Capt. Johnson CRITICIZES Ferguson police chief presser: SAYS ALLEGED ROBBERY SEPARATE FROM SHOOTING

[bigtree]

Keith Boykin ‏@keithboykin (CNBC contributor. MSNBC commentator. BET columnist.)1h

Capt. Ronald Johnson criticizes Ferguson police chief press conference, says alleged robbery separate from shooting.




Captain Ronald Johnson, the Missouri State Highway officer widely credited for restoring peace to the city of Ferguson, was not happy with how the news of Michael Brown’s alleged involvement in a strong-arm robbery prior to his death was presented.

“I think we probably could have said some things a little bit different at that press conference, and maybe given out some information in a different way,” Johnson said calmly in an impromptu interview with KSDK, adding that he was not part of any discussions about how to proceed with the press conference.

His concern: Ferguson Police Chief *Thomas Jackson only released documents and evidence pertaining to Brown’s involvement in a convenience store robbery (in which he did not have a weapon), but failed to release anything about the shooting itself.

“I think the robbery and the shooting are two separate issues. People in our country commit crimes every day,” he observed. “I don’t want to mix the two, I’m not going to say that one justifies the other, and I think if we’re going to give answers, we need to not give hints. We need to say it.”

read/watch: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/cpt-ron-johnson-slams-ferguson-presser-shooting-and-alleged-robbery-are-two-separate-issues/

[conservaphobe]

1. He is the leader Ferguson needs right now.

I'm glad he's there.

[Skidmore]

3. He sure is.

They should be removing the police chief and putting this man in his place. I also liked that he cautioned the one man on directing anger appropriately by not "burning down our own house" and destroying the community. This is a good man and a true leader.

[joeybee12]

8. Agree..nt

[uponit7771]

13. Amen

[Initech]

40. A silent guardian, a watchful protector, a dark knight.

[sufrommich]

2. He's answering questions from the people instead of the press.

I love that. I predict he has a future in politics,he's a natural leader.

[Robbins]

4. You have to respect him

Unlike the fergusion Police chief.

While Jay Nixon deserves some criticm I think puting him In Charge was good decsion.

[bigtree]

5. remarks up now in op

[JustAnotherGen]

6. I love this man

I just love him! He's absolutely right!

We all had to ignore Zimmerman's being a sexual molester and previous tendency towards violence -

So now we all have to ignore whatever happened on Saturday the 9th (going off the pdf given to the press today).

[Skidmore]

7. I love it that he just deferred to the people over social media

when a woman asked about something that was being passed around. He makes the governor seem like a rank amateur.

[bigtree]

11. he may well be a factor in how the citizens respond to the release of all of this

. . . he's been a steady and calming influence already, that's for certain.


St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David Carson / AP

[calimary]

22. Because he's truly a People's Leader.

This caliber of officer is one that should definitely be elevated. We need leadership like his - ACROSS THE COUNTRY!!!

[sufrommich]

9. I do too. I'm watching him now and he's incredibly inspiring

and uplifting.

[bigtree]

10. smart fellow

. . . and a seemingly decent and thoughtful man.

[NobodyHere]

12. Does anyone else think

that we're getting the good cop/ bad cop routine here?

[bettyellen]

17. no, I think that some cops are less inclined to devalue black lives than others

[Spitfire of ATJ]

19. No. The guys who attacked the protesters thought they were the good guys too.

[MrMickeysMom]

41. Actually, no...

That kind of stuff is more psychological to get "the people" to take a side with an issue, or place false blame. There isn't a devious message I've seen from this man.

He's the real deal. There ARE good police out there, and he's one of them that probably understands too well the municipal politics of a police force. Wonder if that's part of his background.

[sorefeet]

14. Limbaugh is talking

about the STRONG ARMED ROBBERY right now. He is the one who incites trouble and should be held accountable.

[MrMickeysMom]

42. Limbaugh molests puppies...

… in his restless dreams while he isn't choking on his spit.

[VanGoghRocks]

15. Minor correction\clarification: The Ferguson PD Chief is named "Thomas Jackson". The

St. Louis County Chief of Police is named 'Jon Belmar'. (The municipality of Ferguson lies within St. Louis County but is separate from the city of St. Louis. I've had to undergo a crash refresher course in the political landscape of the area in the past six days

[eppur_se_muova]

16. Thanks, I was confused by that. nt

[bigtree]

18. thanks

. . . good catch. I wasn't focused on that at all.

