Remembering the Anchorage brawl. Has it been a year already?

Wow is it September the 6th already?

It feels like just yesterday when we first started hearing about the Throwdown at the Hoedown.

Remember when we were first trying to piece everything together, and getting only minimal help from the Anchorage police?

Witnesses were talking, but some were afraid of backlash for going public. And that was not paranoia on their part either.

Of course the Palins tried to get their version out to do a little damage control.

But ultimately our constant pressure caused the APD to finally cave in and release the full report (With both pictures and audio!) after over a month of badgering.

Of course the Palins responded to this by playing their favorite card. The victim card.

However the damage had already been done.

All in all it was perhaps one of my favorite episodes since I started to report on these Wasillabillies.

Hey, you know Kory Klingenmeyer is having his birthday again, you don't think we could get lucky enough for lightning (That's what I call Bristol's fists) to strike twice do you?

If you want more of a longer walk down memory lane simply type the word "brawl" into the Search This Blog window and allow the karma to wash over you.

MSNBC reported last night that St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch put witnesses before the Ferguson grand jury that he KNEW were lying. WTF?

Click image to play video

Courtesy of Crooks and Liars:  

Certain witnesses who spoke before the grand jury investigating the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown told obvious lies under oath, St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said Friday. 

“Clearly some were not telling the truth,” he said during an interview on KTRS 550. He added that he's not planning to pursue charges against any lying witnesses. 

In his first extensive interview since the grand jury decided not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, McCulloch said he had no regrets about letting grand jury members hear from non-credible witnesses. 

“Early on I decided that anyone who claimed to have witnessed anything would be presented to the grand jury,” McCulloch said. He added that he would've been criticized no matter his decision. 

During the interview, McCulloch referenced a woman who claimed to have seen the shooting. 

This “lady clearly wasn't present,” McCulloch said. “She recounted a story right out of the newspaper,” backing up Wilson's version of events.

Okay I am pretty sure that it is unethical to have witnesses provide testimony to a grand jury that you know are lying.

And I KNOW it is against the law to lie to the grand jury.

So why isn't anybody getting prosecuted over this?

I think that the prosecuting attorney should be disbarred and this woman thrown in jail. That to me seems obvious.

And then I would like somebody to call Hannity out for constantly using the ONE witness which supported his inner prejudice and his desire to find Darren Wilson guiltless.

Darren Wilson did NOT know about the convenience store robbery when he confronted Michael Brown on the streets of Ferguson. Update!

Courtesy of the Daily Mail:  

In Wilson's now very public account of his encounter with Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson on August 9 he has claimed that he asked Brown and Wilson to move to the sidewalk rather than walk in the street. 

When they walked on, Wilson has repeatedly stated, he realized they matched the description of two suspects wanted in connection with the robbery of nearby Ferguson Market. A youth matching Brown's description had stolen a box of Swishers cigarillos. 

It was this realization, he stated, that caused him to reverse his vehicle and sparked the car-side confrontation that left Brown dead on the street with six bullets in his body. 

But the sworn testimony of Wilson's squad supervisor directly contradicts this account. 

Wilson's supervisor was the first officer to speak with the 28-year-old cop following the shooting. The men spoke before St Louis County Police had even been notified of the incident and before the medical examiner or investigating officers had arrived on the scene. 

At that time, the supervisor said:'He [Wilson] did not know anything about the stealing call.' 

When pressed by the attorney questioning him, the officer reiterated that Wilson, 'did not know anything'. 

Asked, 'He told you he didn't know about there being a stealing at Ferguson Market?' 

The officer responded, 'Correct.' 

Now this is a key fact because, number one it proves that Wilson was not responding to a person that he knew to be violent, and number two it proves that Wilson lied to the Grand Jury. 

And the part that I found particularly enlightening was that in fact Wilson could NOT have known about the robbery because the call came in AFTER the shooting had already taken place.

(Update: Okay somebody asked me how I know that the robbery call came in after the shooting. In point of fact I described that poorly. What I meant to say was that it was unlikely that other officers would be looking out for Brown as the responding officer only received the call after 11:54, which is immediately after the robbery took place. He then had to drive to the convenience, conduct his interview (At which time he received a more detailed description.) Brown was shot dead at 12:01 which means that quite literally this officer was probably in the process of conducting his investigation.  And as this was a low priority, unarmed, snatch and grab it is very unlikely that he called for assistance or put out an APB.)

And remember 15 witnesses said that Michael Brown was running away when Wilson started firing at him, and 16 said he had his hands up before the last bullets were fired.

I think at this point the Justice Department has no choice but to launch their own investigation.

This whole thing stinks like crazy.

All of the inconsistencies in the Michael Brown shooting witnesses in one graphic.

In case it will not enlarge, click here.

