Cops Aren’t Stopping the Looting in Ferguson, So the Protesters Are!

Things escalated once again late Friday evening in Ferguson, Missouri. An incredible uprising against the police state has been on-going in the streets there ever since the murder of seventeen year old Mike Brown, an unarmed teenager who was shot ten times by Officer Darren Wilson.

Things seemed to be going smoothly after the peace (PR?) gesture by Captain Ron Johnson where he lead the march side by side with protesters, vowed no more SWAT and that they would treat people with respect.

That ended tonight.

Media was threatened with arrest, protesters and press alike were given a 60 minute warning to disperse before being tear gassed, and reports of fireworks and smoke grenades flooded the internet.

Things are getting very heated in #Ferguson right now. Media have already been told they are not exempt from arrest

— Jess Camacho (@CamachoJess) August 16, 2014

Protesters scatter after police fire concussion grenades and pepper spray. pic by @kodacohen #ferguson pic.twitter.com/HfqYHeWeb4

— Lynden Steele (@manofsteele) August 16, 2014

Protesters began chanting “we are ready” at the police, and social media was on fire with eye witness reports coming in by the second.

Protesters in #Ferguson egging on police in standoff in middle of street chanting "we're ready!!"

— David Douglas (@DavidDouglasTV) August 16, 2014

Then the looting kicked back up. Focus rapidly changed. Many started virtually shaking their heads at the protesters once again, but what those people didn’t seem to notice was this-

4-5 business had door glass broken by looters. Protestors quickly blocked the entrance.

— Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) August 16, 2014

Some protestors in #Ferguson are positioning themselves to stop looters. If only the law were on those people's side.

— JRehling (@JRehling) August 16, 2014

Despite fears of being arrested themselves, many protesters put themselves at risk to protect these local businesses. Even an attempt to loot the store that Michael Brown allegedly stole from was stopped by protesters, according to reports.

Protestors posted up to protect a store from looting. #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/3UPRjqabWD

— justified agitator (@Awkward_Duck) August 16, 2014

So @stlcountypd says it pulled its officers from Ferguson Market and allowed looters to have their way. PD told by commanders to not engage

— FOX2now (@FOX2now) August 16, 2014

Remarkably, the police decided to hold back and not engage the looters.

The departments decision not to stop them, very shortly after assaulting crowds of protesters with pepper spray and arresting peaceful protesters, left many wondering who the police consider the real threat.

2/2 protesters trying to stop looters asking why police stops protests but not looting. And not always so easy to see who's who #Ferguson

— Alice Speri (@alicesperi) August 16, 2014

The media is already seeming to change the narrative to protesters versus looters and overlooking the police role in all of it.

It is important to point out that Thursday night when militarized police were not present, there was no conflict.

Friday night protesters and media were assaulted by police and threatened with arrest just for being there and there was chaos.

Whatever protest tactics are being used, the real important thing we all need to remember is this:

The sad accuracy! "Truth is we are ALL one bullet away from being a #Hashtag" #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/S60lq0CEv5

— αηιs (@theblogpirate) August 16, 2014

Daniel Williams:

August 16, 2014 at 6:18 PM

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/remove-ability-police-be-paid-during-administrative-leave/1trpGZSh

Steve Jesse DeOrnellis:

August 17, 2014 at 2:48 AM

The person who wrote this trash shouldn't be allowed to report anymore. You don't even know how old the guy was. They haven't released how many times he was hit. The reason city/county police didn't respond to any calls in Ferguson is because State Patrol, the beloved peaceful Captain Johnson, told them to ignore any and all calls from that area. That resulted in even more businesses being destroyed, including the store that Brown robbed. You don't understand anything about the situation. Please stop spreading misinformation.

Matt Heineck:
August 17, 2014 at 2:49 PM
Welp, we can see who is part of the problem and who is part of the solution now, can't we?
Erika Domnick:
August 18, 2014 at 2:36 PM
Steve, they have revealed how many times he was shot, and where on his body he was shot, as well as the projectile of at least one of the bullets- the one that went in the top/back of his head at close range. The reason the cops aren't responding is because they HOPE the actions of a few, will somehow obliterate what caused all the unrest in the first place. Protesters are protecting their own streets, and respecting the business owners in the area. Guess cops aren't as necessary as some people believe. You appear to be very uninformed and yet you latch onto, with relish, "that Brown robbed". Check your Nazi rulebook- it is not punishable by death- yet.

