Sadly, I think they're saying exactly what the right wing wants to hear.

Oh, totally. They needed a reason -- any reason, no matter how implausible -- that it was justifiable to shoot an unarmed civilian. And there are a LOT of people that are going to be glad to have this shred of an excuse to point to and say "See? He deserved it!" (And some of these people, statistically speaking, will be people who themselves shoplifted as kids, or who have children of their own who shoplifted, and yet they're all still alive.)

I mean, Jesus Christ, the SWAT team busted a drug- and gun-selling operation in my neighborhood (yay Northside) that was fronted in a candy store. No, seriously. So there were actual weapons there. And the SWAT team managed to not kill any of the suspects, even though the suspects had immediate access to guns (and may have been armed). AND THAT'S A GOOD THING.

I'm not all-caps yelling at anyone here; I'm just so frustrated.

What Juliana said. Also, Anne, I just caught your tagline anew. It seems rather current.

I'm sorry for your loss, tommyrot.

I've read that the store owners who the Ferguson police said that Mr. Brown was suspected of robbing have already said he didn't rob them.

Seriously, 1: why couldn't they have said this right away [not that shooting an unarmed suspect is how you deal with shoplifting], and 2: after 5 days, that was the best story they could come up with?

They've been trying to push that narrative since the beginning, despite witness contradictions as indicated by Calli.

Consuela - I've been listening to audiobooks about the French Revolution as less frustrating than current events. At least Robespierre and his lot got theirs in the end. I have less hope for that these days.

They've been trying to push that narrative since the beginning

I didn't hear that. I guess I wasn't following closely enough until just recently.

I think if you have a nicer pair of trousers, you could get away with just buying a dark blazer to put over a dress shirt and tie.

Yes this, and it doesn't need to be black, as others have said. My brother wore dark trousers and a nice white shirt to my sister's funeral and no one said boo, and if they had I would have told them to STFU anyway.

Ugh, I am so upset by how all this has gone down, upset by the shooting in LA too. There was a demonstration last night here, but I don't know any details about it.

My brother wore dark trousers and a nice white shirt to my sister's funeral and no one said boo, and if they had I would have told them to STFU anyway.

Also that -- everyone can STFU. A friend of mine wore a white suit (or apparently white--it might have been beige) to his mother's funeral, and I'm sure he had his reasons. If those reasons were more "this is my only suit" than "my mother insisted I wear this exact thing," that is nobody's business.

Considering the people who should have come to my mom's funeral and didn't, to me it's vastly more important that someone shows up with condolences and respects and maybe a story to share, than that they wear the "right" clothes.

I've told my kids I don't want a formal funeral. Gather around, have some drinks, tell stories, and celebrate my life. We have actually talked a lot about all of our final wishes, all three of us. Kinda morbid but we all deal in dark humor, so it isn't too bad.