Police investigating if Michael Brown's stepfather intended to incite riot

[NaturalHigh]

(CNN) -- Authorities are formally investigating whether Michael Brown's stepfather intended to incite a riot last week when he urged a crowd in Ferguson, Missouri, to "Burn this bitch down" after the grand jury's ruling was announced, the city's police chief said Tuesday.

No charges have been filed against Louis Head in the incident, but police have interviewed people who know Head and who were with him November 24, the day a prosecutor announced that Officer Darren Wilson (who has since resigned) would not be indicted in the August 9 shooting, Police Chief Tom Jackson said.

Shortly after St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert McCulloch's announcement, Head stood above a crowd of demonstrators -- some of them shouting "F---the police!" -- and yelled, "Burn this motherf---er down!" and "Burn this bitch down!"

Ferguson, already tense from weeks of awaiting the grand jury's ruling, erupted following McCulloch's news conference.


http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/02/justice/ferguson-protests-investigation/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

[Fred Sanders]

1. More like CNN is running out of things to fear monger about and are just making stuff up.

"Police have interviewed people who know Head..." says and who so what?

I swear CNN is hosting a Fearathon Marathon, and not just on Ferguson.

Asshats are leading the story at every opportunity....dare I say CNN appears to have openly turned into a sanctuary for "white power" as well as corporate soothings? Who else is graciously hosting Rudy Gulliani to spew racist garbage, followed by the Cruzs and Rands and the all the apologists for Wilsn and police brutality in general, and all the other heavily veiled parade of racists in the GOP..nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more.

Where exactly has the "news " part of CNN disappeared to when they incessantly lead with speculation intended to inflame?

[Takket]

2. saw this...

can't believe it..... he'll end up arrested, the rams have been vilified. not enough that Wilson "won", we all have to bow down and beg forgiveness for ever having doubted him in the first place.

[Oktober]

3. Even though it was caught on video...

... I suspect it won't go anywhere.

[NaturalHigh]

4. That was my thought as well.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

53. Too bad we dont have Brown's death on video...

or Trayvon Martin's

Oh wait, we do have Tamir's, but I bet you those cops will get off too.

And we have Garner in NYC., choked to death, on video.

the very thought that they would even consider charges on the stepfather should INFURIATE everyone, but it wont.

[HappyMe]

5. Way to rub salt in the wound.

Let's prosecute because of the words of a grieving, shocked, angry dad.

[HappyMe]

8. That's pretty damn easy for

you or I to say.

Irresponsible - maybe. I don't think there is any need to prosecute.

[NaturalHigh]

14. It was undoubtedly emotional and traumatic...

but then again, lots of crimes are committed in the heat of passion. I don't know if he should be prosecuted or not. It's not my place to make a judgment on that since I don't even know the applicable Missouri law, but I do think his outbursts probably contributed to the riots that night.

[HappyMe]

16. I have no idea if what he said contributed or not.

I don't live there, so I couldn't say.

[LanternWaste]

9. I don't call that irresponsible... I simply call that human.

Often, the passions of losing a loved one can easily over-ride our sense of community decorum. I don't call that irresponsible... I simply call that human.

But, I realize many people feel they know best how someone should or should not react to the death of a family member. I usually just pat them on their heads and say, "bless your little heart..."

[Oktober]

10. I'm sure the shop owners who had their buildings burnt to a crisp...

... Appreciate the sentiment.

[Rex]

52. And yet the buildings can be rebuilt, insurance will cover their loss.

Yet Brown can never come back to life, no such insurance. I'm sure his dad would appreciate your sentiment as well.

[FrodosPet]

63. The 1967 riots where a HUGE boon to Detroit

The city is clean and safe and attractive, with everyone living in prosperity after the '67 riots woke everyone up to the problems.

Well, it was in my dreams. In reality, not so much.

[Rex]

74. Yeah showing a little compassion or understanding for a grieving father is too much to

ask I see. Have a great time with it.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

55. So you know that A. his comments contributed to the fires

and

B. you know who started the fires?

Please tell us all, we are dying to know.

[Rex]

76. The real issue is that a few here seem to lack the empathy and/or compassion gene.

Must suck being around them during the holidays.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

78. I suspect they possess said gene but only for certain types of people.

[Rex]

80. Yeah that is probably closer to the truth.

[dumbcat]

20. He is not

MB's dad. Nor his step dad. He is not married to the mother.

