Letters: 'Hands up' is a ridiculous farce

WHEN the grand jury did not indict Officer Darren Wilson, two key elements were established as fact: The grand jury showed that a crime was not committed by the officer, and it also showed that the root cause of the rioting was based on the recollections of people who were shown to be not telling the truth.

When I see pictures in the Daily News and cartoons of people with hands raised, I wonder if the creator of the cartoon (Signe) or the protester actually read the grand-jury report that showed that no credible witness claimed Michael Brown's hands were raised when he was shot.

Will Bunch actually blames the prosecutor for scheduling the release of the decision at night, which allowed for riots to begin immediately. Seriously? And if it were at 6 a.m. the next day and the riots began at 6:01 a.m. and would last much longer, would that have been a plan, too?

Signe, Bunch, most of the DN editorial board and every person in the world walking around with the "hands up, don't shoot" farce on display need to look at the same details that the grand jury looked at. If you do read it and still claim it was an injustice that Officer Wilson was not charged, then it means in part that you believe the thug who Brown robbed the store with (who changed his story twice to fit the forensic evidence) over a citizen with no criminal record who told the same story from the day of the shooting until the day he testified in front of the grand jury. One key fact, since race is the underlying reason why Bunch and crew lose their ability to reason: The witnesses - both the liars and the truth tellers - were black.

I know it is complex and boring, but "hands up, don't shoot" is based on fiction - fiction created by a criminal, and it's all there in black and white (no pun intended).

Kevin Metz

Ridley Park

The grand-jury proceedings in Ferguson, Mo., were nothing more than an elaborate dog and pony show staged by a career prosecutor determined not to secure an indictment against Officer Darren Wilson. Rather than presenting to the grand jury only the evidence that supports the state's case - as is typical - St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch allowed Wilson to defend himself and offered conflicting witness testimony.

McCulloch's smirking protests about being "fair" tell the real truth. Actions speak louder than words.

Rob Boyden

Drexel Hill

Re: Christine Flowers' "It's hard, but we must strive for empathy in Ferguson":

You are definitely right, Ms. Flowers, you will never know the fear of not seeing a male member of a black family return home safely. The chances are greater for a young white male to be struck by lightning than to be murdered at the hands of a police officer. In my 60 years on the planet I have yet to pick up a newspaper and find the headlines screaming about the murder of a young white male at the hands of the police.

Until you can stop being on the outside looking in on the situation, you will never fully grasp it because you can't be black to know what it feels like. Tell me how it feels when you bury one of yours because of mindless brutality of an idiot that somehow slipped through the cracks on the psychological testing that potential officers are supposed to take. Then you can prattle on and on about empathy.

C.M. Parns

Philadelphia

So now we know there won't be any charges brought against the officer who defended himself against Michael Brown. While everyone has an opinion, unless you heard every witness testimony and you were on the grand jury, you don't know anything. Let's just assume they did what was right, whether you like it or not. As far as someone being held accountable for something, how about that clown stepfather who said "burn this bitch" when they announced their findings? He should be charged with inciting a riot and held financially responsible for all the damage he caused. But I won't hold my breath waiting.

Steven J. Donegan

Essington

One question regarding the article about Marc Lamont Hill's appearance at Mother Bethel AME Church: If your building was burned down by an angry mob, would you still give Hill a platform?

I doubt it, so why is it OK for other people to lose their businesses and livelihoods? If you continue to publish irresponsible incitements to violence, I will be canceling my subscription. What a disgrace to journalism.

Allen Merry

Philadelphia

Where Congress failed

The president delivered a historic speech on immigration, which allows deportation relief for 5 million immigrants. As he stated, "We were all immigrants at one time."

This is not amnesty. It rewards people who come here with honorable intentions, who work, go to school, raise families and obey the law.

Thank you, Mr. President, for taking a stance on a very controversial issue. Thanks for acting where Congress has failed.

Timothy Young

Philadelphia