Category: CRJ101 Intro CJ

What Killed Michael Brown?

I just finished watching the documentary “What Killed Michael Brown“. I recommend to anyone that has an interest in police and race relations to watch the movie. WKMB is a much different approach than I expected. It was more subtle and elegant in the way it discusses the issues surrounding the death of Michael Brown. I really shouldn’t have been surprised because the movie has the essence of Shelby Steele. The movie also had a 1970’s type vibe to it. It does not feel dated just a different cinematic vibe. It’s unique and cool.

There is limited discussion about the facts and actual killing of Michael Brown. The movie is straight forward in that account of it. Below are links to official reports if interested in more detail. There are several key concepts about the surrounding issues discussed in the move present below.

First is the difference between Poetic Truth vs Objective Truth. Steele said that Poetic Truth carries with it the history that surrounds an incident like racism and bias. The mere fact that Brown was Black and Wilson was White. Where Objective Truth is the truth that is uncovered by the evidence. The cold hard truth. Poetic Truth is the basis of rumors. Poetic Truth traps a person into solving the wrong problems.

Steele also talks about White Guilt and how White people have to prove they are NOT racists. Steele argues that Liberal power equals White Guilt which means Blacks MUST be victims of racism. White Guilt’s corruption needs Blacks to be Black.

The movie points out Eric Holders visit to Ferguson and Holder’s attack on police was against ALL of the history of police actions not just what happened in Ferguson. Holder made the shooting of Michael Brown an indictment of ALL policing and it’s history from slavery to modern day incidents. Think about it. It is a model, Steele points out, that Rev. Al Sharpton uses all the time.

Steele discusses the conditions of Black a neighborhood and the “Snapshot” mentality meaning that the current conditions at the time dictate decisions without thinking that the conditions will improve. Could this also be that they captured conditions at it’s worst? Before a likely improvement, ignoring the inevitable? Steele also explained how public housing steals “equity” from property (value in home ownership).

Pruitt-Igoe Myth (1:13:45) Steele discusses how when he was raised, he didn’t know it at the time, that he was poor. He talks about how the parents in the neighborhood would monitor and correct the kids if they were behaving badly. The kids were respectful to the adults. Then Steele goes on to say how the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex usurped that authority from the neighborhood in a form of government white supremacy and colonialism. I guess the government taking over the role as community leaders by becoming the sole providers in a neighborhood.

Liberalism – dismisses individual responsibility always defining fault as a systemic enemy – like racism. Bob Woodson states in the movie that it is “lethal to exempt people from personal responsibility” which may be the cause of Michael Brown’s actions. Liberalism makes Blacks invisible. This leads to Black people not having individual problems and Racism becoming the EXCLUSIVE problem.

1:33:00 Good Faith vs Bad Faith Movements
Good Faith Movement was the Civil Rights Movement – it wanted inclusion into America
Bad Faith Movement is the BLM movement – it is against the nuclear family, defund the police, and wants out of America

Discussions about the Movie

The Glenn Show – What Killed Michael Brown Podcast discussion with Shelby & Eli Steele. Excellent!
Link to the Glenn Show HERE

Official Reports

FBI Memorandum DOJ Investigation Shooting Michael Brown by Ferguson, Missouri Police Officer Darren Wilson
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/press-releases/attachments/2015/03/04/doj_report_on_shooting_of_michael_brown_1.pdf

Ferguson Complaint
https://www.justice.gov/crt/file/832451/download

Investigation of the Ferguson Police Department – Findings Report
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2015/03/04/ferguson_findings_3-4-15.pdf

Ferguson Consent Decree
https://www.justice.gov/crt/file/883846/download

Ferguson Case Summary
https://www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section-case-summaries/download#ferguson-summ

Ohio Lawmaker Wants Law Requiring Police to Record Race During Traffic Stops

An Ohio lawmaker says she will introduce legislation requiring police agencies to record race data when making traffic stops, following a Marshall Project – Cleveland investigation into how the village of Bratenahl tickets mostly Black drivers from neighboring Cleveland.

State Rep. Juanita Brent, a Democrat from Cleveland, said the information is needed to determine whether police agencies unfairly stop more Black and Brown drivers compared to White drivers.

This article was published in partnership with News 5 Cleveland.

The Marshall Project – Cleveland’s investigation noted that 60% or more of drivers cited for traffic violations by Bratenahl police since 2020 were Black.

See More HERE

New National Academies of Sciences reports | Modern Policing

The National Academies of Sciences has recently published 4 reports aimed at guiding international police assistance efforts. The reports were produced by expert committees that reviewed and assessed existing research and evidence. The reports are available at the links below for free download. Policing to Promote the Rule of Law and Protect the Population –…
— Read on gcordner.wordpress.com/2022/12/01/new-national-academies-of-sciences-reports/

London’s Violence Reduction Unit

What we know from the research on preventing violence

Those involved in violence are likely to be vulnerable in multiple, interrelated ways and many may have experienced past victimisation and trauma. A lot of research has examined the relationship between exposure to what researchers have called ‘adverse childhood experiences’ – or ACEs in the research literature – and violent offending.

Adverse childhood experiences take on many forms, such as the death of a parent or close friend, household criminality, exposure to domestic abuse, substance misuse or bullying, and difficulties with health, communication or learning. These experiences can increase vulnerability to violence. In short, ACEs are a form of trauma, or series of traumas, experienced during the important, formative stages of a life.

We try to minimise these risk factors and instead build resilience. The Violence Reduction Unit commissions research to inform future approaches and provides funding to projects and programmes that target prevention at individuals. 

There are a series of report available at the website. Check them out HERE

Targeting Retaliation: Stopping the chain reaction of gun violence in Paterson

Targeting Retaliation: Stopping the chain reaction of gun violence in Paterson, NJ(13:11) (Check out the video at the link below)

The Paterson Healing Collective has been working to reduce shootings in the city since 2020. This is the story of the work they do and the lives they touch.

Michael Karas (see interview at link below) is a visual journalist at NorthJersey.com and The Record. After years in which he often reported several stories a day, Karas recently devoted all his time to a single story: A documentary about an anti-violence organization called the Paterson Healing Collective. We wanted to learn more about the project, and this important group. This conversation has been edited for clarity, and condensed for length.

See more HERE