WOW! St. Louis police are not happy enough that the game is rigged in their favor

[Ykcutnek]

Roorda was incensed that the Rams and the NFL would tolerate such behavior and called it remarkably hypocritical. "All week long, the Rams and the NFL were on the phone with the St. Louis Police Department asking for assurances that the players and the fans would be kept safe from the violent protesters who had rioted, looted, and burned buildings in Ferguson. Our officers have been working 12 hour shifts for over a week, they had days off including Thanksgiving cancelled so that they could defend this community from those on the streets that perpetuate this myth that Michael Brown was executed by a brother police officer and then, as the players and their fans sit safely in their dome under the watchful protection of hundreds of St. Louis's finest, they take to the turf to call a now-exonerated officer a murderer, that is way out-of-bounds, to put it in football parlance," Roorda said.

The SLPOA is calling for the players involved to be disciplined and for the Rams and the NFL to deliver a very public apology. Roorda said he planned to speak to the NFL and the Rams to voice his organization's displeasure tomorrow. He also plans to reach out to other police organizations in St. Louis and around the country to enlist their input on what the appropriate response from law enforcement should be. Roorda warned, "I know that there are those that will say that these players are simply exercising their First Amendment rights. Well I've got news for people who think that way, cops have first amendment rights too, and we plan to exercise ours. I'd remind the NFL and their players that it is not the violent thugs burning down buildings that buy their advertiser's products. It's cops and the good people of St. Louis and other NFL towns that do. Somebody needs to throw a flag on this play. If it's not the NFL and the Rams, then it'll be cops and their supporters."

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/11/30/stl-police-officers-association-condemns-rams-display/19721979/

Fuck these fucking fucks.

[Ken Burch]

1. "fuck those fucking fucks"? Not even with a lead-lined full-body condom.

I don't know where they've been.

[lobodons]

31. Hey, you got that from

Hey you got that from the 1:20 second mark in this:

[Ken Burch]

2. So they assume that expressing solidarity with Michael Brown...

...equates to endorsing arson?

[Ykcutnek]

5. Basically. nt

[pkdu]

3. It gets worse....

CareerEdit

Roorda has worked in law enforcement for seventeen years.[5] He was a police officer in Arnold, Missouri until 2001, when he was fired for making false statements.[1][6] Later, he became chief of police in Kimmswick,[5][6] another city in Jefferson County. He is the executive director[7] and a business manager[8] of the St. Louis Police Officers Association.

On January 16, 2014, Roorda sponsored a bill that, if passed, will allow the government to close "any records and documents pertaining to police shootings [...] if they contain the name of any officer who did the shooting, unless the officer who did the shooting has been charged with a crime as a result of the shooting, in which case such records or documents shall not be closed."[9][10][11]

[bRoorda said the organization (St. Louis Police Officers Association) has had concerns about dashboard cameras in use on many city patrol cars and would have the same worries about on-body devices. Roorda said both types of cameras provide video of “one angle of an encounter” that sometimes doesn’t reflect exactly what happened. “In general, cameras have been bad for law enforcement and the communities they protect,” he said. “It causes constant second-guessing by the courts and the media.”[7]

Roorda has helped with the fundraising of Officer Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer who is under investigation in the killing of unarmed civilian Michael Brown.[6]

Oh , and he is a Democrat in the MO House of Representatives

[loyalsister]

6. There's one positive

He ran for Senate in 2014 and lost. It's hard to see how he could do anything in electoral politics other than finish out his final terms. He brings shame upon our state.

[TiberiusB]

26. "they take to the turf to call a now-exonerated officer a murderer"

Aaand he's still making false statements.

Failure to secure a grand jury indictment does not equal exoneration.

Clearly.

[hollysmom]

4. because god forbid we have free speech.

maybe if they had to study the real law instead of their pretend law they might respect the constitution.

[DesertDiamond]

41. Well, they're black so free speech doesn't apply to them. They have been very bad children!

Abusive, authoritarian parents. That's what these cops remind of.