[HappyMe]

22. It says step dad in the article.

What difference does marital status make?

[dumbcat]

31. Definitions

Words have meaning. Some people seem to take great joy in changing them.

[HappyMe]

33. Okay, whatever you say.

If that man considered MB his son, and MB considered him his step dad - that's all that matters.
Do you have an actual point, or just nit picking.

[dumbcat]

36. OK

I guess it all just depends on how you feel. Damn language rules and definitions are useless anyway.

[NaturalHigh]

24. I wonder how involved he was in Michael Brown's upbringing.

[KingCharlemagne]

66. Prove it! - nt

[dumbcat]

69. Prove what?

A negative?

[KingCharlemagne]

71. You're asserting that the CNN report is wrong. Where's your link or evidence

to support your assertion?

[dumbcat]

84. How would I prove they are not married?

How could I prove a negative?

CNN called him the stepfather. But they are not married. In other articles he is described as the mother's boyfriend. CNN is taking liberty with the definition, as are many. I don't really care, but lack of precision in language bugs me.

But you can believe he is a stepdad if it makes you feel better.

[stevenleser]

89. If you can't prove what you are talking about, why are you disputing CNN? nt

[dumbcat]

98. You are right, and I was wrong

As explained to another poster, upon further review I find a number of articles saying they are married. I had heard somewhere that a police report had stated that they were not. After searching for those sources I find it only reported on right wing sites, so I will have to discount it. That's what I get for hearing something and believing it without checking the source.

Rather than delete my posts I will leave this apology to those I offended. My obsession with precise language caused me to bring this up, and had nothing to do with the emotions involved. I'll learn.

[Rex]

99. What other articles, you can prove CNN wrong by linking to these source materials.

[stone space]

104. I prove so-called "negatives" all the time.

How could I prove a negative?

[G_j]

11. REALLY?

care to explain?

[KingCharlemagne]

68. Crickets. Big surprise, eh? - nt

[frylock]

70. i guess it's pretty fucking easy to sit there behind your keyboard and pass judgement

[NaturalHigh]

73. Well, that is what most people did to Darren Wilson.

Actually it's what people do every day. Whether or not we approve usually just depends on our point of view about the subject at hand.

[frylock]

77. while that may be true, i found the "like father.." to be tasteless and crass..

so fuck that poster. my original comment stands.

[nc4bo]

75. I swear, I can not believe some of the tripe posted on DU by DUers.

can be taken seriously. It really makes me nauseous at times.

Hope your kid, family, yourself never ever finds yourself a victim of police violence and brutality.

Just

[cwydro]

91. His birth father

called for peace.

[NaturalHigh]

92. True. He seems like a nice guy.

[stevenleser]

12. Injury + Insult

Completely classless move to go after the father for being upset his kid was killed.

[dumbcat]

21. He is not

the father.

[stevenleser]

25. Stepfather. And? nt

[dumbcat]

34. He is not a stepfather either

by the actual definition.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/stepfather

Unless you want to change the definition to say that the marriage part is not required. I know some people love changing definitions.

[jillan]

41. He IS married to Michael Brown's mother!

[dumbcat]

87. Source?

If you have a credible source for that assertion I will apologize.

[stevenleser]

88. The CNN article in the OP. nt

[dumbcat]

96. I stand corrected, and apologize

Upon further review I find a number of articles saying they are married. I had heard somewhere that a police report had stated that they were not. After searching for those sources I find it only reported on right wing sites, so I will have to discount it. That's what I get for hearing something and believing it without checking the source.

Rather than delete my posts I will leave this apology to those I offended. My obsession with precise language caused me to bring this up, and had nothing to do with the emotions involved. I'll learn.

[stevenleser]

43. I'll trust CNN over an anonymous poster on the internet with an obvious agenda. nt

[all american girl]

62. OK, you are driving me nuts with this

Just because it doesn't fall within you definition, doesn't mean that everyone thinks the same.

My mom and step-dad got married when I was 22 years old. That man has been my dad, not step-dad, but dad. He gave me away at my wedding, my children call him grandpa, and he has always treated my like his very own daughter. My parents got a divorce when I was 5 years old. He has never been there for myself, my siblings, my children, niece and nephews. So sorry my dad doesn't fit your definition, but he is more of a dad than my real father ever was.

