www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/09/and_heres_the_rest_of_the_story.html
The late broadcaster Paul Harvey had a signature introduction to his commentary, “and here’s the rest of the story.” He would relate the interesting backstories of news that were generally about celebrities or news events but not widely known. He passed away in 2009 and with the exception of a few diehard journalists, the fourth estate continues to leave out the pertinent facts of controversies that would completely change the narrative. So, consider this column, my attempt to fill in the news gap of the most volatile incidents that have inspired incendiary and totally unwarranted responses: the deaths of Michael Brown, George Floyd, Jacob Blake and Breonna Taylor.
Michael Brown
What we know: The Black Lives Matter or BLM movement was started around 2013 in response to the George Zimmerman acquittal in the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The movement exploded after 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 and the ensuing riots and looting destroyed many businesses. Brown’s friend Dorian Johnson falsely stated that Michael had his hands up when he was shot by the white police officer. Soon millionaire athletes were wearing T-shirts reading “hands up, don’t shoot” and they started and continue funding this movement.
And here’s the rest of the story. Police officer Darren Wilson was not indicted by the Grand Jury because the forensic evidence proved that he shot Brown in self defense... Michael Brown’s DNA was found on Wilson’s gun and his thigh. All the so-called witnesses who claimed Brown had his hands up finally admitted they hadn’t even seen the incident. The forensic evidence and legitimate witnesses backed Wilson’s statement. Nevertheless, the narrative of “Hand’s Up, don’t shoot” still persists till today with low-info ‘woke’ protesters.
George Floyd
What we know: A viral video of a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on George Floyd’s, neck while he shouted, “I can’t breathe,” instigated violent protests in Minnesota this May. Four police officers were fired and Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three officers in the scene who just stood by and watched were also charged with aiding and abetting.
After Floyd's death, widespread violent protests were held against the use of excessive force by police officers against black suspects and lack of police accountability. Protests began in Minneapolis the day after his death and developed in cities throughout all 50 U.S. states and internationally. Antifa and BLM used the incident to wage war against the police and government agencies using that one video to spur up hostilities.
And here’s the rest of the story. When the full police body cam footage was released, the narrative changed significantly and in a fair trial, once the autopsy evidence is released, it will be very hard to convict the policeman of anything other than excessive force. Medical personnel familiar with the effects of drug overdoses insist that Floyd was exhibiting a typical panic response to one dying of a drug overdose. Although official autopsies deem his death a homicide by “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression" the actual toxicology report found fatal doses of:
1.Fentanyl 11 ng/mL; 2. Norfentanyl 5.6 ng/mL; 3. 4-ANPP 0.65 ng/mL;4. Methamphetamine 19 ng/mL; 5. 11-Hydroxy Delta-9 THC 1.2 ng/mL; Delta-9 Carboxy THC 42 ng/mL; Delta-9 THC 2.9 ng/mL. Oh and he also tested positive for covid 19.
In addition, the county medical autopsy review stated it,"revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation."
Jacob Blake
What we know: Democrat VP candidate Senator Kamala Harris cited Blake’s bravery for fighting through his pain while he was in the hospital after being shot several times by a white cop on August 23, 2020. Protests followed the shooting, leading Kenosha County to declare a state of emergency overnight on August 24 after police vehicles were damaged, and the local courthouse vandalized. Because he was shot in the back, the left-wing media is milking this story while ignoring why Blake was being involved with the Kenosha, Wisconsin police at all.
And here’s the real story: Jacob Blake had broken into a sleeping woman’s house, sexually assaulted her and stole her debit card and car keys. The woman was his former girlfriend who had an order of protection against him which he violated. The police called out were there at the request of a black woman, a victim of sexual assault and they had the outstanding warrant for Blake who resisted arrest so vigorously that he was still fighting the cops after being tasered twice. He was repeatedly told to drop the knife and was shot as he attempted to possibly reach for a weapon inside a car. Once again, the limited video of the shooting went viral but the truth of Blake’s background has been muted in the MSM in favor of portraying him as a victim of police brutality.
Breonna Taylor
Here’s what we know about the Taylor murder:
On March 13, 2020, Louisville Metro Police Department officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor in her apartment during an after-midnight raid that did not result in any illegal substances found. Despite possessing a no-knock warrant, according to a disinterested witness, police did knock and announce themselves. Police fired on Taylor after her boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired the first shot; Walker said he fired his gun due to not knowing the intruders were police. Walker was charged with attempted murder of a police officer but the charge was dismissed in May 2020.
And here’s my take on the rest of this sad story. After researching the details of the previous individuals involved with police shootings, I found that their illegal activities were what generated police action. This was not the case with Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, whose only crime seemed to be previously dating a man who was being sought by police for drug dealing and her name and address were on a bank account of his used for drug money and on an infamous no-knock warrant. She was an innocent victim of a shoddy police raid and her family received a $12 million settlement from the police.
On Wednesday, a grand jury failed to indict the police officers involved with the raid and the only charges brought against an officer involved was ‘wanton endangerment ‘for firing into the apartment causing bullets to enter another apartment. After the grand jury no slay decision, protests turned violent and two police officers were wounded. The Kentucky, Attorney General, Daniel Cameron, made the following statement: “Do we really want the truth, or do we want a truth that fits our narrative? Do we want the facts, or are we content to blindly accept our own version of events ?,,,, There will be celebrities, influencers and activists who, having never lived in Kentucky, will try to tell us how to feel suggesting they understand the facts of this case that they know our community and the Commonwealth better than we do.” I strongly advise readers to read his entire statement which explains in detail why two officers were not charged by the grand jury.
BLM terrorists are not interested in the truth, but the Breonna Taylor case is not unique. There have been numerous cases of innocent residents being attacked in their homes due to no-knock warrants and that is the real case for reform. These warrants were originally approved to prevent criminals from destroying evidence like drugs or money. What is more important, loss of evidence or loss of innocent life?
There is no need for tactical swat teams attacking private residence like they are cartel hideouts. These are the forces that need vigorous retraining and more strenuous vetting by judges of each individual case.
If there is any positive result from Breonna’s tragic death, it will be the complete end of reckless issuance of no-knock warrants.
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