[grasswire]

7. wow, that sounds like a direct threat from the police

Way to escalate the tensions there!

[eShirl]

49. That's how it sounded to me, too.

[BrotherIvan]

8. Oh yeah? Fuck you Roorda

What discipline was taken against this cop?

?1411653620

[marym625]

21. They had to take those off

But it was just in the last week

[Wellstone ruled]

9. Who really runs St Louis?

The Bush family(brewing not the Texas fakes)run the show or is it the Mob? Apparently the city is very corrupt which is the case were you have big racial divides. Hope I am wrong. Am aware of the big Germanic Heritage which tends to be some what conservative.

[aggiesal]

15. Busch family of Anheiser-Busch breweries n/t

[FarPoint]

52. John McCain' s wife's company?

Just trying to connect the dots....

[aggiesal]

60. Not quite, but close ...

She inherited majority control and became chair of Hensley & Co.,
one of the largest Anheuser-Busch beer distributors in the US when her father died.

[FarPoint]

61. Thank you for the information.

I recalled some big money connection there during the McCain campaign.

[rbrnmw]

10. fuck them I was proud of those Rams today

[jillan]

11. Go ahead and discipline them and see what the public reaction is going to be.

People are PISSED and this is just going to add to the level of pissed-offness. (how's that for a word?)

[KingCharlemagne]

14. "Pissed-offedness"? Hmm, problem is trying to take an adjective ("pissed off") and

make it into a collective noun. Not sure there's a hard-n-fast rule for it.

[Dont call me Shirley]

17. I like it, pissedoffness. I like the sound, the way it rolls off my tongue, pissedoffness, yeah.

[jillan]

18. Thanks - Sometimes you've just got to come up with a new word when you can't find one you are

looking for to express your feelings.

[Blue Idaho]

36. You can add to that

Chickenshittedness and Hardheartedness two of my personal favorites.

[Scootaloo]

40. I can't imagine the NFL is going to say jack or shit about it

Dignifying this bullshit with attention is unlikely anyway... but actually caving to penalize a team for such a gesture is the sort of thing that will lead to the Puppy Bowl being the only game on TV come Feb 1.

[onecaliberal]

12. Did he just basically say

That's a nice football team you've got there, be a shame if something happened to it?
These people are nothing but legalized gangsters. Do they hear themselves? Do they know we can hear them?
For the record he can call himself a dem all he wants, he damn sure isn't one.

[billhicks76]

43. He's A Terrorist

And he terrorizes the community every day.

[KingCharlemagne]

13. All black athletes (and any other athletes) in the NFL, NBA and MLB should immediately

declare a wildcat strike on the professional sports plantation system until such time as McCulloch recuses himself and allows Governor Nixon to appoint a Special Prosecutor to empanel a new Grand Jury.

Fuck you, Roorda. You can have your racism and white supremacy OR you can have your bread and circuses. BUT YOU CANNOT HAVE BOTH. That ship done sailed on August 9 when your piggy brothers and sisters left Michael Brown's corpse to lie in the sun for 4.5 hours.

'Exonerated,' my ass.

[jillan]

19. Yes!!

[happyslug]

38. No, the Players should do what the Rams did, it would embarrass the Missouri Prosecutor

Such a nationwide movement, week after week, would NOT harm the fan base, but make its point from now till Super bowl Sunday. If necessary do it next year.

If the NFL comes out against the protest, then tell the NFL either permit it or go on strike. The NFL wants to make money, it can not do so in strike. On the other hand the bottom line of the NFL will NOT be affected by such actions week after week. People will object to the action, but they will still go to the game and buy team items. Given a choice between those two options, the NFL will opt to complaint about the protest, but do nothing about it thus avoiding a strike.

As to the Attorney General of Missouri and the District Attorney seeing those motions every week will sent a signal that they have to do something, not just go through the motions of going after this officer. At least take this case to trial.

