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August 9th this year (2024) will mark the tenth anniversary of the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting, that took place “At approximately noon on Saturday, August 9, 2014…” according to the Department of Justice investigative report regarding the shooting would put the small city of Ferguson, Missouri the center of international attention. Suggestions to mark the occasion include renaming a street in the town with his name. My sympathies remain with his parents
Ferguson should be settled history
My concern is that a black child in elementary school, perhaps 6 or 7 then, has now reached the age where this story has, as far as they can remember, has always been present in their life where gentle giant ‘Big Mike’ was the victim of an extrajudicial police killing. The move to lionize Brown with a dishonest retelling of the events that caused his death will cause unnecessary and ongoing harm.
It is going to be very difficult or nearly impossible to remove that false imprinting.
This case galvanized the demands of activists for police body cameras. Just 10 years ago, the technology was pioneering and expensive. Batteries wouldn’t last full shifts, uploading was still being sorted out, mobile web was running at 1998 AOL speeds, and policies had not yet figured out the privacy rights of officers, victims and suspects. Beside all that, body cameras were expensive, but the storage was even more costly and beyond most budgets.
There was only one plausible story
It was widely reported that there were two accounts of what occurred, the testimony of the officer and some witnesses that stepped forward. That wasn’t true. The truth was that there was only one account of the events that was remotely plausible and it was the testimony of Officer Darren Wilson. It accounted for all evidence, damage, and injuries to both involved. There were no elements of any alleged witness testimony that challenged the testimony of the officer.
One witness complaining during grand jury testimony stated, (paraphrased): You’ve proved I wasn’t there and that I didn’t see it – why do you keep calling me back in?
The fact that body worn technology existed was enough for activists to cast doubt and suggest that we should have exactly what happened during the fatal encounter. Navy SEALs hunting Osama Bin Laden wore live feed night vision capable cameras broadcast right to the White House. An elite military unit hunting the world’s most wanted terrorist target has a very generous budget.
While all the damage, evidence, and injuries aligned exclusively with Officer Wilson’s testimony, activists and the mainstream news media treated all accounts with equal weight.
The foundation for the need for police body worn cameras was based on a big lie. The lie that video would have cleared up this tragedy instigated by the criminal actions of Michael Brown at the convenience store and in his attacking Officer Wilson.
Marijuana and mental health issues
The gentle giant was stealing Swisher Sweet cigars from the store to make marijuana blunts. The only evidence of drugs in his system was THC. According to the DOJ report:
“Brown tested positive for the presence of cannabinoids; the hallucinogenic substances associated with marijuana use. The SLU Toxicology Laboratory found 12 nanograms per milliliter of Delta-9-THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, where AFMES found 11 nanograms per milliliter of Delta-9-THC in Brown’s blood. According to both laboratories, these levels of Delta-9-THC are consistent with Brown having ingested THC within a few hours before his death. This concentration of THC would have rendered Brown impaired at the time of his death.”
It is tragic that we repeatedly see young people with mental health issues and the active ingredients of marijuana in their systems, violently confront people and the police. The tragic case of Jordan Neely, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and self-medicating with cannabis, getting on that subway car and having a psychotic episode where he threatens to murder everyone, such that Daniel Penny and other passengers bravely subdued him, with no ill intent, and winds up being charged by DA Alvin Bragg.
Tyre Nichols, found to have cannabinoids and other mental health meds in his system, died after successfully breaking free from five large officers at a traffic stop and leading them on a half mile foot chase, and then being beaten severely by the officers. All five of the officers were criminally charged in the death of Nichols with one having pled guilty to state charges. Federal civil rights charges on all of them are still outstanding. The presence of THC and two anti-anxiety drugs, is concerning because the last thing you want if you have anxiety is marijuana.
Drug-induced psychosis is not a new phenomenon
Long prior to entering law enforcement, stories about people experimenting with substances like PCP, and their interactions with law enforcement, were intriguing. These accounts often described how individuals would enter an altered state and then progressively lose their grip on reality. Many stories featured them stripping off their clothing, sweat profusely even in cold weather and fight with unusual strength and attack those trying to help them. Many would resist officers to the point of cardiac arrest leading to a lot of in-custody deaths.