Mother Jones did some more expansive reporting on these troubling inconsistencies, as well as reminding us that 16 of the witnesses agreed that when he was shot Michael Brown had his hands up.

And that may be the most important point of all.

As we await the APD report another witness to the Throwdown at the Hoedown steps forward.

"Don't you know who I am?"

So as I have reported earlier I have been working with a few new sources these last several weeks, and as it turns out one of them was good friends with a witness to the brawl on September 6th in Anchorage.

Of course like many of the others this witness does not want their name used, but they did offer some new information that up to this point has not been reported.

According to the witness the Palins were actually at the party for quite awhile before anything happened. But when it did it was all about Track.

According to this witness the main party was being held inside of a hangar on Korey Klingenmeyer’s property. It was there that this witness first heard that something was happening with the Palins.

Essentially a young man came in and told his dad that Tack Palin, a guy the boy says he had really never met before, was trying to start a fight with him.

Then essentially they both went out to the yard, and that is when the young man (Identified in other reports as Connor Cleary), was essentially jumped by Track Palin.

As reported before when Connor's father tried to separate the two that is when Todd jumped in to the fray.  Only according to this witness Todd not only put the dad in a headlock but also started punching him, only to let go after getting hit in the face himself and receiving a bloody nose.

Once again according to this witness Track was out of control and they felt that he was not simply drunk but that he was undoubtedly on something much stronger.  The witness also said that Track was literally uninjured after the brawl, and was walking around shirtless as the family started to leave and yes he was flipping the bird to the whole party and yelling obscenities. (P.S. The witness also heard about the fight in the bar later where Track really did get his ass handed to him, and from that he received the injuries that the Palin version of events attributed to the brawl.)

Now here is where it gets interesting.

According to the source Sarah also really tried to get into the scrum, only to be physically held back by a number of women, and yes she was shouting "Do you know who I am?"

Now as for the Bristol part of the fight, there are more details here as well.

In this witnesses version of events, Bristol was actually inside the house when the shit went down.

When she saw what was happening she, and apparently Willow, made a beeline straight for the free for all.

That is when the homeowner (Klingenmeyer) stepped in her way, and told her she needed to stay out of it.

She responded with "Who the hell are you?"

He replied that he was the owner of the house and told her that he wanted her and her family to leave his property. THAT was when Bristol started whaling on him, only in this version she accompanied those blows with a barrage of obscenities. Then as reported the homeowner knocked her ass to the ground.

Apparently it was only after someone announced loudly that "The police have been called" that the Palins, now this is in the witnesses' own words, "scattered like rats."

There are a few more details about the host as well in this report.

According to the witness Klingenmeyer has obtained a lawyer, and there is still the possibility that he might indeed press charges. If he does, according to the witness, he intends to charge Track, Todd, and Bristol.

This actually falls in line with what Eric Thompson reported earlier, saying that “Originally, I was asked to give a statement to the police along with 10 other people,” he added. “[The alleged victim] didn’t want it misconstrued that he was assaulting her.”

Now I have no idea if there are negotiations behind the scenes, or whether the homeowner has even been in touch with the Palins since they ruined his party. But if not then his hesitancy would be due simply to his concern about retribution if he moves forward.

Okay so that is the report from the witness who is friends with my source. Here is what my source added on their own.

Track is a nut, and has been one since WAY before he left to join the military. So what happened at the party is completely within expectations for his behavior.

This fight really comes as no surprise because they have happened with some frequency inside the Palin household. The source witnessed more than one physical altercation, which included hair pulling, shouted obscenities, and even punching and grabbing at Todd's groin. (And not by his wife.)

According to my source, who has expressed an interest in coming out of the shadows, this is only the tip of the (Dare I say it?) iceberg, and there is much more to come that will absolutely blow our minds.

My prediction is that October is going to be a GREAT month.

Two new witnesses, two WHITE witnesses, have confirmed that Michael Brown was surrendering when shot to death by Ferguson police officer.

Courtesy of the St. Louis Post Dispatch:  

Among the claims that ignited the fury over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown were that Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson chased the unarmed teen on foot, shot at him as he ran away, then fired a barrage of fatal shots after Brown had turned around with his hands up. 

Almost all of the witnesses who shared these accounts with media either knew Brown; lived at or near the Canfield Green apartments, where the shooting occurred; or were visiting friends or relatives there. 

But there were two outsiders who happened to be working outside at the apartment complex on Aug. 9 — two men from a company in Jefferson County — who heard a single gunshot, looked up from their work and witnessed the shooting. 

Both have given their statements to the St. Louis County police and the FBI. One of the men agreed to share his account with a Post-Dispatch reporter on the condition that his name and employer not be used. 

The worker, who has not previously spoken with reporters, said he did not see what happened at the officer’s car — where Wilson and Brown engaged in an initial struggle and a shot was fired from Wilson’s gun. 