[KingCharlemagne]

39. I like the cut of your jib! I hope the NFL Players' Association responds by

taking the Hands Up, Don't Shoot gesture league-wide. (The strike should be a last resort, so I'm bowing to your superior analysis.)

[happyslug]

45. I have dealt with brass plated idiots all my life...

I have found out long ago, do not fight them, they will either ignore you or call you a radical to be ignored. The better policy is to undermine them and embarrass them. Make them a Joke, show that the decision they made was a bad joke. Cyril Wecht, former coroner of Allegheny County (County Seat, Pittsburgh PA), states that the evidence clearly shows that the victim was 35 feet away when he was shot. Even if the Victim had fought the officer in the officer's car, any legal use of deadly force had long ended by the time the victim was 35 feet away.

Thus the prosecution has an easy case of a manslaughter. I do NOT think you can prove the intent needed for Murder, but Manslaughter would be an easy conviction.

Side Note: I do NOT know if this is what happened, but my suspicion is that the officer stopped and asked the victim a question. The question was answered and the officer drove off, the victim then said something that the officer heard and hit his breaks and reversed his car to where the victim was still standing (This is based on what witnesses saw). Please note the Officer said, he pulled away and then realized they match the description of the thieves reported on the radio a few minutes later, thus he hit the brakes and put his car in reverse.

Please note the victims were killed 61 seconds AFTER the officer had radio in that he was stopping two men for walking down the middle of the street:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/multimedia/special/darren-wilson-s-radio-calls-show-fatal-encounter-was-brief/html_79c17aed-0dbe-514d-ba32-bad908056790.html

The Officer was mad do to whatever the victim called the officer (what it was is unimportant to this discussion). Being angry, the Officer grabbed the victim and tried to pull him into the patrol car, thus explaining the DNA of the victim in the car. The victim was able to break free and started to run away. The Officer left his car and yell for the victim to stop (this would be part of his training, and in crises you do as you are trained).

When the Officer yells to "Stop" his weapon was NOT yet pulled, but he was pulling his weapon (again his training). The victim then stopped and turned and the Officer then opened fire. The Officer hopefully was trained NOT to open fire unless someone was to close and a danger to the Officer. Unfortunately either the Officer forgot his training, or he was never trained, but just yelled for the victim to stop as he was pulling his weapon, and by the time he had pulled his weapon, the victim had stopped, turned and had his hands up. As the victim was stopping and turning, the officer brought up his weapon to a firing position, once in a firing position opened fire. The stopping by the victim, the order to stop, the pull of the weapon and the firing of the weapon could be done in two to five seconds. No thinking just reacting but both parties.

If what I describe above is the case (and I suspect it is), it is NOT murder, no premeditation, but I believe it is Manslaughter. You do NOT need intent to kill someone to be convicted of Manslaughter. In the OJ Simpson Murder trial, I suspect the jury would have convicted OJ Simpson of manslaughter, but that was NOT an option to that jury,

In the OJ Simpson case, his Defense team had asked the judge to force the prosecution to decide which charge, Murder or Manslaughter, would be tried for the defenses for both would be different. In most cases manslaughter is a lesser included offense, but every so often you get a case where the defenses to each crime are different.

The Judge agreed with the Defense to exclude one of those charges, but the Judge gave the prosecution the option to choose, and the prosecution opt for Murder. In my area that type of case is made a manslaughter case by the Judge, but that prosecution team was just incompetent (and I can say the same for the Judge, the Judge should have told the Prosecution that he was dismissing the charge of murder for the Judge saw no way for the Prosecution to prove premeditation. On the other hand the Prosecution could prove that OJ Simpson did the killing with ease).

