By: Kidman J. Williams
I was startled awake by that damned nightmare again! The last time I had it was about ten years ago; I was living in sin, an hour north of Tampa, Florida with my cheating skank, ex-girlfriend. I am standing in a beautiful park area next to a river at night. I hear Bobby Darin’s “Beyond the Sea” in the background. The sky has a deep purple tone, the grass is vibrant and green and the people are genuine and happy. The children are dressed in Christening Gowns running around in a circle with sparklers over their innocent little heads. The scene can only be described as pure and tranquil.
Then the whole scene turns ugly with the ring of a piercing whistle! Troops dressed in armor come sweeping through the peace of the evening beating people down with their phallic black sticks. I yell out to the people to run, but we are getting closed in from every side. I turn my head to catch a full shot of a little blonde girl with tears rolling down her face; she is surrounded by her fallen friends lying in the grass with blood pooled around the bodies.
I try to run for her and I see the nightstick coming towards my face and I woke up in a cold sweat, shaking nervously.
It is 5 AM here in the Chicagoland area. I passed-out right after hearing the ill-fated verdict of the Michael Brown case in Ferguson. It was a compelling case that should have seen a conclusion long before late November’s wintery winds carried the death blow to the Nation. A little transparency in the case could have avoided months of civil unrest in Ferguson. Even a little better reasoning than the “No probable cause for murder” could have helped. Instead we’ve seen nothing but bedlam in Missouri since August 9th.
My Social Media Adventure
I went over the information from the comic news media (ABC, CBS, FOX, etc.) then I took to the one useful tool, social media sites. I watched a live video feed from the riots…I watched several of them that depicted the very same things. The beginning of the video feed depicted a man with a goose egg on his head from a tear gas can. The same feed showed 3 cars ablaze with nobody putting them out. One cop car was incinerated. The police who were on foot and in a full service armored military vehicle were more focused on people simply chanting and watching (this included a Rabbi and his wife) the action…they couldn’t be bothered to get the fire department in to stop the fires from burning. Instead they watched this small part of the world burn.
The people walking around just watching started to get nervous face twitches as the videos audio started to pick up a whooshing sound. The police force started to shoot teargas on the pedestrians who were just standing there. Then the Ferguson Police started their random assault on the people in their cars who were trying to leave the scene as the ammunition in the cop car started to go off because of the fire.
The seemingly unwarranted force was quite a common scene on the social media video feeds. I saw everything from the point when stores were set on fire to a Rabbi and a Priest getting teargas hurled at them as they took part of the peaceful assembly that I’m sure represented 80 percent of the gatherings. I saw no criminal actions on video. This could only bring me to the conclusion that aside from a few radically rabid fools, the majority of the people just want to see justice served to the proper foes.
There is a Nixon Amongst Us
I’d imagine that the majority of people couldn’t name their very own state government, let alone a different states’ governor. Missouri’s Governor is Jay Nixon. Unlike the more famous Nixon, Jay Nixon is a Democrat with the face of a stoolpigeon. Nixon has the face of the guy in every old Noir movie that ends up getting whacked by the mobs’ ruthless gun for hire. A weak jaw, beveled body and sloped stature makes Jay Nixon a man who parents shouldn’t trust to run their son’s Boy Scout camping trip, (2010 winner of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award) let alone running a state. Did we learn nothing with the last time a Nixon (I don’t think there is a relation) got into public office?
On November 11th, thirteen days before the verdict, Governor Jay Nixon announced the law enforcement strategy for future protests in Ferguson and St. Louis during his press conference at the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop. He stated:
“As governor, the most important part of my job is keeping the people of Missouri safe. That is why we have been working around the clock to prepare to keep residents and businesses of the St. Louis region safe — regardless of the outcome of the parallel local and federal investigations.”
Jon Belmar (St. Louis County Police Chief) went on to add that…
“The leaders of the agencies in the unified command are focused on the preservation of life, the protection of property and ensuring that all peaceful demonstrators can exercise their free-speech rights,” Belmar said. “We also want the public to know that we are fully committed to preventing lawbreakers from threatening public safety.”