His account largely matches those who reported that Wilson chased Brown on foot away from the car after the initial gunshot and fired at least one more shot in the direction of Brown as he was fleeing; that Brown stopped, turned around and put his hands up; and that the officer killed Brown in a barrage of gunfire.

The article goes on to say that the witness reports really do not  shine any new light on the incident, since they essentially reflect what other witnesses have already said.

However what is different is that these are two WHITE witnesses with no previous connection to the victim as reported by the Global Grind.

That means that this can no longer be framed as a black vs white incident, with the Right Wing news outlets inferring that the black folk are simply defending their own while getting back at the po po.

I think it is far past time for Officer Wilson to finally get charged and spend some time in the clink.

Here are the stories from four eyewitness to the Michael Brown shooting combined in one video. Listen to how similar the stories are to each other.

Now here's the other thing that has troubled me.

The police have said that Brown reached in through the window to attack the officer and to take away his gun.

But WHY would he do that?

All the officer was supposedly doing was telling the two men to get out of the middle of the street.

Even if Michael Brown suspected that the officer knew he had stolen some cigars, THAT is a misdemeanor and there is NO WAY that this young man is going to attack a police officer over swuch a petty crime.

So that whole scenario never made any sense to me.

What these witnesses describe, though absolutely horrendous, seems far more believable.

No Michael Brown did NOT fracture police officer Darren Wilson's eye socket during tussle. Update!

Yesterday the Washington Post reported the following:

The signs of easing tensions came as a family friend of the officer who fatally shot Brown came forward to offer a version of the incident with new details, saying that the officer suffered a fracture to his eye socket in a scuffle with the unarmed teenager before opening fire. 

Hospital X-rays of the injury have been taken and will be shared with a grand jury that is weighing evidence to determine whether Officer Darren Wilson should be charged in the shooting, said the friend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of threats. The friend has been in contact with Wilson’s family members.

Of course this resulted in all kinds of "We told you so's" from the Right Wing and Fox News ran with it as a sign that the police officer was in fear for his life from the six foot four teenager. 

Only problem with that is that it is not true.

Reports that Ofc Darren Wilson had a bruised or fractured eye socket are false. #ferguson A source close to the investigation tells CNN
— Julian Cummings CNN (@JulianCummings) August 21, 2014

Wilson was taken to the hospital after the shooting. He had xrays which came back negative. He was treated for a swollen face. #ferguson
— Julian Cummings CNN (@JulianCummings) August 21, 2014

Well that's interesting.

Equally interesting is the statement made by a new witness who more or less corroborates much of what Brown's friend, Michael Johnson, told reporters. 

Here is what I thought was the most interesting portion: 

CC (Reporter Courtney Collins.): he did not fire at that time? 

Brady: no he fired, he fired 

CC: ok see that's important, that's important 

Brady: he definitely fired, he definitely fired 

CC: so mike brown is running away, the officer is out of the car, the weapon is drawn, and you see him hear and fire at mike brown while he is running away? 

Brady: yes 

CC: absolutely? 

Brady: absolutely 

CC: so he is hit and he's now facing the officer 

Brady: facing the officer 

CC: What is the position of the officer? 

Brady: the officer - he's still got his gun drawn - 

CC: gun is drawn 

Brady: and he's at a distance - still about 15-20 feet away 

CC: so mike brown is hunched over 

Brady: he's hunched over like this, like he was already shot when I come outside, so now he's facing the officer, I remember him taking like 2 small steps - like he was going down anyway, he didn't look like he was going to give up, it looked like he was already hurt. 

CC: what's the loaded word? The loaded word is charged. Does the word charged fit was mike brown was doing? 

Brady: charged, no... like want to charge toward the officer? 

CC: yes 

Brady: no, no, no, there's no way 

CC: there's no way? 

Brady: there's no way, there's no way // he was already like this - and the officer took like 3 - 4 shots at him and that's when he went down just like he - 

CC: so as he's going in the motion that you're describing, you do see and hear the officer fire again? 

Brady: yes, yes - before he went down 

CC: You're sure? 

Brady: yes

The witness also said that he heard no shots fired while Brown and Wilson were tussling in the patrol car, and that Wilson did not demand that Brown stop before firing his weapon, which as stated above he fired at the retreating back of Michale Brown.

To be fair the Ferguson police claim to have a "dozen witnesses" that back up the officer's statement about the shooting, but oddly I have not seen any of them come forward to be interviewed by reporters.

Update: Keep in mind that the only autopsy made public thus far found that there was NO evidence to support the accusation that Michael Brown struck Officer Wilson during the altercation.

Update 2: The long lost incident report has also been released today.

Here is a rather comprehensive explanation for what you are seeing from the Daily Kos.