[uponit7771]

30. th

[Spitfire of ATJ]

20. Oh sure. Because we all know a judge would have given the death sentence for a robbery.

[cleduc]

21. link to full police report on robbery

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2014/images/08/15/ferguson-police-report.pdf

[calimary]

23. Thanks, cleduc!

[Cartoonist]

24. Meanwhile, over on Yahoo

I don't know why I do it, but I sometimes read the comments. The haters are all pouncing on the robbery story. He committed a crime, therefore he deserves to die. Right wing American Justice. So how come the police didn't shoot Rush for his crime?

[Uncle Joe]

25. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, bigtree.

[cleduc]

26. Johnson told police Brown did take cigars per MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/ferguson-michael-brown-shooting-what-we-know-don't-know

Also according to the report, video surveillance from the store allegedly showed Brown and a friend, Dorian Johnson, in an altercation with a store employee. The report also alleges that Brown stole cigars from the store. And a lawyer for Johnson, Freeman Bosley, said in an interview that Johnson told investigators that Brown did take the cigars.

and:

According to the police report (PDF), Wilson was responding to a description provided by police dispatch searching for a suspect in a convenience-store robbery nearby.

[cleduc]

28. Further to that, in the police documents

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2014/images/08/15/ferguson-police-report.pdf

on page 5, Dorian Johnson name noted under robbery charge (but "exceptionally cleared?&quot
(above line edited for clarity)

I have not found Wilson's name in those documents yet.

Nor do the police provide similar reports for the actual shooting

[Robbins]

31. Why wasn't Johnson arrested

for robbary.Johnson admitted to FBI Michael stole cigars but said it wasn't strong armed robbary.

We don't know If Michael was even pulled over for the robbary.Remeber the jaywalking story?

[bigtree]

29. why didn't the police arrest him as an accomplice?

. . . and what happened to the jaywalking story?

[cleduc]

34. I don't know why Johnson wasn't charged

But from the police documents and Johnson's lawyer. at some point Johnson was an apprehended person of interest that discussed the matter with the police. Maybe Johnson's lawyer got the charges ignored as the lawyer was involved.

The documents also seem to show the police were responding to the reported theft before the shooting.

This has not been a good day for Mike Brown's case:

- Mike Brown's friend says Mike ripped off a convenience store
- Video/photos show him getting physical with the convenience store worker while doing so (which raises eyebrows when considering if he'd get into with a police officer)
- Police records show the police responding to a call from the convenience store about the theft Brown's friend says he committed
- Police records show they had a fair description of Brown (which knocks down the profiling angle considerably)

To be resolved:

If officer Wilson went directly to the hospital in a timely fashion to get injuries to his face looked after, in the wake of Mike getting physical with the convenience store worker, then it would look badly on Mike that he assaulted the officer provoking some response.

Did the police officer use excessive force? (probably or so many folks would be so upset)

Other outstanding questions here:
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/ferguson-michael-brown-shooting-what-we-know-don't-know

[stillcool]

37. Mike Brown's case?

is he on trial for something?

[cleduc]

38. In the court of public opinion? probably

Mike may well get cleared in the court of public opinion but for me, although I have suspicions the cop was over the top, the jury is still out until all the evidence is in.

If we have a cop who got his face caved in by Mike assaulting him, to some extent, Mike should be scrutinized and bears some partial responsibility for his demise.

It goes without saying, there's a near lynch mob formed to bring the police officer who shot Mike to justice. No question the officer's actions deserve the utmost scrutiny. His actions that we know of to date smell bad right now.

It usually takes two to fight. So before tossing a noose over a tree branch to lynch the officer, I'd like to know more about the facts surrounding the altercation that took place by the police cruiser and why the police officer felt justified to shoot Mike down the way he did.

In searching for the truth, Mike doesn't get an automatic pass just because he's dead.

[Gothmog]

27. I like Officer Johnson

He is straight talker

[REP]

32. My dealings with MHP were long ago and limited, but they have a reputation for professionalism

It's pretty well known in Missouri that if you have to deal with law enforcement, hope it's the Highway Patrol. They have a well deserved reputation for fairness and professionalism. I'm so glad they're in Ferguson now.

[frylock]

33. this guy gets it

[tblue37]

35. He might be screwing up his Missouri police career by being

honest about how badly the cops and the politicians are handling this. But many other opportunities will probably present themselves to him over time because of his decency and integrity.

[1StrongBlackMan]

36. Wow ...

I think if we’re going to give answers, we need to not give hints. We need to say it.”

[countryjake]

39. K&R!