Jones two thousand and fourteen, a white woman actually asked on air why predominantly white police aren't using water cannons against predominantly black protesters.


In materially better work for CNN, Jake Tapper demonstrates clearly and concisely that it is police who are escalating tensions in Ferguson:


CNN's Jake Tapper Going In by 3030fm

Jake Tapper, a thin white middle-aged male reporter, holding a microphone, walks in a wide space between protesters and police in Ferguson last night. The footage is labeled onscreen as "Police and Protesters in Tense Standoff."

Offscreen, Don Lemon says: "Jake Tapper is out on the streets as well. Jake, ah, for the moment it appears to have quieted down where we are. We did see a huge force of police officers heading the other way, closer to that QuikTrip, uh, where you and I have been staged."

Jake Tapper: "I just want to show you this, Don. I just want to show you this, okay? Let me just give you an idea of what's going on. The protestors—here's this main intersection—the protestors have moved all the way down there. They're about half a block down here. [asks cameraman to turn camera] They're all the way down there, okay? Nobody's threatening anything; nobody's doing anything; none of the stores here that I can see are being looted; there's no violence."

He turns so that the camera follows to face the police line. "Now I want you to look at what is going on in Ferguson, Missouri—in Downtown America, okay? These are armed police. With machine—ah, not machine guns— With semi-automatic rifles, with batons, with shields, many of them dressed for combat. Now why they're doing this I don't know. Because there is no threat going on here." [gestures toward protestors] "None. That merits this." [gestures toward police]

"There is none, okay? Absolutely, there have been looters; absolutely over the last nine days, there's been violence. But there is nothing going on on this street right now that merits this scene out of Bagram. Nothing. So, if people wonder why the people of Ferguson, Missouri, are so upset, this is part of the reason! What is this?! This doesn't make any sense!"

Yeah.