Homicide on Northfield Avenue archived

My stomach turns upside down every time I get stuck at that light and look over to find the cross and the flowers. I also wonder how that family in the white house deals with the events of that awful night.

boomie said:

http://www.plj.com/common/page.php?pt=brendan&id=31604&is_corp=0

From what I have heard and read of this broadcast, I am more sickened by the rabble-rousing attempt at Islamaphobia it represents than any fear that this murder marks any sort of broader danger to our safety.

Brown is a disturbed individual who was driven to kill by his disease. He would have killed no matter what, and only looked for some ideology to rationalize his actions -- it could have been anything, Jesus, Mohammad, Charles Manson. Islam is not responsible for his actions, he is.

max_weisenfeld said:

boomie said:

http://www.plj.com/common/page.php?pt=brendan&id=31604&is_corp=0

From what I have heard and read of this broadcast, I am more sickened by the rabble-rousing attempt at Islamaphobia it represents than any fear that this murder marks any sort of broader danger to our safety.

Brown is a disturbed individual who was driven to kill by his disease. He would have killed no matter what, and only looked for some ideology to rationalize his actions -- it could have been anything, Jesus, Mohammad, Charles Manson. Islam is not responsible for his actions, he is.

+1. I have a hard time believing that the shooting was motivated by any genuine ideology.

I posted it without comment

max_weisenfeld said:

boomie said:

http://www.plj.com/common/page.php?pt=brendan&id=31604&is_corp=0

From what I have heard and read of this broadcast, I am more sickened by the rabble-rousing attempt at Islamaphobia it represents than any fear that this murder marks any sort of broader danger to our safety.

Brown is a disturbed individual who was driven to kill by his disease. He would have killed no matter what, and only looked for some ideology to rationalize his actions -- it could have been anything, Jesus, Mohammad, Charles Manson. Islam is not responsible for his actions, he is.

Agree. He's a garden-variety psychopath and nothing more. What a tragedy.

He has no disease, that too is used as an 'excuse' for crime -- oh he has a disease, he is sick, it is not in his control -- bs, he was driven by his cruel f****d up mind. People like this should hang for their crimes.

I'm starting to see several right-wing sites cropping up with the same argument as the link I posted earlier. Muslim jihadists on our very own soil and the government is doing nothing about it, mainstream media is ignoring it, etc. etc. etc. It makes me so angry. Pretending this guy is anything more than a low-bit wackjob gives him way more credit than he deserves.

seaweed said:

He has no disease, that too is used as an 'excuse' for crime -- oh he has a disease, he is sick, it is not in his control -- bs, he was driven by his cruel f****d up mind. People like this should hang for their crimes.

Having a disease is no excuse, but it is an explanation.

While I do not agree with the punishment you propose, he does need to be held responsible and the community also must be protected from him, probably both for the rest of his life.

TarheelsInNj said:

I'm starting to see several right-wing sites cropping up with the same argument as the link I posted earlier. Muslim jihadists on our very own soil and the government is doing nothing about it, mainstream media is ignoring it, etc. etc. etc. It makes me so angry. Pretending this guy is anything more than a low-bit wackjob gives him way more credit than he deserves.

Yep. If he was a Christian white guy who said "God made me do it", they'd call him a serial killer, without the religious group conspiracy stuff.

One thing the radio broadcast said that hadn't been reported, Brown was "hanging out at the Dunkin Donuts there, changed into fatigues..." Another outlet linked to the complete court documents from Seattle, which offer more information. http://www.rightlywired.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Washington-vs-Brown.pdf

Well, the jihad story is starting to make the rounds on Facebook today, mostly from right-wing blogs but also nj.com and I think NY Post

seaweed said:

He has no disease, that too is used as an 'excuse' for crime -- oh he has a disease, he is sick, it is not in his control -- bs, he was driven by his cruel f****d up mind. People like this should hang for their crimes.

I don't think the point of saying he is a psychopath is meant to excuse him... it is more a case of attributing the cause of his actions correctly. It has nothing to do with his religion. The responsibility for his actions lies purely in himself, not in the religion he follows. That he chooses to give credit to his religion is specious; it's on him, not Islam. And he should be treated as any other criminal would be. It's like saying, "The Devil made me do it." Yeah, whatever. You still did it, and must take the consequences.

^ Of course.