In the past, the potency of cannabis was much lower. In 1994, just thirty years ago, it was unusual to find a concentration of greater than 4%. The Addiction Center reports: “The quantity of THC found in weed has soared from 4% to 12% in only a few years. There are even certain strains like sinsemilla (seedless female hemp plant) with a 15% to 25% concentration rate.” Dabbing, a practice borne of the vaping trend, provides an ultra-high rate of THC concentration. Users heat the dabs and inhale the vapor and fumes.
“THC concentrations in dabs typically range from 60% to 90%. Some very potent concentrates, such as distillates, may even have THC concentrations higher than 90%. However, actual THC levels can vary based on the product and brand.”
The group most destructively affected are the youth with a fivefold increase in negative mental health outcomes, lower achievement in all dimensions of life, and high rates of depression. Researchers in Denmark have correlated marijuana abuse in youth such that they can chart suicides with the increase in THC concentration.
Ten years of retrogression
The distance between Ferguson, Missouri and Springfield, Illinois is 101 miles. A deputy is charged in the murder of Sonya Massey. He was fired from his agency. Massey, a young black lady who called the police in reference to a prowler, displayed behavioral health issues, confirmed by family members, with THC in her bloodstream. While not getting into the details via a frame-by-frame discussion, Massey did throw the hot water at the deputy but he intentionally stepped into his own jeopardy by closing the distance with Massey. No one needed to die that day. The murder of Massey was completely avoidable.
This was an exceptionally rare act of criminal conduct by a law enforcement officer. It likely would have been treated quite unexceptionally without the racial factors brought to the situation by Al Sharpton and Ben Crump. Just 202 miles northeast in Chicago, the situation for black females is different. Former Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas writes on the status of women in Illinois and particularly in Chicago:
“City and state public safety policies have had a devastating effect on black women in Chicago in particular. A CBS News analysis of Chicago police crime data found that black women accounted for 25 percent of all crime victims in 2022. That year, 30 percent of black women were targeted by crime in Chicago; approximately 14 black girls under 18 years of age were attacked for every white girl in that age group. The vast majority of this violent crime occurs within black communities.”
Sharpton and Crump chase these rare ‘pearl in an oyster’ moments but have nothing to contribute to the true mass suffering issue and its solution. Despite the body cameras recording, like every major incident, there is no consensus on what we have seen.
The hustlers cry and rally for justice, but they already have it, and it as good as it gets. They will try to agitate the crowds, but Sean Grayson was fired and is charged with first degree murder.
Will the next ten years be better?
In 2014, nationally murders reached a historic low. Our national murder rate was 4.4 and a still a tragic 14,249 murders occurred. Compare that with 2022, the most recent date that I was able to get stats with a rate of 6.3 totaling 21,156 victims. You’ve got to admit, that is a terrible difference, but we have body worn cameras monitoring all the Title VI conduct of sworn officers. The BWC legacy is spawning a YouTube cottage industry of public shaming of DUI offenders. It certainly hasn’t reduced the murder rate.
In the ten years to come, it will require courageous leaders to tell the hustlers to hit the bricks. Law enforcement must resist any further liberalization of drug laws. Recreational marijuana is on the ballot in the free state of Florida and a current sheriff as well as a former sheriff running for the state house are supporting this deadly initiative. Wherever you are, stand for the truth and fight these destructive policies. And, whatever you do, support courageous leadership and stand for the truth.
Keep all law enforcement officers in your prayers, and everyone who supports them.
Roland Clee served a major Florida police department as a Community Service Officer for more than 26 years. His career included uniformed patrol, training, media relations, intelligence, criminal investigations, and chief’s staff. He writes the American Peace Officer newsletter, speaks at public safety, recruiting and leadership conferences and helps local governments and public safety agencies through his business, CommandStaffConsulting.com. His work is frequently featured on LawOfficer.com, the only law enforcement owned major media presence in the public safety realm.
https://drugfree.org/article/what-is-dabbing/
https://www.city-journal.org/article/illinois-equity-illusions
Share and speak up for justice, law & order…
Source: www.lawofficer.com