The same with this case, given Cyril Wecht's opinion, the prosecution can show that the victim was 35 feet away and with his hands up at the time of the shooting. What happened before would explain what the officer did, but an explanation is NOT a justification. Remember also by the time the officer was out of his vehicle, he had put the vehicle between him and the victim (Which would be the result of his training). Thus, unless the victim had a firearm, the officer was in no danger when the officer opened fire.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/multimedia/special/darren-wilson-s-radio-calls-show-fatal-encounter-was-brief/html_79c17aed-0dbe-514d-ba32-bad908056790.html

Given what has been said about this grand jury and how the evidence was presented to them, the prosecutor lost every black vote, but I assume he knew that going in and was willing to lose those votes to get the support of the Police, both as DA and in any future elections AND those people who support the police. Thus you have to humiliate him and his technical boss, the State of Missouri Attorney General.

Please note, just because one Grand Jury did not indict him, does not mean another can not. Grand Juries are NOT like juries at actual trials, they decisions are NOT final as to the charge unless the statute of limitation has run out and there is no stature of limitation for Murder and in most states Manslaughter.

Now Missouri says a "Class A" Felony has no limitations, but all other classes have a three year stature of limitation.

http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/criminal-case-statute-of-limitations/MO-felonies-misdemeanors.htm

Murder is a "Class A" Felony, Manslaughter is a "Class B" or "Class C" felony, so they have to file the charges within three years of the date of the killing:

http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/criminal-defense/felony-offense/missouri-felony-class.htm

[lib87]

16. Roger Goodell Better not Punish Them

Just make a statement regarding free speech and shut up.

[Dont call me Shirley]

20. The Dixiecrats are showing themselves as who they are, Nixon, McCulloch, Roorda.

Resurgence of the Dixiecrats, yikes, sounds like a horror movie. It is, a real life horror movie.

[KingCharlemagne]

23. Weirdly enough, these Mayberry Machiavellis may be inspiring enough disgust and revulsion to create

a new opening for Democratic Socialism to re-establish itself as a viable force on the American political landscape. The Whigs turned into Republicans in 1856, so it can happen.

[Scootaloo]

42. Democratic socialism needs a goof push, it doesn't just appear.

We gotta invest in elbow grease

[marym625]

22. Can't top that

"Fuck these fucking fucks."

[Jack Rabbit]

24. Note to Jeff Roorda

Fuck off and die.

We've already accused Officer Wilson of murder. Now we are accusing him of lying before a Grand Jury. His defense makes about as much sense as O. J. Simpson's alibi the night his ex-wife was murdered. We're also accusing Robert McCulloch of misusing the Grand Jury by leading it, in an usually lengthy preliminary murder investigation, to the verdict he -- and you -- desired.

Your comments reek of racism. While most of the protesters are peaceful, you choose tar the entire black community with the same brush.

Meanwhile, this white male sends his support to the people of Ferguson, hoping that a voter registration drive will bring about a new city council, bereft of, among others, a former police office who assisted in beating a citizen and charging him damage to public property because she and her pals splattered his blood on their uniforms. Let every member of that council be replaced by new members who represent Ferguson and who will make it a priority to reform the Ferguson PD from top to bottom.

[tularetom]

25. WTF are the Rams doing in fucking St Louis anyway?

They need to get out of that shithole and back to LA where they belong.

St Louis Rams? Fuck, it even sounds wrong.

[rogerashton]

53. You mean the Cleveland Rams, don't you? eom

[tularetom]

54. Yeah, I get that

But I was like four years old when they went to Los Angeles so I never thought of them as the Cleveland Rams.

Not really thrilled about the Indianapolis Colts either.

[rogerashton]

58. The turn-Colts.

When they are playing the Washington football team, I just wish that both could lose.

OK, that's inconsistent. The Washington team has never moved. But, hey, they are the Washington team.

[Kalidurga]

27. I hope the NFL tells the asshat to go to hell

I would and I would see to it the asshat is miserable when he leaves as well.

[easychoice]

28. He should arrange to meet with them

He could counsel them.That would be priceless.
But I bet he is a loudmouthed coward and I am going to call him tomorrow and tell him so.

