Yesterday yet another black man was shot and killed by a police officer in deeply troubling circumstances. Philando Castile was in his car, safety belt on, apparently reaching for his license, when the officer shot him during a traffic stop in a suburb of St. Paul Minnesota.
His girlfriend Diamond Reynolds, in the car with him, somehow maintained her composure enough to film the aftermath of the shooting, streaming it live to Facebook. (You can watch the footage here.)
Matt Forney — the internet-famous woman-hating white supremacist — has somehow convinced himself that it’s all an elaborate hoax. In a succession of Tweets, he lays out his case, such as it is. (Click on the screenshots to see the Tweets in context on Twitter.)
Forney — in several Tweets and in a post on his blog — sets forth a series of easily refutable “arguments” which in his mind prove his case. His first “argument” will give you a sense of Forney’s keen mind in action: `
She was never arrested; just detained. The cops threw her phone to the ground after detaining her. It was returned to her later. All of this is clear from watching the video.
I’m not going to bother with the rest of his arguments because, well, here’s the thing:
Philando Castile, a real person, is dead. He died in the hospital as a result of his wounds. Is the hospital that reported this part of the conspiracy? Did he volunteer to be killed in a random traffic stop in order to give BlackLivesMatter a new talking point? Did his girlfriend agree to go along with this bizarre plan?
The St. Anthony Police Department has acknowledged the shooting and Castile’s death and put the officer who shot Castile on leave. The St. Anthony Police Department is, in fact, a real police department, not a troupe of actors. Is the St. Anthony Police Department working in cahoots with BlackLivesMatter to make itself look bad? Is the officer who shot Castile — whom Reynolds has described as “Asian” — hoping that his actions will help BlackLivesMatter “slander” white men? Even though he apparently isn’t white?
The governor of Minnesota has asked the Justice Department to investigate. Is he part of the conspiracy too? Is the Justice Department?
I’ll stop here, but my basic point is this: There is a real world. Matt Forney clearly does not live in it.
Oh. My. God.
Just when I thought these assholes couldn’t get any lower.
@weirwoodtreehugger
Yeah, Falcon Heights was GREAT to hang around… when the cops weren’t around. I was always at the Source before it moved, and it was fun to tool around and night and I never felt unsafe except when we ran in to cops. FHs cops are way worse than any problem the city has ever had. I mean it’s right next to Roseville and Como Park, FFS. /Minnesota girl rage
And yeah, same with my friends of color having totally terrible experiences with the cops. Only thing that has changed is its finally getting attention.
I thought of this:
@Luzebelitx:
Speaking of which, Mundane Matt thought Alton Sterling getting shot was “justified” – but the new Iron Man being a black teen girl is a fucking travesty!
Seriously.
@ JSun: They ARRESTED A 4 YEAR OLD GIRL AND HELD HER IN CUSTODY ALONE? That’s fucking horrible in and of itself. Could you provide a link to the story you read, please?
@ Tim Gueguen: Agree with you on the “false flag” thing. It’s just another instance of the right denying any reality they don’t want to deal with. I think No True Scotsman is also a part of it: “No one on our side would ever do such a terrible thing!”
@personalpest
that was what was said in the video IIRC. IDK her name but Castiles gf said that she was separated from the girl while she was in custody and they were both held until 5am by police.
Any reputable cop would have taken her phone away before murdering her unarmed boyfriend right in front of her
So the cop approaches Philando Castile and Diamond Reynolds about a broken tail light and tells them to put their hands in the air?
No cop has ever told me to put my hands in the air. I’m white.
And Matt Forney, of course, pulls out the only “argument” that the extreme right wing* has: It didn’t happen but if it did that’s okay but it didn’t happen but if it did that’s okay.
This time, he’s using just half of the argument (It didn’t happen). In the interests of fairness and balance, next time he’ll use the other half (It if did happen, that’s okay).
*Batterers use this so-called argument too. They might not self-identify as Nazis/men’s rights activists, but that’s what they are.
