Online support grows for officer who shot Ferguson teen
Several social media sites are being used to rally support from all over the country — including the Ozarks — for the officer who shot and killed a Ferguson teenager on Aug. 9.
Two Facebook pages in support of Officer Darren Wilson have over 30,000 likes, the hashtag #ISupportDarrenWilson has been used hundreds of times on Twitter and a crowdsourcing site has raised tens of thousands of dollars for potential legal expenses.
Branson-area resident Marie Foster, who believes Wilson was justified in the shooting of Michael Brown Jr., has liked the online pages and donated money.
"If he was put in the position where he feared for his life, what else was he supposed to do?" she said. "I've been watching it and I came to the conclusion finally, that yes, I believe the officer from the facts, from the information that I've seen so far."
Foster said her son, who is a police officer in another state, killed someone in an officer-related shooting. "You don't know until you're in that position what you're going to do."
Speaking about those protesting against the police, Foster said, "They don't realize they're the ones out there saying they hate the police. But who are the ones they call when they're in trouble?
"The police."
Steve Ijames, a retired major with the Springfield Police Department who teaches police tactics, said he has a consulting role with a number of the law enforcement agencies involved in the situation in Ferguson. He did not see any rallies supporting Wilson while he was in Ferguson several days last week and again on Monday.
"It's inappropriate to take an advocate role for anybody without the truth," he said. "We don't know the truth. As physical evidence is assessed, as witnesses are interviewed ... then I think you are in the position to make a sense of who you support and who you don't."
Ijames said with the level of political intervention from the highest levels, the White House and the Attorney General's Office, Wilson has "the deck heavily stacked against him," and that may explain some of the support he's received.
One Facebook page started Friday, Support Darren Wilson, organized a rally Sunday outside the KSDK TV studio in St. Louis. According to a report from USA Today, some of the attendees complained about the TV station's decision to air a picture Friday of Wilson's home, claiming it endangered him and his family. Several signs at the rally had messages like "Support Darren Wilson" and "Pray for Peace."
The page is also selling T-shirts featuring the Support Darren Wilson logo.
A Go Fund Me page created Tuesday for Wilson has raised almost $70,000 in two days from 1,667 people, as of Wednesday afternoon. The page said all the proceeds raised will be sent to Wilson and his family "for any financial needs they may have including legal fees."
The I Support Officer Wilson page, which amassed 34,000 likes since it was created on Friday, issued a statement this morning lining out the reason for the Facebook page:
"Throughout this trying time we must remember the men and women of law enforcement are neighbors, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. Law enforcement officers are a part of the very fabric of our communities we ask them to protect. In times like this they too need to know that the community is behind the work they do for us and that we in the community appreciate all their countless hours of service."
The purpose of the page, according to the statement, is to be a place where people can voice support for Officer Wilson and other law enforcement.
Josh Smith, of Branson, has liked the support pages for Wilson on Facebook and plans to donate money on Go Fund Me. Smith, who holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, said he is following the case closely and believes Wilson is justified.
"Mr. Brown had committed a criminal act prior to Officer Wilson making contact with him in the middle of the street. Clearly Mr. Brown was already on edge and seeing an officer he believed he was about to be caught," Smith said. "Officer Wilson sustained facial injuries, therefore one can conclude that physical contact between Mr. Brown and Officer Wilson did occur.
"While a young man is dead and an officer's life forever changed, I stand with Officer Wilson."