Michael Brown's stepfather apologizes

[NaturalHigh]

Michael Brown's stepfather has apologized for making controversial comments on the night authorities announced a police officer wouldn't be indicted in Brown's death, but says to blame him solely for conditions in Ferguson after the grand jury decision "goes way too far and is as wrong as the decision itself." He said this in a statement obtained by CNN's Don Lemon.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/02/justice/ferguson-protests-investigation/index.html

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Good!

Case closed.

[NaturalHigh]

2. I just saw on CNN that a local official said...

that it's very unlikely Head will be charged.

[yeoman6987]

6. Great news

Now investigators leave him alone please.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

15. I agree.

[JustAnotherGen]

21. Now can all of y'all

Get off the man's balls?

It's not like he shot someone - I mean . . . . You know what I mean.

[jchima]

3. Good

thats good of him

[NaturalHigh]

5. Welcome to DU.

Yeah, I think it's good that he apologized.

[Feral Child]

4. Very gracious.

His outburst was understandable and excusable given the circumstances and his dual grief (grief over a lost child + the grief of seeing his wife bereft).

His retraction and apology was very gracious, his disclaimer over responsibility was honest and appropriate.

[vdogg]

7. Why

Do they keep calling this guy Brown's stepfather? As far as I know, he and the mother never married. He did not live with Brown nor did he raise him. Am I missing something? Is my info incorrect?

[cwydro]

8. It works in the narrative, ya see. nt

[heaven05]

41. I raised three stepchildren

two for 18 years. The mother of those 2 children and I never married. We were just very close and I with her children. They saw me as dad. I guided and nurtured them. I stayed very close. Both are doing just fine in life. I raised another from three years old when I married her mother. She stayed in my life 15 years and when she went out on her own she wrote me the most beautiful letter and she is doing well. I read that letter periodically to keep my humanity alive and my heart warm. Michael Browns stepfather probably loved him very much, is that the narrative you're referring to?

[NaturalHigh]

9. I haven't read too much about him.

That's what CNN has been calling him since all this started, but I don't really know the background.

[IdaBriggs]

10. Every article I have seen refers to the two as "husband and wife" (which makes him step-dad).

Where do you get "did not live with Brown nor did he raise him" from? Link, please?

ON EDIT: And why do you care? Are you attempting to imply that he really doesn't care about Michael Brown or his death, or had no right to be upset? I am a tad confused by your motivation, so a little clarity would be appreciated.

[vdogg]

58. It's the exact opposite

I care because it seems like the narrative that was forming was "see, this is the thug that raised Brown", and a lot of comments on the Internet seemed to be of that general feeling. Almost like who raised him also justified Brown's death. Sorry I wasn't more clear.

[ReRe]

11. He's the significant other...

... to Micheal's Mother, and her heart was breaking and he reacted to her grief. He didn't know it, but his reaction must have grieved her even more.

[JustAnotherGen]

23. I don't blame him ReRe

I couldn't imagine how impotent and powerless he must have felt.

[mountain grammy]

30. Agree!

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

52. If that is the worst that happens...certain folks can count their farking blessings

[TexasProgresive]

12. My father and step-mom never married

She's still my step-mom. I don't know if Mr. Head called himself Michael's step-dad but if he did as far as I am concerned he is.

Does it somehow make a difference in what happened?

[meaculpa2011]

20. Just my opinion, but...

you can't have stepfather if your father is still alive.

Same goes for stepmother.

[NaturalHigh]

24. Say what now?

I have two stepkids whose father is still alive.

[mountain grammy]

33. Where does that come from?

I have two sons who love their stepfather and consider him "dad" even though their father is still alive. They love their dad, he's their dad, but they relate and love my husband, who only partially raised one of them.

Your opinion is way off base.

[stone space]

34. My oldest daughter has three step children whose fathers...

...and mothers are still alive.

you can't have stepfather if your father is still alive.

Same goes for stepmother.

[heaven05]

42. right

anything to..............

[robinlynne]

44. of course you can!

[gollygee]

64. That would be just your opinion, and no one else's I've ever heard

where did you get that? Tons of people have step parents after divorce. It's the most common way to have a step parent.

[Catherine Vincent]

37. I was going to post about that too

I think they recently married but like you said, he didn't help raise him and he's basically was the mother's boyfriend until they married.

[jillan]

57. Where are you getting this? Everything I've seen or read calls him the stepfather - even from faux.

[vdogg]

62. Well

I may have got caught up in some propaganda. I had seen a police report about and incident between Mcspadden and her mother and it lists Head as the boyfriend. This may be a misconception or a typo. If you have Fox news and NBC agreeing on something I will concede that it is probably true. It just seemed like an attempt to smear, especially since Brown's actual father came out both before and during the riots asking for peace.

[all american girl]

13. So, because he was upset and said something, everyone is jumping all over him

I have no idea what I would say if the same thing happened to me, but I'm thinking it would not be so nice. Everyone needs to cut him some slack....jeez

[JustAnotherGen]

18. I agree

Now we better not see one more fucking thread at DU about what he said.

Funny - folks excuse Zimpig and Wilson - yet for some reason this man is made out to be some kind of foaming at the mouth savage - almost demon like

And all he did was say something.

The only way to get folks at DU on your 'side' is to shoot someone in cold blood. Then you are deserving of defense of any words you say before hand and actions. <-More sarcasm.

[NaturalHigh]

22. Why do you get to tell other posters what "we better not see"?

[JustAnotherGen]

25. Because I can

And I didn't break TOS.

[NaturalHigh]

26. Okay, so what if someone posts what he said?

What happens then, since we better not see it?

[JustAnotherGen]

29. You tell me?

Go for the hide. Go ahead.

