Dear Internet, We know, as a matter of fact, that "hands up, don't shoot" -- the media narrative …

Dear Internet,

We know, as a matter of fact, that "hands up, don't shoot" -- the media narrative that Michael Brown was killed while trying to surrender -- is a lie.  So please, stop saying it.

I am not saying it did not happen.  I am saying the assertion that it did happen is not based on any serious evidence.  To assert it is true, is a lie. There is no reason to believe it is true.

Even Attorney General Eric Holder admits it's a myth.  To summarize his DOJ's report: the witness accounts that say he was holding his hands up to surrender were inconsistent with facts or with the witness' other statements, or were later recanted.  *All* credible witnesses said that Brown was moving toward Officer Wilson when Wilson shot him, and the credible witnesses who said he had his hands up also said he dropped his hands before then "charging" at Wilson.

President Obama's Department of Justice confirms that Officer Wilson was not charged because there was no evidence against him.

The relevant text of the DOJ report:

Although there are several individuals who have stated that Brown held his hands up in an unambiguous sign of surrender prior to Wilson shooting him dead, their accounts do not support a prosecution of Wilson. As detailed throughout this report, some of those accounts are inaccurate because they are inconsistent with the physical and forensic evidence; some of those accounts are materially inconsistent with that witness’s own prior statements with no explanation, credible for otherwise, as to why those accounts changed over time. Certain other witnesses who originally stated Brown had his hands up in surrender recanted their original accounts, admitting that they did not witness the shooting or parts of it, despite what they initially reported either to federal or local law enforcement or to the media. Prosecutors did not rely on those accounts when making a prosecutive decision. While credible witnesses gave varying accounts of exactly what Brown was doing with his hands as he moved toward Wilson – i.e., balling them, holding them out, or pulling up his pants up – and varying accounts of how he was moving – i.e., “charging,” moving in “slow motion,” or “running” – they all establish that Brown was moving toward Wilson when Wilson shot him. Although some witnesses state that Brown held his hands up at shoulder level with his palms facing outward for a brief moment, these same witnesses describe Brown then dropping his hands and “charging” at Wilson.