Governor Nixon seemed to have shown his hand too early. What do I mean by that? Most people are not going to call a “State of Emergency” unless things are going down. When a tornado comes through and destroys everything you might call for a “State of Emergency.” You don’t call for it a week before the tornado is there, because you don’t know what the outcome is going to be. When a weatherman says that next Tuesday we have a chance for a severe weather threat, most of us don’t even believe the weatherman anyway!
That is exactly what this Nixon did. He called a “State of Emergency” a week before the verdict came. Now, why would one do such a silly-billy thing? Ha, ho, HO! You only call for something like that when you know what is going to happen. So, maybe Doc Brown came in with his Delorian and landed on Nixon’s front lawn as he was taking out his garbage in his blue monogrammed robe and said, “Great Scott Jay! We must go back to the future!”
Nixon looks at Doc Brown with an urgent fear, “What’s wrong Doc? Do we become assholes or something?”
Doc wild eyed as always, “No Jay! It is the children of Missouri and the Grand Jury decision! There are fires, riots, and teargas; there are protests, it is the U.S., London, even the Polish are getting in on it!”
Nixon is the 60’s Batman villain who gives away the whole plan; the rat, the gambler who gets caught cheating and gets himself shot in the Red Rooster Saloon.
Guy Fawkes and the Grand Dragon Band
Anonymous has had some involvement in this, since the beginning stages of the insanity in Ferguson. They first pointed their unknown finger at the name of Darren Wilson, back when the Police didn’t want to give Wilson’s identity; Anonymous was the first to disclose his name. Then a few hours later all of the mainstream news jumped on the story like it was brand new information.
Now, Anonymous has come with brand new details that might or might not prove that the Ku Klux Klan had some serious involvement in the cases’ verdict. They leaked pictures of well-known members at the “We Support Darren Wilson” group rally and even rumoring it to having been held by the KKK in Imperial, Missouri. It could be important to note that Imperial is allegedly the hometown of Wilson’s now wife, Officer Barbara Sprading.
This could give some of Anonymous’ claims some validity. It might not. Before they went public with the connection of the KKK and the WSDW group, the group posted many photos of the rally on their social media pages. After the public announcement, of course, the group erased pictures. Like a 5 year old, this raised the bar of their involvement in this hypothesis.
While digging for a direct connect between Darren Wilson and the KKK an informant came to Anonymous and told them about their close ties to Darren Wilson’s now wife Barbara Sprading. See! I told you this was going to come up later. Ha, ho, HO! The informant, with the info, asked to not be known, fore he/she is so close to the information that he/she would be known if it leaks out. The informant sent an email to Anonymous that said:
“I am scared for my life right now. I am begging for you to please not release the information that I gave. I am afraid that because the information I provided is so specific, that it will definitely be traced back to me, and I will be in danger. I am a longtime supporter of Anonymous, and I’ve trust you with my identity. Now I feel my life is in your hands. I am begging you please. I have a family to think of.”
Anonymous ultimately decided that the leaked info was in fact too specific and could put the informer in grave danger. So, Anonymous is sitting on that particular truth or not truth until they can prove it themselves.
Anonymous, because of their other informant, has been receiving death threats from the KKK for showing ties between them and the Ferguson PD. Anonymous responded like a Chuck Palahniuk novel stating, “We are the law now.”
A former KKK Grand Dragon, Henry Harrell, allegedly came forward to claim, “I know for a fact that the KKK had a lot to do with what went on in Ferguson.” He went on to talk about a supposed “Ghoul Squad.” These are silent members of the KKK that either are or have direct ties to local Missouri law enforcement. Harrell even stated that the recently deceased Leadwood police chief was a part of the Ghoul Squad. Weeks after posting this Harrell went to claim that his Facebook account had been hacked. According to Anonymous, they have evidence that the KKK was called in to Ferguson by this Ghoul Squad.
This is pretty compelling evidence if it is in fact, truth. Something like this getting leaked to the mainstream could unfold into an all out war between the people and the state. Who knows? It is crazy to think that people could be this ruthless to their fellow man, but human beings do have the capacity to be this corrupt. Look at your history books. Julius Caesar getting killed by his own wasn’t just some fairy tale in the land of make-believe.
