rosethomass:

if you, like me, get so angry when discussing or debating current issues with ignorant/bigoted people that you can’t articulate your thoughts, here is a list of arguments i’ve seen so far defending darren wilson or going against the ferguson protests, with suggestions as to how to counter and links to helpful posts to support your argument:

1. “It’s not a race issue!”

• Actual KKK waving a Confederate flag as they walk the streets of Ferguson, celebrating.
• Darren Wilson might even be affiliated with the KKK
• White Man waves a gun at children in a park, is taken into custody alive
• More examples of double standards in favor of white people: James Eagan Holmes, various other (unnamed but fairly well-known) cases

2. “The officer feared for his life. It was self defense.”

• Pictures of Darren Wilson’s oh-so-life-threatening injuries + full-body shot
• Darren Wilson says he would do it again
• Darren Wilson is 6’4” and 215lbs (needs source), in a vehicle with a loaded weapon. Mike Brown was an unarmed teenager walking down the street.
• (Speculative) He got married while on leave, possibly so his wife wouldn’t have to testify if she knew something.
• Wilson did not complete an incident report, which is a violation of protocol
• Article about why Darren Wilson shooting Mike Brown was illegal no matter how you look at it

3. “Michael Brown stole from a convenience store. He was a thug and a thief.”

• Statement from the store owner saying that no one called the police and nothing was taken
• This is disputable and the time stamps on the video don’t sync up with the story.
• The cigarettes he allegedly stole were paid for and there’s proof
• Remind them that even if Mike Brown had done some petty shoplifting, that’s no reason for him to be shot six times in the middle of a street.

4. “The jury saw all the evidence, they know better.”/Something about insufficient/unreliable evidence.

• “It’s Incredibly Rare For A Grand Jury To Do What Ferguson’s Just Did” + only .0004% of grand juries fail to indict
• All 4 eyewitness accounts of the murder in chronological order
• Every piece of evidence in the case against officer wilson
• Prosecutor supported Wilson, and other problems with the case
• Remind them that even “people get charged with manslaughter when someone dies in a car accident” and Darren Wilson wasn’t even charged that
• The National Bar Association and its president know the jury’s decision was bullshit

5. “The riots and protests are out of hand and unnecessary. It’s just an excuse to be violent and steal things.”

• Video of protesters getting shot with (I think) flare bombs and tear gas by police. (warning: flashing lights and loud sounds)
• Video of protesters quietly sitting down
• Video of protesters peacefully but firmly chanting outside the supreme court
• Video of the National Guard arriving with automatic weapons
• Crips and Blood gang members preventing looters at the riots (from the first riots back in august)
• Community working together to clean up the aftermath of the riots

6. “You can’t fight violence with violence, what would Martin Luther King say?”

• “It is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots…..” -MLK
• Remind them that as pro-peaceful protests as MLK was, he still got shot in the head.

If after all this, they’re still arguing in defense of Darren Wilson or the jury, just give up because there’s no way you can change the mind of such a complete fucking bigot.

Some masterposts I used that also have more information: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 

If there’s anything I should add or fix, please let me know