[DallasNE]

29. Earth To Roorda, The Deck Was Stacked

SLPOA Business Manager Jeff Roorda said, "now that the evidence is in and Officer Wilson's account has been verified by physical and ballistic evidence as well as eye-witness testimony, which led the grand jury to conclude that no probable cause existed that Wilson engaged in any wrongdoing, it is unthinkable that hometown athletes would so publicly perpetuate a narrative that has been disproven over-and-over again."


Nothing was disproven. There was no cross-examination and no rebuttal witnesses. It was a stacked deck intended to whitewash the whole disgusting episode. Perhaps Roorda should spend a little more time looking into police corruption. Perhaps if the police had more people like these NFL players Ferguson would be a better place to live.

[uppityperson]

30. He ends with this threat. What the fuck. What the fuck.

"I know that there are those that will say that these players are simply exercising their First Amendment rights. Well I've got news for people who think that way, cops have first amendment rights too, and we plan to exercise ours. I'd remind the NFL and their players that it is not the violent thugs burning down buildings that buy their advertiser's products. It's cops and the good people of St. Louis and other NFL towns that do. Somebody needs to throw a flag on this play. If it's not the NFL and the Rams, then it'll be cops and their supporters."

If the NFL and Rams don't stop those men from speaking out on police brutality against minorities, the cops and supporters will? WHAT THE FUCK?!?

[True Blue Door]

32. We can't discount the reality that some cops might sincerely feel this way.

But they have to be willing to sit down with the community and hear how they're perceived, and figure out a way past it, because their authority comes entirely from community consent. There is no "officer" without public consent. And even if they never agree with the premises of what people are thinking, there is no way around the fact that that consent is the source of authority.

[Man from Pickens]

47. It's legitimacy that comes from public consent

Authority can be asserted by the mere application of violence behind a blue wall that justice cannot penetrate; it is derived from the ability to kill you without consequences, and your fear thereof.

[True Blue Door]

48. There is no such thing as "without consequences."

Ferguson PD has no authority until they implement radical changes to gain the consent of the people of Ferguson.

[mindwalker_i]

33. Wait a minute, the police were pulling long hours

to defend football players? That's just some fucked up priorities right there.

[JaneyVee]

34. Remember when Limbaugh was supposed to buy Rams?

LOL.

[elzenmahn]

35. It's all part of the "Shield" that cops are a part of...

...they take care of each other, that's for damned sure.

I hope the Rams and the NFL don't listen to these assholes.

[iemitsu]

37. I'm not so certain that the Grand Jurys refusal to indict Wilson

equals the "now-exonerated officer" for many people.
Many just think Wilson got away with murder.
Roorda protesteth too much.

[OrwellwasRight]

44. Roorda: What an asshole.

Also, what kind of union hires management (former Chief of Police) to speak for them? This kind of crap doesn't have anything to do with the labor movement, which is down for the little guy.

[TeeYiYi]

46. Well, I'm incensed that peaceful protesters...

...are met with the brutal, gestapo tactics of the Missouri sturmtruppen in the streets of America.

Roorda, you should be ashamed; and if you're not, you can rest assured that the majority of Americans are ashamed and embarrassed for you.

TYY

[BootinUp]

50. This may lead to some policeman exercising their 1st Amendment rights

lets see what happens.

[Dorian Gray]

51. Wow

that guy is a total gas bag.

[ScreamingMeemie]

55. I love that it was in the face of the increased police presence at the stadium.

[logosoco]

56. This man is very ignorant.

He was my dem. candidate for state rep He lost< and i can't say I;m sorry
I am always worried when someone who works with the government does not understand the constitution. If he wants to boycott anyone, that is fine . It has nothing to do with the first amendment.

And he should not be saying wilson is exonerated just yet I think there will be a civil suit and, who knows, another grand jury
What an ignorant fool this guy is!!!!

[napkinz]

57. posted by cali

NFL to St Louis Police: No we won't discipline the Rams players

see http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025894748

[JEB]

59. Not a football fan, but now I am a Rams fan.