IANAL This could be regarded as Dress Code, rather than Freedom of speech issue.

It does seem to make sense to me that cops do have to conform to dress code in regards uniform, and wearing of jewelery etc?

For instance would not allow uniform officers to add bling and gold rings etc.. nor would it be allowed for cops to wear "love beads"

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

With respect to the "I am Darren Wilson" band: sure, call it a dress code issue. But then be ready to prove that said dress code has been enforced absolutely without inconsistency, subjectivity, or partiality; otherwise, you've got an Equal Protection issue. Does the department allow pink ribbons (breast cancer), yellow ribbons (deployed soldiers), black ribbons (deceased officers), etc.? Then you have no grounds to disallow the "I am Darren Wilson" band.

As for the officer names on the uniform: officers are being targeted by domestic terrorists, both on and off duty. They don't have to enable that targeting while on-duty. The FPD can change their policy, the officers can simply refuse to comply, or (maybe best of all) the officers can all call in sick, or quit, en masse.

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"That the attacker sustained a mortal wound is a matter that should have been considered by the deceased before he committed himself to the task he undertook." - 5th DCA, Stinson v. State (Fl)

I do not believe it is dress code issue because the controversy does not arise from the rubber bracelet in and of itself. The issue arises from the written text on the bracelet which expresses commentary regarding an important political or social issue

Of course the issue is being raised in regards what the bracelet says rather than a plain band.

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

...as opposed to the socio-political statement of a red ribbon, a yellow ribbon, a black band, etc.?

Political speech is political speech. It is either all allowed, or all prohibited.

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"That the attacker sustained a mortal wound is a matter that should have been considered by the deceased before he committed himself to the task he undertook." - 5th DCA, Stinson v. State (Fl)

“As for the officer names on the uniform: officers are being targeted by domestic terrorists, both on and off duty. They don't have to enable that targeting while on-duty.”

This could be the case of the off-duty ST Louis police officer who was shot at while driving his car on Interstate 70 last night, when another car full of ‘people’ armed with handguns pulled up to him and fired multiple times at his vehicle. He was splattered with glass but otherwise unharmed.

Though the Post Dispatch, and NY Times, and other MSM who reported the incident refused to provide the race of the shooters, local St. Louis TV and media said they were African Americans. With numerous threats these last few weeks by blacks to ‘take down’ the city, there’s no indication yet if the shooting was random, or the off duty cop had been specifically targeted. Either way, it's obviously black domestic terrorism at work -- but equally certain the DOJ and other agencies of government under the thumb of Obama and Holder will ignore it.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crim ... 07d36.html

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Court hearing set for Monday on protest zone in Ferguson
Posted 6:39 pm, September 28, 2014, by Staff Writer, Updated at 05:35pm, September 28, 2014

(KTVI) – Monday morning, a federal judge will hear an ACLU complaint tied to protests in Ferguson.

At issue is what’s been dubbed ‘the five second rule’ by critics. Civil rights activists say they’re being restricted by rules that require them to keep moving which limits protests in parts of Ferguson if people are stopped for more than five seconds.

Demonstrators say an area set up as a protest assembly zone is too far from where the media is allowed from the symbolic center of demonstrations at the former quick trip convenience station.

...more at link
http://fox2now.com/2014/09/28/court-hea ... -ferguson/

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Police searching for only one suspect in Ferguson police shooting
Updated at 4:15 p.m.

Local police continue to search today for a suspect who wounded a Ferguson police officer Saturday night, but now authorities say the incident involved only one person and that it appears no burglary took place.

Police also confirmed today that the wounded officer had a body camera, but that it was turned off during the incident.

St. Louis County Police Sgt. Brian Schellman, a police spokesman, said he did not know why the camera was off.

Ferguson police officers began wearing body cameras on Aug. 31, three weeks after a white police officer, Darren Wilson, fatally shot Michael Brown Jr., an unarmed black teenager.

Police originally reported late Saturday night that the officer spotted two suspects trying to break into a business and that when confronted, one of them pulled a gun and fired at the office, wounding him in the arm.

Police, however, now are describing a different scenario: that the police officer, during a business check, saw a male subject in the rear of the Ferguson Community Center. When he approached, the person began to run and the officer followed on foot. During the pursuit, the man spun around and fired at the officer, who was hit in the left arm, before disappearing in the wooded area behind the center.

The officer was treated and released from a local hospital today.

...more at link
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crim ... 40afe.html

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

The hands up gesture protesters are using in Hong Kong has nothing to do with Ferguson

Thousands of pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong have, perhaps unwittingly, united themselves with another protest movement some 8,000 miles away. Activists demanding free elections for the semi-autonomous territory have been holding their hands up in the air in a symbol of non-violent protest, a gesture many in the US recognize from recent protests in Ferguson, Missouri after an unarmed 18-year-old was shot to death by police.

Most Hong Kong protesters aren’t purposefully mimicking “hands up, don’t shoot,”as some have suggested. Instead, the gesture is a result of training and instructions from protest leaders, who have told demonstrators to raise their hands with palms forward to signal their peaceful intentions to police.