[dumbcat]

72. It's not my definition

It's the dictionary's

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/stepfather

And why are you ranting to me about your dad? It's not about him, or you, but MB's mother's boyfriend.

I'm happy you feel the way you do about your dad.

[jillan]

37. That does not mean he didn't love or care about Michael. You don't have to be blood related to love

another human being.

[dumbcat]

40. I didn't say that, did I?

So why did you bring it up? Why deflect?

[stevenleser]

44. Because for one thing, you are saying CNN is wrong without a link to back you up. nt

[Rex]

85. Who cares if he was the father or step-father, that was his dad.

And now dad is without son, thanks to a racist cop and a system that works against the black community.

[Rex]

46. Thank you steven.

And I am sorry people lost their businesses to rioting, but the step-father lost his son and that is something insurance cannot replace - unlike a building. I wish people would remember that.

The PD is acting like mean spirited children.

[Comrade Grumpy]

13. What is that smell? It's on this thread and too many others lately.

[HappyMe]

17. It's quite the disgusting stench.

[Rex]

49. They think they are being clever.

But it is obvious to everyone but them I guess, that they are concern trolling.

[msanthrope]

56. I'm hoping for fresh pepperoni, but alas...nt

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

58. So many of them too

[meow2u3]

15. The cops have to find a scapegoat

so they can more easily cover up their own involvement in the alleged police riot.

Racist cops cannot be held accountable for their own actions.

[branford]

18. Brown's stepfather's remarks and actions quite possibly meet the definition of inciting a riot.

I still very much doubt he will be prosecuted, even if a conviction is a realistic possibility with a St. Louis jury.

However, the investigation does send the message that any similar unlawful conduct or comments in the future will not be tolerated. I think the public "formal investigation" is more a warning than anything else.

[NaturalHigh]

27. Yeah, I doubt they will actually bring charges.

It might be interesting if they put it in front of a grand jury, though.

[Quackers]

38. You nailed it. nt

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

59. You bet, express grief , go to jail, SLAUGHTER a teenager in the street

and get a gofund account with over $100,000 in it

[branford]

65. Somehow thousands of victims' families express grief every day

without even coming close to meeting the legal standards of inciting a riot, no less on video. The stepfather did quite a bit more that just "express grief."

In any event, not only have I already stated that I very much doubt the stepfather will actually be prosecuted, I do not think any prosecution would be necessary or productive. That does not mean I condone the remarks or believe a prosecution couldn't result in a supportable guilty verdict. In fact, many of the staunchest opponents of the Ferguson P.D. I've seen on television believe the comments were definitely not appropriate, but similarly believe extenuating circumstances counsel against a prosecution.

Simply, one crime does not excuse another. Most people are fully capable of believing both that Wilson should have been indicted and gone to trial and simultaneously are able to acknowledge that the stepfather's comments well exceeded what is considered acceptable even for a grieving relative and transgressed into territory that could easily be considered illegal.

[Rex]

94. Yes and they are left to grieve in private, not so for this was a media circus from day one.

I think CNN and the DA are more at fault in trying to incite a riot. That seems all the PD wants to do imo as well.

[NaturalHigh]

95. I think the mom and stepdad made that choice.

They were standing on top of a car waiting to be interviewed when this incident happened. Yes, everyone should be allowed to grieve privately, but that's not what they chose to do.

[Rex]

97. Yes and the media is innocent and would never push people for ratings.

I think many groups made their choice and should be held responsible.

[NaturalHigh]

100. On that point I agree.

That's what the media does, though. It's the whole "Dirty Laundry" thing.

[Rex]

101. Yes and that is what a grieving dad does too. And a vindictive DA imo.

We can either accept it or we don't. Still, one man against an entire PD & DA, the governors office and the main stream media is going to lose every time. I personally hope they leave the dad alone, but something tells me he is in a lot of legal trouble.

[NaturalHigh]

102. I doubt that he's in legal trouble.

This is probably more bluster than anything.

[Rex]

103. I hope you are right.

Because I feel the PTB in that local area could just about do anything they want to. And get away with it.