Donald Acevedo:

August 16, 2014 at 5:17 PM

Yes Excellent !! Do not destroy your neighborhood , go after the ones who killed him , the cops and their properties , guarantee they'll think twice if you bring the violence to them

Allan Hobbs:
August 16, 2014 at 5:45 PM
You do know that they pulled local police from duty, right? And that the shooter responsible has already been identified and announced? Oh what am I saying, of course not, you don't know anything, you're a football fan.
Allan Hobbs:
August 16, 2014 at 5:48 PM
Don Guns Acevedo lol. Good one, mate. I am stunned by your impressive display of wit.
Donald Acevedo:
August 16, 2014 at 5:53 PM
Allan Hobbs glad i could oblige even though i did lose 20 IQ points reading your post and it wasn't because im a football fan
Allan Hobbs:
August 16, 2014 at 5:54 PM
Don Guns Acevedo LOL okay, mr. "Too smart for school" You are a football fan, therefore you are an idiot. It's called cause and effect, my friend!
Allan Hobbs:
August 16, 2014 at 6:00 PM
Don Guns Acevedo No you're a football fan for being an idiot. But you're clearly too stupid to even spell simple words correctly, let alone understand the concept. *pats head* Awww how cute. It thinks it's clever.
Donald Acevedo:
August 16, 2014 at 6:07 PM
Allan Hobbs What words?? You used condom
Donald Acevedo:
August 17, 2014 at 5:58 AM
Allan Hobbs called the Facebook Police on me , they deleted some of my other comments i made to the Dullard
Cameron 'bigcountry' Fassbender:
August 18, 2014 at 8:50 PM
Allan Hobbs I'm a football fan wtf you gunna do about it? Your posts are litterally irrelevant to anything of this article get the fuck outta here
Donald Acevedo:
August 18, 2014 at 11:54 PM
Cameron 'bigcountry' Fassbender Be careful , he called the Facecrook cops on me 3 times and they deleted 3 of my comments

Sean P. Pratt:

August 18, 2014 at 10:03 AM

The police allowed the looting of a local store in order to change the narrative of the protest. It is easier to deomonize looters than peaceful protestors.

When the community stepped up (many of whom would be considered threatening based solely on their looks) to protect the businesses of that community from looters, the media outlets ignore this act of bravery and conscience.

I may not be in Ferguson, but I stand with all of you there. No unarmed person should ever be murdered by law enforcement no matter what their aleged crime is. We have a legal system (skewed at the moment by class distinction, racial bias, and a privatized prison system) and the police are not, and cannot be allowed to be, judge/jury/executioner.

No one should be murdered by law enforcement, ever. That includes black, latino, white, asian, martian, I don't care who you are. Whether Michael Brown actually robbed a store or not does not give the police the right to murder him. Remember, officer Darren Wilson was not responding to a robbery call. He was not questioning Michael Brown about the alleged robbery. No, instead he was verbally assualting Michael and his friend, harassing them, and violating their civil liberties before executing the young man.

Erika Domnick:
August 18, 2014 at 2:31 PM
excellent post, Sean. Appreciate your insight and intelligence- agree with every word.
Sean P. Pratt:
August 18, 2014 at 3:09 PM
Thank you kindly
Sean P. Pratt:
August 19, 2014 at 9:48 AM
The narrative, as in the entire situation in Ferguson, which has become a microcosm of America?

Looters exist wherever there is natural diasters and social upheaval. The police are trying to foster looting and violence in order to undermine the community and exhonerate officer Wilson's actions. In other words, if the general populace looks at Ferguson and sees criminals and the worst of humanity (as portrayed by media outlets like FoxNews) then they will cheer on the police, as they did in Boston in the aftermath of the Marathon Bombings.

The looters are a minority within that community. The majority of people who live there want justice, they want an end to discrimination from the police, they want peace in their community. That is why they are protesting. Their entire lives have been spent looking at the end of a cop's gun.

Doushon F Mandic:

August 17, 2014 at 2:45 AM

WTF???

Jon Lanham:
August 17, 2014 at 3:06 AM
most of the protesters aren't looters, the looters are people who are just taking advantage of the situation, but the protest is legit. i'm tired of the cops getting away with crazy shit too, so i support the protests.
Stacey Baird:
August 18, 2014 at 3:01 AM
Jon Lanham It takes a village.

Sara See:

September 2, 2014 at 8:07 AM

Again, another inaccurate story on Free Thought Project!! You people are completely oblivious to the reality of violence. As to why police didn't stop looters, they were ordered to stand down. Thank your beloved Captain Hug -a- thug Johnson for that one. To engage looters would bring police to actively have to engage criminals who might resist and then then later claim they were targeted for no reason!!! How do you think he is able to claim he brought a little peace back to the protest?

Tony Katkus:

August 27, 2014 at 4:52 PM

Okay. Here is my radical view. This increase in law enforcement aggressiveness,and violence,is in fact escalation of a continued escalation of refusal to obey,respect and comply with lawful police orders. I personally hate police, but at the end of the day,they have the badge and the gun. And 9999 times out of 10,000 times,if you do what you are asked,no harm will come to you. But thanks to rhetoric of the ever popular,it's just because I'm a certain race chant, it continues to get worse. So much so,that even black police officers are accused of racism. Stereotypes do not materialize out of thin air. They are based on experience and factual history. I'm sorry,but if you want to look like a thug/gangsta, expect to get profiled as one! If you want to look like an acid toting,pot smoking hippie, than don't be surprised if you are stopped under suspicion of being such. Tired of all this PCism BS being an excuse for not behaving like civilized human beings. Especially in our inner city ghettos,where being shot by the cops is considered heroic. No matter what the reason.

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Cops Aren’t Stopping the Looting in Ferguson, So the Protesters Are!