Asheville protest planned in response to no action against police officer in Ferguson, Mo.,

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Someone spray painted this graffiti on a wall outside the Wall Street parking deck in downtown Asheville Monday night.

Someone spray painted this graffiti on a wall outside the Wall Street parking deck in downtown Asheville Monday night.

Some Asheville residents plan to gather at the Vance Monument in downtown Asheville Tuesday night at 5 p.m. to protest the decision by a grand jury in Ferguson, Mo., not to indict a white officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager earlier this year. Here’s the FB event page for the protest. From the page:

No indictment! The whole system is guilty! Join us at 5pm at Vance Monument. Bring banners, signs, your friends, family and neighbors. #nojusticenopeace #blacklivesmatter #ferguson #justiceformikebrown

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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33 Comments

  1. Barry Summers December 3, 2014

    “Justice means getting what you deserve. Michael Brown got what he deserved. And now, thanks to the Grand Jury deliberations of the facts and evidence, we know that for certain.”

    We can assume the same goes for Eric Garner, right?

    Reply
  2. Barry Summers November 26, 2014

    “Justice means getting what you deserve. Michael Brown got what he deserved. And now, thanks to the Grand Jury deliberations of the facts and evidence, we know that for certain.”

    Just like we know “for certain” that OJ didn’t kill his wife.

    For that matter, since the Fulton Co. Deputy that broke Mr. Peck’s legs and handcuffed him to a hospital bed for 6 days was never indicted (he’s still in law enforcement, isn’t he?), and multiple eyewitnesses backed him up, do we therefor know “for certain” that he was correct in describing Mr. Peck as a belligerent drunk who cursed and assaulted him, and that he only used the force necessary to subdue Mr. Peck, giving him what he “deserved”?

    Or am I missing something?

    snipr.com/1bhbez (drag & drop)

    Sometimes cops make mistakes, and we need to hold them accountable. Hateful rhetoric directed at a grieving community doesn’t help anything.

    Reply
    1. Tim Peck November 26, 2014

      “Or am I missing something?”

      Yes. You’re missing something.

      Reply
      1. Tim Peck November 26, 2014

        I won.

        Reply
        1. Tim Peck November 26, 2014

          And, no, the officer who committed the assault lost his job.

          Reply
          1. Tim Peck November 26, 2014

            You really don’t know what you’re talking about. But don’t let that stop you talking.

            Reply
          2. Trilby Hat November 26, 2014

            According to what I could find, he was still a Fulton County deputy two years after your encounter with him, and then he went on to become a detective with the Stone Mountain Police Department until 2005. After that, he went on to work as a law enforcement officer with the Fulton County Board of Education.

            There is also this quote from a followup Creative Loafing article:

            “In September, CL published a story about the assault on Peck. Since then, internal affairs issued its decision that Deputy Smith did no wrong.”

            So, can we then assume that you got what you deserved, just as Michael Brown got what he deserved?

            Reply
          3. Trilby Hat November 26, 2014

            From what I could find, he kept his job as a Fulton County deputy until 2003, then moved on to a job as a detective in Stone Mountain until 2005, then took a job as a law enforcement officer with the Fulton County Board of Education. Also, according a followup article in Creative Loafing, internal affairs found no wrongdoing on Kelvin Smith’s part.

            Reply
          4. smytty November 27, 2014

            Sorry to interrupt your conversation with yourself, but please read my links below in reference to what a Grand Jury is and isn’t supposed to do.

            Hint: It has nothing to do with establishing who “deserves” what

            Reply
          5. Tim Peck November 29, 2014

            “So, can we then assume that you got what you deserved, just as Michael Brown got what he deserved?”

            You can assume that but you’d be wrong. The judge and attorney avoided assumptions and determined that an injustice had taken place. As a result, I won the case and made of with quite a bundle. I believe it’s called restitution. So, yes, I got what I deserved: plenty of money from multiple sources: the restaurant, Fulton County and the City of Atlanta.

            The officer was fired and I don’t doubt the good ole boy network found a nice little gig for this disgraced thug with a badge.

            It’s been fun going down memory lane with you and I’m glad you’re interested in my life, even though it has nothing to do with the subject. But, what else have you got to do? You have no arguments to support the claim that Big Mike was an innocent baby who surrendered with a smile. Funny, you don’t reference any of the evidence and testimony from the Grand Jury inquiry. It would be a better use of your investigatory talents, I should think.

            Reply
    2. Harry November 28, 2014

      The evidence that this was a clean shoot was overwhelming. Based on this evidence, the prosecutor had NO obligation to even take the case before a Grand Jury. He knew he couldn’t get a conviction. He did it solely to minimize unrest. He should have known they were going to riot regardless of the outcome. Eyewitness testimony from African American witnesses and the physical evidence in the case proved that officer Wilson was justified in shooting Brown. Deal with it Hack.

      Reply
  3. cwaster November 26, 2014

    While I’m not happy with the non-indictment of an unarmed man being shot to death, graffiti sucks.

    Reply
  4. Tim Peck November 26, 2014

    Michael Brown was a common street thug who started a fight with a police officer and was justifiably killed by the innocent officer in the course of defending himself against a violent life-threatening assault.

    Justice means getting what you deserve. Michael Brown got what he deserved. And now, thanks to the Grand Jury deliberations of the facts and evidence, we know that for certain.

    Evidence and Testimony: goo.gl/cdJiC6

    What should be condemned in all of this is not an intentionally maligned police officer, but the frenzy of media hype, wishful thinking narrative creation and self-serving race-hustling activism.

    By the way, you phony embarrassing protestors were wrong for 2 years. Own it.

    Reply
    1. smytty November 26, 2014

      “Common street thug?” Really Tim, I thought you were smarter than that – using thinly coded language.