[Rex]

79. Well I wouldn't expect the PD to show empathy or compassion over this issue.

DUers I do expect that from, but I see that is too much to ask.

[dembotoz]

19. prosecution would be an excellent way to prove the protesters are correct

and the legal system is run by a bunch of bigoted assholes

not that we needed any more proof of that

[IdaBriggs]

23. Ooh! Witnesses for the defense should be entertaining! Put the POLICE on the stand!

Treat them as hostile witnesses, and start getting their crap on the record.

Prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that StepDad wasn't the one who incited the riot - that it was the DA and the Police.

Yeah, do that, assholes. Make them choke on it.

[treestar]

26. Wow how disgusting

I mean really? They have no heart at all for the family's loss.

[maced666]

28. What's to investigate. He did. On video.

The only question is will they move Fwd or is this just posturing for whatever reason.

[NaturalHigh]

29. I think the question probably centers on the applicable law...

and whether he violated it. Since I don't know the Missouri law, I couldn't say if he technically committed a crime.

[notadmblnd]

90. And when he said it, did everyone whip their lighters out and run to burn something down?

Do you think no one else would have thought of setting things afire if he had never spoken those words?

[Robbins]

30. The authorities in St Louis are idiots

After letting the cop who executed Michael brown off the hook now going after his stepfather?

McCulloch and others are going to make their problems with blacks even worse.

May blacks may vote republican In 2016 here in missouri just to show how pissed they are to so called dems like McCulloch,Nixon,and McCaskill.

[Blue_Tires]

32. I'm not worried, after seeing how well McCulloch argues his cases before a grand jury

[TDale313]

106. He's perfectly capable of arguing a case...

When he wants to. Don't doubt that. He threw this one.

[Ykcutnek]

35. Sounds like these assholes are trying their best to incite one by further persecuting the Browns. nt

[IADEMO2004]

39. Charge CNN. Louis Head made a statement, CNN aired it over and over and over and over.........nt

[Rex]

42. Sounds like they want to continue to punish the Brown family and the people of Ferguson.

Ferguson PD seems to want the people of the city to riot and the PD is not done making attempts.

[PotatoChip]

45. This investigation has McCulloch's MO all over it.

He once went after Axl Rose of Guns N'Roses fame for 'inciting a riot' during a concert the band performed in St Louis:

/snip

The sound the microphone made sounded to some fans like a gunshot. After Rose left, band member Slash quickly told the audience, "He just smashed the microphone. We're out of here." The angry crowd began to riot and dozens of people were injured. The footage was captured by Robert John, who was documenting the entire tour for the band. Rose was charged with having incited the riot, but police were unable to arrest him until almost a year later, as the band went overseas to continue the tour. Charges were filed against Rose but a judge ruled that he did not directly incite the riot.[1]

Rose later stated that the Guns N' Roses security team had made four separate requests to the venue's security staff to remove the camera, all of which were ignored, that other members of the band had reported being hit by bottles from the audience and that the venue's security had not been very strict, allowing weapons into the arena and refusing to enforce a drinking limit. Consequently, Use Your Illusion I and II's artwork featured a message a midst the Thank You section of the album insert: "Fuck You, St. Louis!"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverport_Riot

Another couple of interesting things I found regarding McCulloch were these tidbits of info on his Wikipedia Page:

In 1997, in the so-called "Kinkogate" case, McCulloch gave - using the power of the grand jury, but without informing it - a subpoena to the police in order to identify a whistleblower who was acting lawfully. He first claimed the fax contained a threat but later conceded that there was no threat and no crime, but denied any wrongdoing. The whistleblower had to quit his job.[3]

In 2000, in the so-called "Jack in the Box" case, two undercover officers, a police officer and a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officer, shot and killed two unarmed black men in the parking lot of a Jack in the Box fast-food restaurant in Berkeley, Missouri. In 2001, the officers told a grand jury convened by McCulloch that the suspects tried to escape arrest and then drove toward them; the jury declined to indict.[2][4]

McCulloch told the public that every witness had testified to confirm this version, but St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist Michael Sorkin reviewed the previously secret grand jury tapes, released to him by McCulloch, and found that McCulloch's statement was untrue: only three of 13 officers testified that the car was moving forward.[3] A subsequent federal investigation found that the men were unarmed and that their car had not moved forward when the officers fired 21 shots; nevertheless, federal investigators decided that the shooting was justified because the officers feared for their safety.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_P._McCulloch_%28prosecutor%29

Coincidental? Perhaps, but it still makes ya wonder...

