West Virginia Columnist Calls Michael Brown An "Animal" Who Had To Be "Put Down!"

Don Surber

Here's a safe seat that could automatically go to TOSS UP in the U.S. Senate bid in West Virginia.

Jay Rockefeller, the retiring Democratic senator left the party struggling to win a seat. The Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) is an easy choice for a politically conservative state.

Even though, she's likely cruise to victory, the latest opinion article from a Charleston columnist has got the Republicans on shaky grounds.

This columnist didn't do really much. He didn't hurt Republicans with the Black votes. The party itself made it harder for Blacks to even support Republican candidates. The condescending, racist and downright stupid stuff that comes from Republicans turns away Black votes.

Now this example of ignorance sparked a shit storm.

Brad McElhinn the Charleston Daily Mail's editor has put the brakes on Don Surber when he took to his personal blog to call Michael Brown "an animal who had to be put down".

Don Surber, the West Virginia paper's lone editorial columnist, took to his personal blog to offer his thoughts on "police brutality" and the killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.

"This summer I had an epiphany as I watched packs of racists riot in Ferguson, Missouri, in support of a gigantic thug who was higher than a kite when he attacked Ferguson Police Department Officer Darren Wilson, who unfortunately had to put this animal down," Surber wrote.

The comments that set off a shit storm

By Sunday morning, Surber appended an update to the top of the post and crossed out the final phrase of the sentence.

"I made a factual error. Michael Brown was not an animal but a man. Big. Brutal. High," Surber wrote in the update. "His death was a justifiable homicide and not a putting down."

Talking Points Memo had to contact the editor to get clarification. The editor nevertheless apologized for the inflammatory characterization of Brown.

"We're sorry about the impression Mr. Surber gave. That's not the view of the paper as a whole," McElhinny said. "His words were uncareful and he is aware of that. He is aware that although it was his personal blog, people realize he is a columnist and an editorial writer for the paper and it's certainly affected our reputation."

Michael Brown was not an animal.

McElhinny said the newspaper has "been in discussions directly involving Don" since the post went up, but he wouldn't say if the columnist would face any fallout.

Pathetic excuse. They would defend this human excrement.