...more at link
http://qz.com/272630/hands-up-dont-shoo ... -movement/

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

I would concur. I know HK and I doubt most there are aware of MB, let alone care about him. They may have seen the protests in passing (on CNNi) but would have no idea what all the Daft at #Ferguson is about.

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Grand jury gets 2nd case involving Ferguson officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown
Associated Press Sept. 29, 2014 | 1:01 p.m. EDT + More

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A St. Louis County grand jury will review another case involving the Ferguson police officer who fatally shot an unarmed 18-year-old.

A judge approved the request by county prosecutors Monday in a case involving a drug suspect arrested in 2013 by officer Darren Wilson. The man's attorney wants the drug distribution charge dismissed because he doesn't expect Wilson, who did not attend the hearing, to show up in court.

Wilson received a Ferguson City Council commendation for his role in Christopher Brooks' arrest. But defense attorney Nick Zotos said his client was "roughed up" by Wilson and also questioned whether his actions merited special recognition.

The grand jury is also reviewing evidence in the early August shooting death of Michael Brown to determine whether Wilson should face criminal charges.

...more at link
http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/ ... on-officer

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Wouldn't this new case go to the *current* Grand Jury, rather than to the *old* Grand Jury, that was extended for the sole purpose of handling the Michael Brown incident?

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"That the attacker sustained a mortal wound is a matter that should have been considered by the deceased before he committed himself to the task he undertook." - 5th DCA, Stinson v. State (Fl)

It sounds like a witch hunt to me.

One of the videos's posted has a young woman complaining about how Officer Wilson would not let her wash her eye's out with milk after she was tear gassed. I suspect they will be crawling out of the woodwork with Officer Wilson "horror" stories. The crowd of instigators and "wronged" folks, simply has zero credibility in my opinion.

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If your mind is agitated you will find agitation everywhere. Where else will you find peace if not within you? __ Papaji

I know NOTHING! It's your system Chip, but....
I guess/assume that you have one GJ empaneled at a time. The "old one" is it for the MB thing and anything else while they are sitting?

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

No, actually. A new Grand Jury was empaneled at the appointed time, and the old Grand Jury was extended for the purpose of resolving the Michael Brown incident.

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"That the attacker sustained a mortal wound is a matter that should have been considered by the deceased before he committed himself to the task he undertook." - 5th DCA, Stinson v. State (Fl)

K I never saw that bit of info, thanks. With that in mind, looking back I see the article says " A St. Louis County grand jury ..." at the begining.. so a bit ambiguous on whether or not it is same as MB

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Nothing like kicking a man when he's down.

Not really the case. The drug-dealing thug's trial was set to begin this week (today?), and his attorney basically tried to get him off of his charges, since Wilson would not be there to testify (for obvious reasons).

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"That the attacker sustained a mortal wound is a matter that should have been considered by the deceased before he committed himself to the task he undertook." - 5th DCA, Stinson v. State (Fl)

Ferguson drug bust stalls after earning Officer Darren Wilson an award
By Matt Pearce

The drug bust that earned Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson an award for "extraordinary effort in the line of duty" has stalled in court because Wilson has gone into hiding and did not appear to testify at a Monday hearing.

Wilson is the police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old man, on Aug. 9. Brown's death triggered a storm of protests that continue to grip the St. Louis suburb.

Wilson has not been seen in public since the shooting -- including at the preliminary hearing in Clayton, Mo., on Monday for a man he arrested in 2013.

Wilson was expected to testify so that a judge could determine whether there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial. His no-show sent prosecutors into damage control, making the case another potential casualty of the disruption that has racked the St. Louis suburb since Brown's death.

Drug cases around St. Louis, as with a lot of metro areas, are often too numerous and minor to be individually noteworthy.

But the story of Christopher A. Brooks' arrest last year is a little different, mainly because of Wilson's involvement, which ultimately made the bust an important footnote in the protests that have gripped Ferguson since August.
[....]
With police saying Brooks has confessed to selling drugs, it's not clear what effect Wilson's absence will have on the case. According to the Post-Dispatch, Brooks had posted on Facebook that he anticipated the charge would be dropped.

Brooks' attorney, Zotos, said he preferred to keep his comments about the case "close to the vest," but said he was uncertain what the prosecution was doing by redirecting the case to a grand jury -- perhaps buying more time for Wilson.

“The consensus here is that [Wilson is] not going to be indicted, at least those who think they’re the smart money," Zotos said of the Michael Brown shooting investigation. And if Wilson isn't indicted when the Brown grand jury returns its findings -- possibly in November -- Zotos speculated that Wilson might once again be willing to show up and testify about the February 2013 arrest that earned him an award.

But in a nod to widespread calls from community members for Wilson's own arrest, Zotos seemed certain about at least one thing: "It’s very unlikely he’s going to be a police officer in Ferguson again."
bbm

...more at link
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-dar ... story.html

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Would Wilson have been advised by his lawyer(s) not to show for the drug case? If so, anyone know what the reasoning would be? And who's representing him?

And one more question about Wilson's legal situation: if the grand jury doesn't indict, what other legal entanglements would he face, aside from the certain civil case the family will bring?

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