******
@AlphaBeta Soup
Congratulations on the nearly completed chemo and radiation. Stay strong and get well. I’m sure that BLM will appreciate your help.
@AlphaBeta Soup
Congrats on your chemo and radiation treatments ending soon. That’s huge!
I’ll stop here, but my basic point is this: There is a real world. Matt Forney clearly does not live in it.
http://i.imgur.com/s8XjzoJ.jpg
Uh…Mikkay? Are you being sarcastic or something? Because I fail to see the humor in that even if I take sarcasm into account. Maybe I just don’t want to laugh about watching your loved one get murdered in front of you. Maybe that’s just me.
Cue the NRA defending the rights of black men exercising their legal 2nd Amendment Rights to not be shot by police in infinity… infinity +1… infinity +3…
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/07/07/3796062/nra-black-lives-matter/
They held her away from her mother for eight hours with no food and no water.
Eyes on the Right
Never were truer words spoken. He makes my skin crawl.
This whole situation is beyond words, but trust the manosphere to make it so much worse.
@Paradoxical Intention – Resident Cheeseburger Slut
Thanks for the link.
The worship of the law that protects their status is doubled down in the face of the system actually going out of its way to address a case police brutality. In this case the law extends to sheriffs, and no one else. Which the sheriff law myth is also crucial to their narrative of enforcing their will on others, as an exercise of their definition of freedom.
His tweets don’t affect me as they are kneejerk reactions without cause, thought or merit.
I am not horrified but saddened at these events no matter how many times they happen. But I do find solace for the families and loved one affected by all managerial parties NOT tolerating such an indefensible action.
Though if you want to go “pragmatic ie status quo never change a thing or the system”, you can easily say this is just a case where there isn’t enough “gray area” for that department wiggle their way out of this travesty.
I saw a comment by him on a Vice video about white supremacists. In the comment he revealed he can be seen at a White Nationalist rally. I checked at 0:42 where he said you can see him and there is someone who defiantly looks like him. I took a screenshot of the comment but I don’t know how to post it here.
Kat:
Gaslighting 101. I’m glad you mentioned batterers. This shit is all connected.
Denying that a murder occurred when it was right there on video…that has to be the ultimate gaslighting move. Mind blowing.
He went full truther, you never go full truther.
Tigger warning, murder, trauma and denial
I once tangentially knew a woman who’s son murdered his wife and then himself. She refused to believe he did it and her denial went so deep that she started seeing her late daughter in law everywhere and was convinced she was being followed by her. I don’t know if the denial ever passed.
I understand why she got so deeply lost in denial. The pain of reality was too much for her to bear. On a deep , deep level she’d rather be the victim of a conspiracy than face the fact her child was a murderer and according to her faith, in hell.
What’s this Fornoy shithead’s excuse? He’ll have to acknowledge that systemic racism exists? That’s too much for him to process? Fragile, isn’t he?
So protests in dallas have started turning violent, which shots being fired. :\
AlphaBeta Soup-That is awesome! I am glad that your treatment is coming to an end!
Matt-Philando Castile faked his death?!? I dare you to say that to his girlfriend’s face. Say that Philando was not murdered by the police as she sat next to him, say that he was not killed with her 4 year old child sitting in the back seat, say that it was all a hoax. Come on, I dare you. What the hell am I saying! No, there is no point in daring you to say it to her face. You are too much of a coward for a that. You only have the guts to hide behind a computer screen. You are a pathetic arsehole.
Yeah, two officers have been shot. They’re looking for someone with a rifle. It never ends. I feel so discouraged about the state of the world.
I’m hearing it was more than one shooter, in Dallas, but who knows this early what’s true.
This might not be a popular opinion, but I believe that America really needs strict gun control laws and that police officers no longer carry guns (expect for SWAT teams). They obviously can not be trusted with them. No guns for everyone! I know it is not going to happen, but one can dream, right?