NBC 348 Stories on Michael Brown, None on Issac Sims

There is a quote about the people of Ferguson waiting for the outcome of a Grand Jury hearing into police shooting Michael Brown that sums up the way things are. “It's like a war zone. Everybody's looking over their shoulder.” It happened August 9th. Protests and riots followed.

On the NBC website, right at the top, there is this

MICHAEL BROWN SHOOTING 348 STORIES

Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen, was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri.

Is the death of a teenager tragic? Yes. But what is behind the protests and riots in this case? People don't just do it whenever police shoot someone with questionable circumstances. They don't even seem to care when the person shot by police was a veteran trying to get help. Two months before police shot Michael Brown, a veteran was shot and killed by police in the same state.

Kansas City police had shot and killed Issac Sims, 26, in the garage of his parents’ house a day earlier. His death was a bloody coda to a five-hour standoff that began after officers responded to Shawn’s 911 call. May 25th

There is the story of Issac Sims on the local NBC 12 news out of Missouri, but it wasn't about him. He was just mentioned in the story about VA Secretary Shinseki resigning.

The truth is, it happens all over the country all the time.

On July 4, Icarus Randolph woke up in a bad mental place. The 26-year-old Marine veteran had served in Iraq and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, his family says. That afternoon, he became a casualty on his mother’s front lawn when a Wichita police officer shot him in front of his family. Then-Police Chief Norman Williams said the officer fired the fatal shots after Randolph charged with a knife.

July, Justin Neil Davis was only 24. His last tour ended when he was 22 in 2012. Davis knew he was having problems. He had been in the VA rehab for 30 days but as it turned out, it didn't make that much of a difference. Davis was one of the countless stories of veterans seeking help instead of denying they need it. That is the saddest part of all. They wanted to live, hoped to heal, reached out for help and tried the best they could to recover from combat. They are also the greatest example of how the government failed them.

Jacinto Zavala, 21 whose family told authorities was a veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder was shot by police early Wednesday morning shortly after allegedly telling a 911 dispatcher that "they are going to have a shoot-out." August

Police in Las Cruces New Mexico have just identified the officer who shot Army Sgt. William Smith. A single bullet ended the 5 hour standoff.

Jeffrey Johnson, the 33-year-old father and veteran killed during an officer-involved shooting, says he was dealing with post traumatic stress disorder. Police first contacted Jeffrey at Best Western in north Abilene after receiving a welfare call indicating he may have been suicidal. Upon arrival, Johnson slammed and barricaded the door, and fired two shots from inside which nearly hit an officer, according to police. September

Anthony Eric Chavez, 24 Lakewood He said he took the gun from a friend’s apartment at the complex, and was trying to shoot himself as Lee arrived, but couldn’t get the gun to fire. The mother of Chavez’s children told police he was hit by shrapnel while in the Army and suffered a traumatic brain injury and has post traumatic stress disorder. He started drinking heavily and taking illegal drugs after his injury, and refused his medications, she said. She told police he had tried to kill himself multiple times. October

Nathan Boyd: The Persian Gulf War veteran had been diagnosed with PTSD and other maladies before his confrontation with police. November 5th

There are so many more, but you don't find over 300 news reports about them or their lives cut short. 

You don't see protests after they tried to get help but didn't get it. You don't see riots.

You don't see the National News stations sending reporters out to tell their stories.

The difference is, the media wanted this story to matter so much more. The Grand Jury may not find the police officer responsible but the media is guilty of making this story matter as much as possible while making sure few know about the lives lost when veterans come home.