[NaturalHigh]

32. Go for the hide? Seriously?

I'm not the one telling posters what "we better not see."

[Ineeda]

56. Sheesh. Some people......

[LostInAnomie]

63. Are we not allowed to post what the guy said anymore?

That doesn't sound "Ministry of Truth-esque" at all.

[NaturalHigh]

66. Apparently not.

I'm not sure that rule is enforceable, though.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

53. It never ends. How DARE you have an emotional attitude about yet ANOTHER person

being shot dead for NO reason.

That is right, folks, NO reason.

Get back to me when you have a good reason for shooting Brown or Davis or Martin or Tamir...

But DARE the STEPFATHER of the SLAIN, MURDERED child say something emotional and we better fucking hear about it for quite a while.

Will they regret their actions if this attitude leads to unforeseen consequences?

[heaven05]

43. +1000

sometimes I get so disgusted with people......

[noiretextatique]

39. it would be great if the police apologized to him

And Mike Brown's mother.

[Xyzse]

14. It is good that he apologized and it makes him a much better human being.

Stating that, I feel like since he apologized, now they will really go after him, since by apologizing it would be considered an admission of guilt. I sure hope not, but that is one of the huge reasons no one powerful in America apologizes much because someone would go after them for it. I think it is a horrbile practice.

Also, on edit, I agree with the poster above me, stating that this was said in the heat of the moment and people should cut him some slack. I still consider the Governor's actions as well as McCulloch's speech as the greater incitement to riots, and you do not see any one going after them.

[NaturalHigh]

16. As I posted upthread...

some local law enforcement official is saying on CNN that it is not likely he will be charged.

[Xyzse]

17. That's good. I'm glad for that.

I saw it, but I don't like his chances, even if they say that.

Hopefully that is right, and it won't happen.

[heaven05]

45. I wouldn't put it

past these racist pigs to target him from now on for the smallest infraction. I just hope he's careful around that racist burg and people The kkk is still walking around that town sans sheets and probably behind badges.

[Xyzse]

60. That's why I am not sure how things would go and I hope that it doesn't go beyond this.

[JustAnotherGen]

19. The Ferguson PD?

What a joke they are. I could see them doing it out of spite -and then he gets arrested and mysteriously one of their guns goes off.

[AtheistCrusader]

27. Impossible.

If they tried something like that the FBI and DoJ would be so far up their asses, they'd actually, finally, be sorry about the whole thing.

[JustAnotherGen]

31. Disagree

From where I sit - my country will take the close to 100K in taxes my husband and I will pay this year 0 and laugh when one of my nephews gets murdered. And use my money to get some cop off.

That's America.

Thieving murderers.

[heaven05]

46. +1000

[ReRe]

38. Norman Goldman also said...

... last night on his radio show that he didn't think they would press charges against him. (Norm's a lawyer, as well as a host of a radio show.)

[Gore1FL]

28. Now if only Darren Wilson and Tom Jackson would try that... n/t

[Hoyt]

35. [phone]. Won't happen.

[mountain grammy]

36. He apologized and is a better man than any killer cop or racist DA.

[Fred Sanders]

40. But will CNN and Don Lemon leave him alone, management has days and days of coverage of this tiny

Last edited Wed Dec 3, 2014, 01:18 PM - Edit history (1)

but devisive non-issue invested in stirring up more shit on behalf of their corporate masters?

[heaven05]

47. I don't watch corporate television news

maybe rachel and lawrence, periodically. Who's don lemon? Why is he on the wrong side of justice. I saw him mentioned in one of these threads...

[KauaiK]

48. Beck, Hannity, etc. can all make infametory statements which are protected

by the 1st Amendment. Michael Brown's stepfather vents frustration and his free speech rights are investigated (read threatened) by a corrupt police department. Don't tell me there isn't a double standard in this country. I'm an old white woman that lived through the 50-60's civil rights marches; watched Watts burn etc. These types of tactics are not new. They have been resurrected by the right wing media which all of which is corporate owned.

[dilby]

49. Funny a building burns down and people want an apology but an unarmed man is murdered

and fuck it if the police will apologize, what a fucked up society we live in today.

[NaturalHigh]

50. It's easy to sit behing a remote keyboard...

and pretend that it's no big deal when a person's business (livelihood) burns down.

[dilby]

51. They have insurance for that, last time I checked there was not an insurance policy that brought

a dead person back to life.

[Fred Sanders]

55. And the camera loves burning buildings, especially at night, and then the actions of a few can be

used to smear the rest of the peaceful folks thst outnumber the arsonists 1000 to 1.

That is how the mass media plays with your reality and your opinion to make it their own.

[jillan]

59. NOBODY is saying that it's not a big deal. All the poster is saying that a building can be replaced,

a human being cannot.

[treestar]

65. True, if they did not, the police department should at least apologize

the the survivors. Even if the shooting were justified legally, they could still apologize.

[NaturalHigh]

61. Text of the apology

"I was so angry and full of raw emotions, as so many others were, and granted, I screamed out words that I shouldn't have screamed in the heat of the moment," he said in a statement obtained exclusively by CNN's Don Lemon. "It was wrong, and I humbly apologize to all of those who read my pain and anger as a true desire for what I want for our community.

"But to place blame solely on me for the conditions of our community, and country, after the grand jury decision goes way too far and is as wrong as the decision itself. To declare a state of emergency and send a message of war, and not peace, before a grand jury decision was announced is also wrong.

"In the end, I've lived in this community for a long time. The last thing I truly wanted was to see it go up in flames. In spite of my frustration, it really hurt to see that."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/justice/ferguson-protests/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[Cha]

67. Classy of Louis Head.. Now, will Darren Wilson ever apologize to Michael Brown's loved ones?