[NaturalHigh]

48. I'm no lawyer...

but I'd say there is a big difference between throwing a microphone and shouting "burn this bitch down" right before people starting burning things down. Again, I don't know the Missouri law, but I do think this guy's rants helped set off the riots. As others have pointed out, though, it's probably not likely that he will be charged.

[SweetieD]

47. I can't believe there are people on DU are actually contemplating that this man should be charged

seriously?

I mean the media, the Governor, the Police, were playing up "They gonna riot." for weeks before the indictment. They knew it was a sham. Regardless of what the stepdad said or didn't say, people were going to smash windows and light stuff on fire.

And tbh how many people are ever charged with "inciting a riot". It is an extremely rare charge. Has anyone ever been charged for the dozens of white sports riots that happen in the US and Canada every year? Was anyone charged for the Pennsylvania/Sandusky pedophile riots? was anyone charged with the latest riots in West Virginia and Keane, NH? You know there was at least one person in the crowd who said something like "Lets light this mofo up" etc.

so fall back with that bs that maybe he really should be charged. The police just want to keep the black community in Ferguson in check and teach them a lesson about stepping out of line.

[HappyMe]

57. Well said.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

60. Lots of them too and nothing EVER seems to happen to them...

I guess someone needs to be angry enough to hit the alert button

[NaturalHigh]

67. Are you saying that an alert needs to be sent...

whenever someone disagrees with you on something? That doesn't sound like much of a discussion board. More like a rah-rah echo chamber, which I understand is what some would prefer.

[gollygee]

61. [phone]

[gollygee]

50. OK so don't even bring cops who kill kids to trial

but try to charge grieving family members who are angry about it.

You'd have to prove that something specific happened as a result of his comment. That he actually incited anything. That's got to be harder to get past a grand jury than Darren Wilson's killing of Michael Brown.

[Rex]

54. This makes me wonder how many racist hellholes exist around the nation?

The PD seems all about disenfranchising every POC that lives in that town. Wonder how many other towns out there fall under the radar and persist in systematic profiling of their local population?

[Iggo]

51. I like the D.A. for it.

[Xyzse]

64. Geezus H. Krist... Can they also formally investigate if Robert McCulloch intended to incite a riot?

Rather than be a bit more respective knowing how tense matters were, he decided to run his damn foul mouth blaming everything and everyone before getting to the actual decision just to make matters worse?

I had a conversation about this with someone, them saying that it was right to come out strong with the decision, while I maintained that there is something about coming out strong, and then there is something about being an a-hole jerk about it.

[nc4bo]

81. Of course not. In their murderous, racist eyes, none of them did anything wrong

and in fact, delivered honest to goodness justice.

Perhaps they long for the day when they could just swing a rope from a tree and take care of the problem straight away.

More eyes are on these bad cops than ever before thanks to the internet. They can no longer hide.

[Rex]

82. How about the governor? I think calling for a state of emergency

when there is none, is quite peculiar. Almost like begging people to riot.

[Xyzse]

93. You know I am not being completely serious... Though I think it fair in terms of balance.

[Rex]

105. I'm kinda joking, kinda serious myself.

I don't really think anyone is going to open up an investigation. Just seems strange that I've never read or heard about a governor calling for a state of emergency - before there is one.

[Xyzse]

107. I agree. That's how I feel as well.

They really seem intent on pushing to make things worse.

[Mike Nelson]

83. Wow...

I thought he was the father. I also hoped he did not say that, but I guess he did.
Seems like everyone just wants to perpetuate the pain, on all sides...

[DemocratSinceBirth]

86. I can certainly empathize with him but I can't countenance his actions.

He shouldn't be prosecuted but if a person who was unrelated to Michael Brown said what he said I would surely feel differently.

[AnalystInParadise]

108. This seems pretty cut and dried

The man incited the crowd to violence. Whether or not his step-son is dead, you don't get to tell other to engage in violence without getting a reprimand from law enforcement. I would hope as a community, we can agree on that. NO ONE gets to call for violence.