Ferguson rioters harass, threaten reporters

By BYRON TAU | 8/16/14 12:43 PM EDT Updated: 8/17/14 3:22 PM EDT
FERGUSON, Mo. — Reporters trying to cover the renewed chaos in this town faced a new threat on Friday: the demonstrators themselves.

Print and video reporters and photojournalists were repeatedly and aggressively threatened and harassed when attempting to photograph or videotape any of the looting or property destruction. ?Many of the demonstrators expressed concern about being identified by police or told reporters that the looting was none of their concern.

Police largely remained on the sidelines on Friday and into the dawn hours of Saturday morning as demonstrators descended on a number of businesses in Ferguson — pulling alcohol, lottery tickets and merchandise from the vandalized stores.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/fe…

Tough week Phil M, watching your ‘narrative’ melt away in front of the facts?

Conversation recorded by bystander just moments after Michael Brown shooting casts doubt on claims the teen surrendered to Officer Darren Wilson
By JAMES NYE FOR MAILONLINE and MAILONLINE REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 14:21 EST, 17 August 2014 | UPDATED: 05:11 EST, 18 August 2014

Previously unnoticed audio from a video recorded in the chaotic moments after Michael Brown's fatal shooting last Saturday in Ferguson, Missouri, could help back up Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson's version of events.
Overheard while one man films the gruesome aftermath of Brown's daylight shooting, the barely discernible audio is of one unseen man recounting the alleged version of events that he saw to another man, off camera, while bystanders scream and shout at police to assist the stricken 18-year-old.
At around the six minute and 30 second mark in the 10 minute long video, one man is just heard over raucous shouting asking another how Brown ended up at least 30-feet away from the police squad car that presumably was being driven by Wilson.

The first man explains to the second man that Brown was there because he had previously been inside the police car and run, which contradicts what the teens friend, Dorian Johnson, has told police and in interviews.
Johnson has said that Brown was not ever inside Officer Wilson's police car before the shooting.
Johnson alleges that Wilson exited his car and struck 6ft 4inch Brown as he was trying to open the door, setting off the calamitous series of events that ended with Brown running from a shooting Wilson, before turning with his hands raised in surrender before being gunned down.
The audio heard in the video gives a different version of events.

The alleged witness tells the man that Brown was in the police car with Wilson and then got out and ran away.
'Then the next thing I know he doubled back towards him cus (sic) the police had his gun drawn already on him,' according to blog, Conservative Tree House.
The witness then contradicts the now crucial narrative of the how the tragic events unfolded last Saturday.

Instead of Brown being fired on while his hands were raised in surrender, the witness claims that Brown was moving towards the officer when he was shot.
While this version of events does not match most of the eyewitness accounts, it does seem to tally up in a small part with the account of what occurred given by a friend of Wilson.

'He pulled up ahead of them. And then he got a call-in that there was a strong-arm robbery. And, they gave a description,' said the friend in an interview with Josie on The Dana Show.
'And, he’s looking at them and they got something in their hands and it looks like it could be what, you know those cigars or whatever. So he goes in reverse back to them.
'Tries to get out of his car. They slam his door shut violently. I think he said Michael did. And, then he opened the car again. He tried to get out. He stands up.
'And then Michael just bum-rushes him and shoves him back into his car. Punches him in the face and them Darren grabs for his gun. Michael grabbed for the gun. At one point he got the gun entirely turned against his hip.
'And he shoves it away. And the gun goes off.
'Well, then Michael takes off and gets to be about 35 feet away. And, Darren’s first protocol is to pursue. So, he stands up and yells, 'Freeze!# Michael and his friend turn around.
'And Michael taunts him… And then all the sudden he just started bumrushing him. He just started coming at him full speed.
'And, so he just started shooting. And, he just kept coming. And, so he really thinks he was on something.'
This new development follows photographs from last Saturday that were taken in the minutes after Brown's death.
They came as Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced that he has signed an order declaring a state of emergency 'to keep the people safe' and implemented a midnight to 5am curfew in Ferguson on Saturday.
Yahoo News published the photograph of Darren Wilson on their homepage in a report detailing Brown's February commendation for 'extraordinary effort in the line of duty'.