While not seeming like it's pertinent, I still find the robbery information relevant and very important because it feels doctored. It feels like the police waited this long to reveal it because they are trying of cover the murder and murderer. At this point, given that they haven't released an autopsy report, it makes me skeptical if they won't doctor the other information as well considering the rate of speed information is coming out. It's like they're preparing for this trial by fixing all evidence to be catered to their own whims.
Seems pretty conspiracy theorist, but given the past week and the past reports on Ferguson police, it isn't that far fetched.
That's fine and all, but did you read my link to the MSNBC article where Johnson's lawyer confirmed that they took cigars? I understand that the circumstances that this evidence was just dumped out there this morning doesn't really seem on the up and up ("oh, and here's some information about only the robbery, enjoy"), but it also doesn't seem like it's worth contesting at this point either. I'm not the boss of you, so you're free to believe whatever you want about the case, mind you. But from where I'm sitting, I just don't think it's productive to make this -- a red herring -- a point of contention when it sort of appears to ignore reality.
I hope this makes sense. To me, the important aspect of this case is getting to the bottom of what happened leading up to and after the initial altercation. Regardless of eyewitness testimony, I feel like the damning evidence against the officer is multiple shots fired. I mean, okay, say I believe that Johnson was resisting a just arrest after robbing a store. Say I even believe that he panicked and reached for Wilson's gun. The idea that the killing was justified only seems remotely plausible to me if one shot was fired during an initial struggle for the gun. And if he was shot in the back running away? Obviously, our outrage about the injustice still stands.
Honestly, I think that was always what we should have been focusing on. I mean, I understand why -- in our pursuit of justice and advocacy of better race relations between law enforcement and minorities -- it's better to have an innocent young man who was unfairly targeted by police for no other reason than walking down the street while black, it looks like it may not be that simple. And I don't want to be wantonly ignoring the facts to present a one-sided case when -- as far as I can tell -- there's still reason to believe that this is a tragedy even in spite of knowing that he stole some cigars from a gas station.
