Michael Brown killed, Kajieme Powell killed, police telling the truth?

This video about the killing of Kajieme Powell was released by police in St. Louis, Missouri, USA on Wednesday.

Warning: The video includes graphic content.

St. Louis Police Release Video Of Kajieme Powell Killing That Appears At Odds With Their Story

08/20/2014 8:08 pm EDT

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department released cell phone footage Wednesday of the police shooting of Kajieme Powell, a 25-year-old black man killed on Tuesday in St. Louis, according to St. Louis Public Radio.

A convenience store owner called 911 on Tuesday when he suspected Powell stole drinks and donuts from his shop, according to a recording of the call. …

Two officers in a police SUV responded to the calls, the cell phone video shows. When the officers got out of their vehicle, Powell walked in their direction, yelling and telling them to shoot him already.

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said Tuesday that both of the officers opened fire on Powell when he came within a three or four feet of them holding a knife “in an overhand grip.”

But the newly released cell phone footage undermines the statement, showing Powell approaching the cops, but not coming as close as was reported, with his hands at his side. The officers began shooting within 15 seconds of their arrival, hitting Powell with a barrage of bullets.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department released the video and 911 calls, telling St. Louis Public Radio that it plans to act transparently.

The shooting death occurred less than four miles from where Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer in the suburb of Ferguson on Aug. 9.

The St. Louis Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Huffington Post.

By Tom Carter in the USA:

Federal judge refuses to halt “keep moving” order in Ferguson

21 August 2014

On Monday, a federal judge refused to order a halt to the arbitrary “keep moving” rule imposed by the police on residents and journalists on public sidewalks in Ferguson, Missouri.

As part of the police-military crackdown on protests in Ferguson over the police murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown, the police have adopted the tactic of patrolling the sidewalks in groups and shouting “keep moving” at those standing in their way. Anyone who does not move quickly enough is tackled and arrested.

Standing still for as little as five seconds is sufficient to be taken to the ground and handcuffed by a swarm of police. Hundreds of arrests, including of journalists, have been carried out for “failure to disperse.”

The purpose of this tactic is to menace and intimidate the population and obstruct the exercise of basic constitutional rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly. It goes hand-in-hand with a de facto state of martial law that has been imposed on the largely working-class suburb of St. Louis.

Over the past week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) initiated a number of emergency legal proceedings against municipalities involved in the Ferguson repression as well as their leading personnel, challenging the police activities as unconstitutional.

Ferguson: Protests last night were much calmer. The cop who threatened to kill protesters on Tuesday has been put on indefinite leave. And while the name of Darren Wilson has been released, the lack of public information about the officer leaves him “an enigma.” [HuffPost]

Injustice in Ferguson, Long Before Michael Brown: here.

Cleveland, Ohio residents denounce repression in Ferguson: here.

Ferguson solidarity protests spread to dozens of cities nationwide. Demonstrations from Los Angeles to New York protest killing of Michael Brown and other recent cases of police shootings: here.

Ferguson is not just about systemic racism — it’s about class warfare and how America’s poor are held back, says Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: here.

One third of Americans believe police lie routinely: here.

Germany: Workers and youth in Berlin: “What is taking place in Ferguson is war”: here.