Breaking news: unacceptable behavior by police continues in the town where a police officer shot an unarmed black kid dead, and was not charged with any crime for the killing.

In this photo from a protest in Oakland, an undercover police officer aims his loaded gun directly at a Reuters photographer.

This striking photo by Portland-based photographer Johnny Nguyen is one of the most memorable to emerge from protests around the country.

The chart is making the internet rounds for good reason.

Just when you thought the investigation into Ferguson cop Darren Wilson's shooting of an unarmed black teen couldn't get any more fucked up, it gets even more fucked up. Read the rest

Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot and killed unarmed black 18-year-old Mike Brown, will leave the Ferguson police force. "It's not a question of if, it's a question of when," said Wilson's attorney, Neil Bruntrager.

In a CNN interview, the attorney said that Wilson, who claims his conscience is clear over the killing, simply cannot go back to police work given the public outrage.

"The first day he would be back on the street something terrible would happen to him or to someone that would be working with him," said Bruntrager on CNN.

The same lawyer joked to reporters that Wilson has resorted to being a transvestite to hide his identity. So funny, this lawyer!

"He's had to learn to live in a way that makes him completely unnoticeable. As a consequence, there are several techniques that he utilizes that make that happen," Bruntrager said without elaborating. "It's an odd way to live your life. But for him, it's all about his family."

Except for his getting married last month, Bruntrager told The Washington Post on Wednesday that Wilson mostly stayed out of the public eye.

Wilson preferred going to the movies because it was dark, Bruntrager told the paper, jokingly saying that the officer "cross-dressed a lot."

[via Yahoo] Read the rest

On a recent episode of Chris Hayes' MSNBC show, the host speaks with Frank Ancona, Imperialist Wizard of the Traditionalist American Knights of the KKK. Read the rest

A riff on Rockwell's "Runaway," from 1958, done in 2014 by Anthony Freda. [HT: @stevesilberman] Read the rest

The Gawker blog Deadspin is asking for reader help gathering data on officer-involved shootings in America. Read the rest

Sunil Dutta: "If you don’t want to get shot, tased, pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground, just do what I tell you."

Oh dear. A CNN anchor asked a question about police response to Ferguson protesters that upset the internet.

These arrests are a gross violation of the reporters' First Amendment rights, and attempts to prevent journalists from lawfully doing their job on the streets of Ferguson are illegal.

What can you say? Other than: this is insane. Read the rest

Shocking results from a new Pew study. [Previously] Read the rest

Acclaimed photojournalist Scott Olson was arrested in Ferguson, Missouri this afternoon.

The New York Times reports that a private autopsy has found that the unarmed teenager killed last weekend by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson was shot at least six times.

One of the bullets entered the top of Mr. Brown’s skull, suggesting his head was bent forward when it struck him and caused a fatal injury, according to Dr. Michael M. Baden, the former chief medical examiner for the City of New York, who flew to Missouri on Sunday at the family’s request to conduct the separate autopsy. It was likely the last of bullets to hit him, he said.

Now you know why Ferguson police will not release the original autospy report.

Dr. Michael C. Baden, former New York City medical examiner, performed the private autopsy, and says that "In my capacity as the forensic examiner for the New York State Police, I would say, ‘You’re not supposed to shoot so many times.'" A family lawyer says that the position of one of the wounds, on the top of Brown's head, is evidence of an "execution-style" killing.

“That points to a higher likelihood, as witnesses corroborate, that he was surrendering to officers when the fatal shot was given,” said Daryl D. Parks, an attorney for Brown’s family. “That pretty much shows that the officer shot him execution style.”

Previously. Read the rest

“At a time when we must seek to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the local community, I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message,” US Attorney General Eric Holder said today on events in Ferguson.

"Law enforcement response to these demonstrations must seek to reduce tensions, not heighten them. Those who peacefully gather to express sympathy for the family of Michael Brown must have their rights respected at all times. And journalists must not be harassed or prevented from covering a story that needs to be told."

[justice.gov]

President Obama talks w Attorney Gen. Eric Holder about the situation in Ferguson, Missouri: http://t.co/uRNFI8Glud pic.twitter.com/kI2TPCbn5H

— petesouza (@petesouza) August 14, 2014

President Obama speaking on Iraq & Ferguson from the Edgartown School pic.twitter.com/xJxtTjO6Ui

— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) August 14, 2014

Read the rest