Darren Wilson's Side of the Story

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by Zeke

As an aside, the fact that nobody has mentioned Officer Wilson or alleged criminal Brown in about four pages merely supports my original conclusion that this thing is dead...

Zeke, 'it's dead' is your little dominance claim. That you even want to claim such a thing in this way, here, proves the opposite.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Boreas

As a topic of discussion here, perhaps, but there are plenty more shoes to drop with the various ongoing lawsuits and investigations.

Then there's the sad fact that, were this issue to "go away", it would be far from an indication that Wilson acted correctly and the prosecutor presented his case in an ethical and neutral fashion.

John

True. That Officer Wilson acted correctly could be deduced prior to any Grand Jury and the fact that one was forced to exist made it farcical from jump.

But that's what apologists forced.

Originally Posted by donquixote99

Zeke, 'it's dead' is your little dominance claim. That you even want to claim such a thing in this way, here, proves the opposite.

Claim?

When it's raining, I don't have to claim such.

It just is.

[donquixote99]

Oops, you did it again.

[sheltiedave]

Hey Zeke, a buddy called from Abeline, Texas, saying an article on Michael Brown made it in the local Texas paper.

I talked to a reverend friend, who talked to another minister, who talked to his congregation, who brought it before a conference, and suddenly three traditional black Methodist colleges are offering eleven (11!) full four year free ride scholarships to graduating seniors at Normandy High School, just down the street from where Michael was killed, in his memory.

And you said this story was dead. It is just starting to flower, bud.

http://www.reporternews.com/news/nat...-browns-school

[sheltiedave]

Hey Zeke, a buddy called from Abeline, Texas, saying an article on Michael Brown made it in the local Texas paper.

I talked to a reverend friend, who talked to another minister, who talked to his congregation, who brought the idea before a conference, and suddenly three traditional black Methodist colleges are offering eleven (11!) full four year free ride scholarships to graduating seniors at Normandy High School, just down the street from where Michael was killed, in his memory.

And you said this story was dead. It is just starting to flower, bud.

http://www.reporternews.com/news/nat...-browns-school

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by sheltiedave

Hey Zeke, a buddy called from Abeline, Texas, saying an article on Michael Brown made it in the local Texas paper.

I talked to a reverend friend, who talked to another minister, who talked to his congregation, who brought the idea before a conference, and suddenly three traditional black Methodist colleges are offering eleven (11!) full four year free ride scholarships to graduating seniors at Normandy High School, just down the street from where Michael was killed, in his memory.

And you said this story was dead. It is just starting to flower, bud.

http://www.reporternews.com/news/nat...-browns-school

Talk to me in four years about who graduated and who picked up some sort of criminal charge.

Hell, take five years.

[Rajoo]

That's the cynical way to look at it. OTOH, four youngsters are being given an opportunity to gain an education from four year college, an opportunity they would not have otherwise. Every success story probably has a million hard luck stories. Let's wish them well. Our society cannot sustain without future tax payers.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by BeamOn

That's the cynical way to look at it. OTOH, four youngsters are being given an opportunity to gain an education from four year college, an opportunity they would not have otherwise. Every success story probably has a million hard luck stories. Let's wish them well. Our society cannot sustain without future tax payers.

Oh, I concur with you appraisal of cynicism. But I've spent the past eleven years in 501(c)3 management, fundraising, teaching and training.

After six years, college graduation rates hover around fifty-seven percent for first time, full-time, students. It's lower for men, lower for minorities and lowest at the least selective institutions. Selective institutions, often, cannot even fill the scholarships.

As for Normandy High?

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Normandy School District lost accreditation in 2012 after it was labeled a "failed district" due to low standardized test scores. Out of over 500 school districts in Missouri, only three are without accreditation, according to Sarah Potter, the communications coordinator for the Missouri Department of Education. Since then, the district has been renamed the Normandy Schools Collaborative and was taken over by the state.

If you can find eleven minority graduates from Normandy who are college ready, meet admission standards of a private, traditionally black, Methodist school (Bethune-Cookman?) and and will actually move to go there? It would be surprising.

I'd bet not a single college graduate comes of this. That's just the math. This is feel good $$$, not do good $$$.

Folks would be better off supporting St. Louis based Vatterott College (trades) for folks graduating from Normandy -- which was Michael Brown's stated pipe dream -- but they, and most HVAC employers, drug test so he wasn't going anywhere as a dope fiend.

But hey, I'm the asshole for pointing all of this out...

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Oh, I concur with you appraisal of cynicism. But I've spent the past eleven years in 501(c)3 management, fundraising, teaching and training.

After six years, college graduation rates hover around fifty-seven percent for first time, full-time, students. It's lower for men, lower for minorities and lowest at the least selective institutions. Selective institutions, often, cannot even fill the scholarships.

As for Normandy High?

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Normandy School District lost accreditation in 2012 after it was labeled a "failed district" due to low standardized test scores. Out of over 500 school districts in Missouri, only three are without accreditation, according to Sarah Potter, the communications coordinator for the Missouri Department of Education. Since then, the district has been renamed the Normandy Schools Collaborative and was taken over by the state.

If you can find eleven minority graduates from Normandy who are college ready, meet admission standards of a private, traditionally black, Methodist school (Bethune-Cookman?) and and will actually move to go there? It would be surprising.

I'd bet not a single college graduate comes of this. That's just the math. This is feel good $$$, not do good $$$.

Folks would be better off supporting St. Louis based Vatterott College (trades) for folks graduating from Normandy -- which was Michael Brown's stated pipe dream -- but they, and most HVAC employers, drug test so he wasn't going anywhere as a dope fiend.

But hey, I'm the asshole for pointing all of this out...

Nope, do-good ideas can often benefit from a cold-water bath. It's the sort of thing I mean when I say that the best policy comes form conservatives and liberals working together.

We'll let the actual reasons you are an asshole slide for the minute....

[sheltiedave]

First, Michael Brown's pipe dream was Ranken Tech, not Vatterot. Ranken is far superior, and stood a good chance of graduating Brown under their mentor ship program.

Secondly, smoking weed never has been, and never should be, a roadblock to getting a college degree. Two thirds of the now degreed medical doctors I attended college with, and virtually all the lawyers I attended college with, either smoked socially or daily back in the day. Virtually 100% drank socially. If you are capable of maturing, youthful indescretions fall away as responsible behaviors take precedence.

Thirdly, these students that gain these scholarships will be mentored by faith congregations, peer students, tutors, mentors, and professionals. I am serving on one of the selection boards, Zeke, so failure from lack of trying is not going to be an option. As we said in the military, there will be no lack of motivation.