@ReignOfApril @rdevro: Statement read at today's rally for Officer Darren Wilson pic.twitter.com/p8IjloeeAd"

— \o/ I am MikeBrown (@Tpa_ismyhome) August 23, 2014

In case you can’t see the image in the above tweet, I have transcribed the entire statement at the end of this post. I just want to look at a few parts of the statement.

Our mission is to formally declare that we share the united belief that Officer Wilson’s actions on August 9th were warranted and justified, and he has our unwavering support. We believe that the evidence has and will continue to validate our position.

Everyone else, however, should wait until all the facts come out. Even if that takes forever.

Many of us have received death threats against ourselves and our families.

Let’s give the author of this statement more benefit of the doubt than (I suspect) they’ve ever given to anyone not just like them, and assume that this sentence is a true statement. In that case, to whomever is sending death threats, stop it. Do not give this person and others like them any actual reason to feel aggrieved.

Contrary to media suggestions, we are not affiliated with any hate groups…

Has a member of a “hate group” ever actually referred to themselves as belonging to a “hate group”? I’m pretty sure it’s an external designation, but thank you for playing.

…however, we respect each individual’s 1st amendment rights in this country.

That’s super, but unless you’re acting on behalf of the government somehow, there’s pretty much no way for you to infringe on anyone else’s First Amendment rights. It’s nice, though, that you take a moment out of your diatribe to stand up for the rights of hate groups upon which you (and the Ferguson protesters) cannot actually infringe.

We will not hide.

So, no hoods, then? That’s good, ‘cuz this summer is a hot one!

We will no longer live in fear.

First of all, fear of what?

Second of all, you may live in fear, but the black residents of Ferguson—and of pretty much the whole rest of the country—live in danger. You don’t seem to understand that, and you don’t seem to want to.

We ask this question, “Can justice ever be attained if one side’s supporters are living in fear of speaking out?”

Cluelessness, privilege, and entitlement, all rolled into one rhetorical question. You’re hardly the first person to feel this way, but you ask the question as though it were novel.

That’s more of my attention—or anyone’s attention, really—this statement deserves. I support their insistence on speaking out, though, because they are losing their ability to plausibly deny their own racism. Keep at it.

Here is the statement in full:

On behalf of the Support Darren Wilson campaign, we want to thank those in attendance, as well as vocal supporters around the world, for publicly displaying your support for Officer Darren Wilson. We are not speaking on behalf of Officer Darren Wilson or his appointed representatives. We are speaking solely on behalf of the online campaign titled Support Darren Wilson. Our mission is to formally declare that we share the united belief that Officer Wilson’s actions on August 9th were warranted and justified, and he has our unwavering support. We believe that the evidence has and will continue to validate our position.

We want to thank the media for finally highlighting the other side of this story. However, the media has shown a strong bias against the supporters of Officer Darren Wilson. We believe this has only intensified the destruction of the community of Ferguson and the surrounding St. Louis areas. We are exclusively here to support Darren Wilson and we have no desire to engage in the negativity and hate which has paralyzed Officer Wilson’s ability to pursue justice. Many of us have received death threats against ourselves and our families. Contrary to media suggestions, we are not affiliated with any hate groups, however, we respect each individual’s 1st amendment rights in this country.

We will not hide. We will no longer live in fear. We ask this question, “Can justice ever be attained if one side’s supporters are living in fear of speaking out?” If you support Darren Wilson, make your voices heard. Call or write Governor Jay Nixon and demand that this bias stops now.

The media will have to earn the trust of the Support Darren Wilson group. Stop drawing maps to houses, broadcasting in front of parties’ homes, knocking on their families’ doors, putting people’s lives at risk. This is unethical, poor journalism, and a travesty to this case. At the end of this statement, the media will inevitably ask for my name, other’s names and relationships, job titles, stories, etc. You want my name? My name is Darren Wilson. We are Darren Wilson.