[Trigger Warnings: anti-Black racism, police violence, gun violence]
Since the failure of a grand jury to indict police officer Darren Wilson on Monday, the public investigation of his killing of Mike Brown has been prevented from reaching a trial. The possibility of a civil suit remains open, but as many have noted, the underlying violence and oppression of Black people already encountered in this process is staggering and infuriating. Protests have since been held in a number of locations across the country and reactions have been voiced on a variety of online forums. With many political figures having declared their support for the decision, Darren Wilson, and police actions in general, Salon and others took it upon themselves to tabulate the numerous tweets they made, calling it a “sick celebration.”
Honestly, there are many reasons to roll your eyes over that, from the subtle implication that it’s only conservatives saying these sorts of violent things to the focus on established commentators like Ann Coulter and Ted Nugent that are already known to have these kinds of opinions. What might be more effective is remembering what those not quite in the limelight said at this time. Since they haven’t yet built a fanbase out of the only people willing to accept this kind of support for violence, there’s a chance that they can be held accountable. Even if they’re able to weather that criticism, they hopefully will be haunted by it if they later gain power and prestige. Here’s some choice picks I took from Twitter:
Amy Walter: fair and balanced
The national editor for the Cook Political Report, which provides purportedly independent political analysis, most of Amy Walter’s work has been behind the scenes. She isn’t a writer and so doesn’t have a byline. She’s the editor at a comparatively exclusive newsletter mostly aimed at elites – namely lobbyists, corporate executives, and the heads of national political organizations. It’s not something to feel bad about that you haven’t learned her name. That said, the Cook Political Report is influential and often an important stepping stone for those on their way to more general political news coverage. Walter is powerful in her current position and well-situated to become more powerful in the coming years, which makes her tweet all the more concerning:
Of all coverage I’ve watched thus far re: Ferguson, Fox’s Shep Smith has been the most sober and balanced.
— amy walter (@amyewalter) November 25, 2014
That may seem innocuous, but Fox News’ Shepard Smith had spent most of previous hours re-tweeting either the Ferguson-area police or the main Fox News Twitter which was framing the protests as “riots” (about that). On air, most of his appearances struck the same chord, including one of the few times when his show played tape from a Black person discussing the issue without White mediation, which he introduced by framing the protests as “riots” (again) and he said in an alarmingly coded manner, “rage is building.” That’s not neutral language or otherwise “sober and balanced.” It is quite literally designed to create a particular impression of the situation which coincides with that presented by the group of police he spent the day re-tweeting.
Jake Tapper: “looting”
Long overshadowed first on ABC news and even now a lesser known presence on CNN, Jake Tapper has been reporting news on major networks since 2003 and writing for major news sources for far longer. His long-time friendship and business collaboration with Don Imus (yes, that guy) should tip you off that we’re going to have to talk even more about racism and “riots”, because of bite-sized reporting like this:
At local convenience store that was looted — #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/QNVZBuiRiK — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 25, 2014
Yeah, again with the “rioting” (and again with this). If anything Tapper’s been less subtle than Smith, and his audience is getting one message pretty loud and clear: that Black people are supposedly very scary. As one comment on a clip he Instagram’d from Ferguson said, “Please stay safe. My mother has a crush on you – please make a 59-year-old lady’s dreams come true by making it out of there unscathed.” The video included images of a banner calling for protesters to “boycott everything,” not the police violence that had prompted them to argue for basically divesting their community from everything under the sun. What do you think Tapper’s viewers are afraid of happening to him and how has his coverage influenced those fears?
Leslie Marshall: professional concern troll
Having hopped from region to region in local radio over the course of her 20- year journey to national syndication, Leslie Marshall isn’t all that well known in spite of having become a regular Fox News contributor and a columnist for the US News & World Report. As someone generally held up in the Fox News and talk radio communities as a liberal, she takes a different tone. More specifically, she concern trolls. Helpfully, she does that in the form of easily answered questions.
Should the #Ferguson community be ashamed of themselves for destroying the city they live in? How is this supposed to lead to change?
— Leslie Marshall (@LeslieMarshall) November 25, 2014
No. Also, you should ask them, not your Twitter audience.
Does the black community need to come out with a discourse about what they actually want 2 see changed regarding relations with police? How? — Leslie Marshall (@LeslieMarshall) November 25, 2014
I’m pretty sure they not only have been doing that since Ferguson-area protests started in August but have expressed exhaustion with having to have these conversations for years… if not decades… if not centuries at this point.
Michael Ian Black: amnesiac?
Another one of those perpetually on the verge of becoming definitely famous people, comedian Michael Ian Black has been yet another example of someone who can be influential and visible in our society, yet overlooked. He’s been in Twitter feuds with Levar Burton and today is a frequent face on Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and Red Eye. Here were his helpful two bits on Ferguson he felt the need to contribute:
Agree or disagree with the Ferguson decision, at least we know something like this will never happen again.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 25, 2014
Pretty sure that’s not true. MT @beauty_jackson How could you think this will never happen again when it has already happened numerous times
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 25, 2014
Is this a callous denial or really awful joke? Black’s not elaborating and the tweets are just as cryptic as ever.