Well, yeah, it's from the Department of the Bleeding Obvious, but some people don't seem to get it.

max_weisenfeld said:

boomie said:

http://www.plj.com/common/page.php?pt=brendan&id=31604&is_corp=0

From what I have heard and read of this broadcast, I am more sickened by the rabble-rousing attempt at Islamaphobia it represents than any fear that this murder marks any sort of broader danger to our safety.

Brown is a disturbed individual who was driven to kill by his disease. He would have killed no matter what, and only looked for some ideology to rationalize his actions -- it could have been anything, Jesus, Mohammad, Charles Manson. Islam is not responsible for his actions, he is.

What disease are you referring to? Was he diagnosed with some sort of delusional disorder? I hadn't heard that. Is there a link you can share?

Eric Holder is very concerned with homegrown Islamic terrorism. Not a guy I'd label "Islamophobic rabble rouser".

http://www.latimes.com/la-na-nn-holder-terrorism-task-force-20140601-story.html

Incidentally, Brown found his victims in Washington using Grindr. Make of that what you will.

The document linked above includes a transcript of his discussion with detectives. Does not sound at all delusional. Has a logic behind what he did and why he did it and what he was hoping to accomplish.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/crime/2014/09/15/tsr-dnt-brown-ali-brown-suspected-killer.cnn-ap.html

What is Grindr?

Grindr is a geosocial networking app used by some gay, bisexual, and bi-curious men. It allows people to seek others nearby.

Targeting gay men is a rather serial-killer/psychopath-ish thing to do.

A psychopath's stated motive is just a distraction -- because the stated motive is a fantasy they've incorporated into their urges for violence or murder.

If people want to believe a psychopath's statements, I guess that's their right. Does it make people fear the mentally ill with guns less than they fear Muslims with guns?

I fear the guns, and the ways that they (and their bullets) are so easy to obtain and use against others. But having news outlets validating the fantasy of this serial killer is good propaganda to encourage "Americans" to get more scared, and protect themselves by buying more guns.

The story has gotten a lot of traction in the right-wing press, thanks to the "jihad" angle. Greta Van Susteren interviewed Brendan's parents for her show last night.
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/on-the-record/index.html#/v/3791065849001
They may not be getting the same spotlight, but here are some interviews with the families of the other men who were killed, Dwone Anderson-Young and Ahmed Said:
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/religious-fanatic-claims-to-have-murdered-gay-men/Content?oid=20439151
And Leroy Henderson (click on video):
http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/seattle/2014/08/20/seattle-double-murder-suspect-ali-muhammad-brown-fourth-homicide/14324141/

I watched the Greta Van Susteren interview. It was apparently part one of two, but I don't see the second part on the web site. I wonder if his parents believe it was an act of terror or revenge.

I think it's particularly getting traction now because of ISIS. The right-wing press wants us to panic - not only is it happening THERE, but it's also HERE!! Despite the fact that this happened months ago.

Because it happened here to a WHITE kid. The stories don't even mention the equally innocent Leroy, Dwone and Ahmed. Which is ironic, since the jihad information came from the Washington victims' court documents.

The stories don't also mention the other local "heroes" who were arrested in conjunction for the crime. None of them have mentioned jihad as a motive. And I don't think Brown had jihad on his mind when he committed whatever crime labeled him a sex offender, or his carjacking.

TarheelsInNj said:

I think it's particularly getting traction now because of ISIS. The right-wing press wants us to panic - not only is it happening THERE, but it's also HERE!! Despite the fact that this happened months ago.

We should be nervous. This was down the street from us.

I'm not nervous. I'm quite sure the area is not rife with murderous psychopaths.

Dianec said:

TarheelsInNj said:

I think it's particularly getting traction now because of ISIS. The right-wing press wants us to panic - not only is it happening THERE, but it's also HERE!! Despite the fact that this happened months ago.

We should be nervous. This was down the street from us.

You be nervous. I'm going to be happy and rational and live my life.

mjh said:

I'm not nervous. I'm quite sure the area is not rife with murderous psychopaths.

This. There's no evidence this guy is connected to some international jihad or terrorist plot. And he's been arrested.

TarheelsInNj said:

mjh said:

I'm not nervous. I'm quite sure the area is not rife with murderous psychopaths.

This. There's no evidence this guy is connected to some international jihad or terrorist plot. And he's been arrested.

It can, and does, happen everywhere. I haven't stopped going to West Orange via that intersection since the shooting and I know life is to be lived to the fullest and in the moment. Stop falling for the fear mongerers.

I tell my son growing up not to fear life so he joined the military. I think citizens who say they aren't afraid of nothing should join the military.