Nor is the Tulsa Race Riots of 1921, make believe, despite its glaring exclusion from local or state histories, classrooms or textbooks. Less than 100 years ago and 400 miles southwest of Ferguson, MO , in our oft-forgotten, corrupt and racist history, white residents reacting to the alleged assault of a young white woman, Sarah Page, by a young black man Dick Rowland, prompted by sensationalized news reports of an alleged attack and possible lynching and enraged by the sight of armed black citizens coming to the assistance of the local police and to the protection of the innocent-until-proven-guilty Dick Rowland, white residents demanded that the “Negro uprising” cease and they lay down their arms.
“According to witnesses, a white man is alleged to have told one of the armed black men to surrender his pistol. The man refused, and a shot was fired. That first shot may have been accidental, or meant as a warning shot; it was a catalyst for an exchange of gunfire… A rolling gunfight ensued. The armed white mob pursued the black group toward Greenwood, with many stopping to loot local stores for additional weapons and ammunition. Along the way innocent bystanders, many of whom were leaving a movie theater after a show, were caught off guard by the mob and began fleeing. Panic set in as the white mob began firing on any blacks in the crowd. The mob also shot and killed at least one white man in the confusion.”
Rioting continued for 2 days, centered on the predominately black Greenwood District a.k.a The Black Wall Street of Tulsa, including the burning of 191 businesses, a junior high school, several churches and the only hospital in the district. Over 1200 houses burned and another 200 were looted but not burned. Witnesses reported the murder, beating and detention of unarmed blacks fleeing the area, while left over WWI biplanes roared overhead, firebombing remaining buildings and shooting at anyone that moved. In the end, up to 300 blacks lay dead, 6000 black residents arrested and detained and $1.5 million of real estate reported lost. 9 whites were killed, the Chief of Police indicted and charged for negligence of duty but was never sentenced to any time. Instead, he went back to running a successful private investigation company. Oh and Sarah Page, the young woman at the center of this social catastrophe, declined to press charges for her supposed assault.
The prevailing corruption of our current justice system is built upon the past corruption that has been allowed to be buried in our collective minds. Does this make Anonymous’ evidence any truer? No. But it does lay credence to the thought that those in power will do anything to keep their nefarious actions secret.
The Big Secret Squirrel in the Room
These riots are going to go on for days. I’m pretty ready for the constant arguing about the verdict by social media fiends who think that they know the truth, yet can’t be bothered to read or look anything up about the trial. As I sit here sipping from my glass of Kraken Black Spiced Rum, I can feel the vacuous nature of the social media posts. Why will there be so much? It is pretty simple; most people are going to miss the big picture as they fight for the most comments and likes.
Since early August there has been one theme that has continued in the Ferguson area; our most basic right as Americans has been continually infringed upon. That is why Freedom of Speech is the FIRST one. Without this one basic idea of communication none of the other rights mean anything. You might as well wipe your asses with our Declaration of Independence and blow your snotty nose with the Bill of Rights while using the White House Lawn as your personal bathroom; be sure to dig a hole and bury it though, shovels are NOT provided. Those shovels against the wall or ONLY for politicians poop (see what I did there, ha, ho, HO!).
What we saw in August were journalists being banned from the area as they reported from outside the city. I watched a video where they arrested journalists and bullied them out of a fast food establishment. The police charged down the roads in military vehicles shooting teargas and rubber bullets at peaceful protesters, who back in August, were simply looking for the name of officer who killed an eighteen year old guy. Despite what he was doing or what drugs he might have been on; still has a Mother who will care no matter what kind of person he was.
What I fear the most from this botched situation is what it will show other places on American soil. Anytime you push the envelope of normal thought and actions, you usually can’t go back to the way things were. That is just a fact. So, what could this mean for the future of our 1st Amendment? In the immortal words of Leonard Cohen, “Everybody Knows the fight was fixed, the poor stay poor, the rich get rich. That’s how it goes, everybody knows.”