      “Michael Brown got what he deserved” – seems to me he stole a pack of cigarillos. Not sure when that became a capital crime.

      Thanks for showing your true colors! Helps me figure out who to bother responding to in the future.

      Have a lovely Thanksgiving! Hope you remember to be appreciative of how fortunate we all are.

      Reply
      1. Matt November 26, 2014

        Smytty, he wasn’t shot and killed for shoplifting cigarillos, he was shot after a physical confrontation. The nature of the confrontation is what is at dispute here.

        Reply
        1. smytty November 26, 2014

          Thanks for explaining that to me Matt, I haven’t been watching the news for the last few months.

          So, it is acknowledged that the officer did not recognize him as a suspect in the robbery. Is there any news as to what the reasoning was for encountering him in the first place?

          (Even if the officer truly did fear for his life, I’m not sure how you get from “self-defense, incapacitate the young man” to “12 shots fired”)

          Reply
          1. luther blissett November 26, 2014

            It is acknowledged that the robbery was mentioned by Wilson in his long-after-the-fact testimony, but Wilson didn’t file a report or face questioning for days. Funny, that.

            It is also acknowledged that a prosecutor can usually indict a ham sandwich, but not a cop.

            Reply
      2. Tim Peck November 30, 2014

        “seems to me he stole a pack of cigarillos. Not sure when that became a capital crime.”

        There is no connection between Brown’s petty theft and his death as a result of assaulting a police officer with deadly intent.

        Reply
    2. ashevillain November 26, 2014

      Can you define what the term “common street thug” means to you? Thanks.

      Reply
      1. Tim Peck November 30, 2014

        “Can you define what the term ‘common street thug’ means to you? Thanks.”

        Sorry to confuse you with a complicated term of art.

        Reply
        1. ashevillain December 1, 2014

          LOL. I’m not confused. I just wanted to know what that term means to you.

          Sorry you’re too much of a jackass to carry on a normal conversation.

          Reply
    3. Barry Summers November 26, 2014

      And the word of the “innocent officer” is always right, eh ‘Mr. Smug’?

      snipr.com/1bhbez (drag & drop)

      Reply
      1. luther blissett November 26, 2014

        You’d almost think that Mouthpiece is rapidly headed towards unemployment and unemployability, so he’s letting his white hood show in public.

        Mighty white of you, Mouthpiece.

        Reply
        1. Tim Peck November 30, 2014

          “Mighty white of you, Mouthpiece.”

          You seem to have a fixation on race. Is that a recent development or a life-long malady?

          Reply
    4. smytty November 27, 2014

      If anyone is interested in learning some of the facts from the testimony rather than just nodding or shaking their head, here’s a handy chart that breaks it down for you: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/newly-released-witness-testimony-tell-us-michael-brown-shooting/

      WARNING: Article might not line up with all your preconceived notions

      Additionally, even notoriously conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia feels the Grand Jury didn’t act properly in their treatment of this case: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/11/26/3597322/justice-scalia-explains-what-was-wrong-with-the-ferguson-grand-jury/

      Now then, you may all return to your myopic views.

      Reply
      1. smytty November 29, 2014

        No one seems interested in discussing the actual facts outlined above? Would rather just repeat opinions?

        Okay.

        Reply
        1. Tim Peck November 30, 2014

          “And the word of the ‘innocent officer’ is always right, eh ‘Mr. Smug’?”

          As it happens, the officer was proven innocent in a protracted and legal process. But you can stick to your fantasy, as is you wont. It’s always worked for you in the past, hasn’t it?

          Reply
          1. smytty November 30, 2014

            “Proven innocent” suggests a trial.

            Reply
          2. Barry Summers November 30, 2014

            “Proven innocent” suggests a trial.

            Exactly. A grand jury isn’t a trial. A grand jury is essentially run by the prosecutor. It is supposed to be where he makes his best case as to whether a crime has been committed, and a suspect should be indicted. It’s not supposed to be a trial, where he leans hard on the exculpatory evidence, questions accusers more harshly than the defendant, gives confusing instructions to the jury as to the charges they can bring, and then shrugs when they choose not to indict.

            It’s grotesque to suggest Wilson was “proven innocent” by this dog & pony show. As I said earlier, OJ Simpson was “proven innocent in a protracted and legal process”. But most people acknowledge that he was found “not guilty” largely because the LAPD was full of racist and/or incompetent cops, and the jury refused to convict OJ on their testimony. Cops like Mark Furman, who was caught on tape bragging about how he and other LAPD officers hate Black men who date White women, and how they routinely frame them for crimes they didn’t commit. Ooops.

            That trial was a miscarriage of justice, and so was this grand jury in Ferguson. Anyone who trumpets the “proven innocence” of Darren Wilson is speaking from a place of hate, not the facts.

            The US Justice Dept. is looking into this, and Michael Brown’s family may still file a civil suit. More shoes to drop in this case, and let’s hope it leads to genuine progress.

            Reply
  5. Tim Peck November 26, 2014

    Michael Brown was a common street thug who started a violent fight with a police officer and was justifiably killed by the innocent officer in the course of defending himself against a life-threatening assault.

    Justice means getting what you deserve. Michael Brown got what he deserved. And now, thanks to the Grand Jury deliberations of the facts and evidence, we know that for certain.

    Evidence:
    http://apps.stlpublicradio.org/ferguson-project/evidence.html

    By the way, you phony embarrassing protesters were wrong for 2 years. Own it.

    Reply
  6. Murphy November 25, 2014

    That graffitti clean-up program is really discouraging folks…

    Reply
  7. Forest Davenport November 25, 2014

    Wow. What a protest!

    Reply
  8. Mr. Jangles November 25, 2014

    And this is why there is no validity in protest… lets bring back the 99% thing!

    Reply

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