Angry protests and questions arise in wake of Ferguson grand jury decision

1st December 2014   ·   0 Comments

A grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri signature loan bad credit las vegas decided Monday not to indict Darren Wilson, a white cop who killed college-bound Michael Brown 18. after what the officer described as a violent exchange.

Adding insult to injury, the decision wasn’t made public until 9 p.m. Monday.

Michael Brown Sr. told reporters Tuesday that the grand jury decision felt like his son had been murdered all over again.

Officer Wilson told investigators in a recorded interview that Michael Brown used profanity and had the “face of a demon” and did not raise his hands to surrender when he was ordered to do so.

In an interview last week, Wilson said he would do things the same way if he found himself in a similar situation.

Some witnesses told investigators that Brown had his hands in the air when he was fatally shot by Wilson.

The grand jury decided that testimony supporting Wilson’s version of what happened was more credible for whatever reason. “Officer Wilson’s story, according to the prosecutor, matches the physical evidence much more than many of the eyewitnesses’ stories,” CBS News legal analyst Nikki Klieman said. “And one of the things about Officer Wilson when he does testify, which he didn’t have to do, he chose to do, is that … he talks about his subjective fear … and he is terrified by virtue of his own words. Clearly the grand jury chose to believe him.”

Wilson’s lawyers said they believe the grand jury’s decision was right and noted that officers often must make “split-second and difficult decisions.”

Wilson, who appears younger after the decision than he did in earlier photos released and got married since the shooting, told the grand jury that he felt “like a five-year-old holding onto Hulk Hogan” when he and Brown allegedly engaged in a struggle inside the officer’s vehicle that preceded the deadly shooting

As news of the grand jury decision spread across the country, protests erupted in a number of U.S. cities, including the St. Louis suburb where Brown was slain by Wilson on August 9.

In the three months since the fatal shooting, a steady stream of protesters, some of them from other parts of the country, have taken to Ferguson’s streets demanding justice for Michael Brown. With hundreds of protesters chanting “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” the protests sometimes became violent with protesters throwing rocks and other items at Ferguson police. The cops were critiqued by President Barack Obama, lawmakers and civil rights leaders criticized the police department’s decision to use tear gas and military tanks to take control of the growing crowds.

Last Monday’s grand jury decision took those protests to another level with at least three cops injured between Monday’s announcement and Wednesday morning, looting and destruction of local stores and 10 police patrol cars were torched. Over the first two days at least 45 [protesters were arrested in Ferguson and 2,000 members of the National Guard were deployed to take control of the streets.

Among the injured were two FBI agents who were shot.

Thousands took to the streets to protest the decision in at least 170 U.S. cities including New Orleans, where there were two separate protests. During one of those protests, about 60 protesters tried unsuccessfully to shut down an Interstate 10 ramp and were locked out of Louis Armstrong Park.

“Today I pray for the Brown family and everyone in Ferguson,” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a statement Tuesday. “In the United States we remain divided. Divided by race. Divided by poverty. We live a block away from one another, but are often a world apart.

It is time for each of us, every American, to accept the fact that we must begin to acknowledge and discuss the most difficult issues we face. Ae we must agree to face them together.

“American citizens have the right to protest,” Landrieu added, “but I encourage peaceful protests in these difficult times.”

“The New Orleans Branch NAACP joins the hundreds of thousands of NAACP members across our nation in expressing deep disappointment that the grand jury did not indict Darren Wilson for the senseless and tragic death of Michael Brown,” president Danatus King said. “While we are frustrated, we stand committed to continue our fight against racial profiling, police brutality and the militarization of local authorities. We will remain steadfast in our fight to pass the End Racial Profiling legislation. And we stand in solidarity with peaceful protesters and uphold that their civil rights not be violated as both demonstrators and authorities observe the ‘rules of engagement.’

“Our prayers continue to go out to the family, friends and neighbors of 18-year-old Michael Brown,” King added. “The senseless death of yet another African-American at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve the community where he lived is heartbreaking. We will continue to the fight to outlaw racial profiling, whether it comes at the hands of law enforcement professionals or armed citizens. Too often, the indefensible fear of Black and Brown bodies and the abuse of power by those unlawful few in blue uniforms have produced fatal results.”

“The decision by the grand jury in Ferguson, MO not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the shooting and killing of unarmed Michael Brown is a travesty of justice,” Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Black Women’s Roundtable, said. “We believe the St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch’s gross mishandling of this case is inexcusable.

“The prosecutor appeared to serve as a defense attorney instead of prosecuting attorney seeking justice for an unarmed 18-year-old teenager. Further, the prosecutor’s reckless decision to release the grand jury decision at 9 p.m. is a critical example of his mishandling of this case.

“We urge the U.S. Justice Department to continue its full federal investigation in the wrongful death of Michael Brown, as well as its investigation of excessive police misconduct in the Ferguson Police Department and hope they bring civil rights charges against Officer Wilson

“The NCBCP joins the civil rights and social justice community in a call for an end to racial profiling of our young Black men and women who are losing their lives across the country at alarming rates at the hands of police officers who are sworn to protect and serve,” Campbell continued.

“Further, we continue to pray that justice will prevail for the Brown family and stand with them in solidarity in their call for peaceful protest and justice for their son Michael.”

“Today’s announcement that the Grand Jury decided not to indict Ferguson, MO Police Officer Darren Wilson who killed unarmed 18 year-old Michael Brown in August 2014 is yet another systematic and tragic slap in the face of equal justice in the United States,” Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr., president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, said Monday. “On behalf of the NNPA, today our prayers and solidarity are first resolutely with the parents and family of young Michael Brown as well as concern for everyone in the Black American community and all people of good will in St. Louis County, Missouri. I have personally spoken directly to two of our NNPA member publishers who publish in the St. Louis area: Donald M. Suggs of the St. Louis American and Michael C. Williams of the St. Louis Metro Sentinel. We discussed the tense situation in Ferguson. We are the ‘Voice of the Black community’ and the NNPA will not be silent or rest until there is justice in the Michael Brown case and other cases of racially-motivated police killings and violence in our communities across the nation.”

Like Michael Brown’s parents, President Barack Obama issued a sincere appeal for calm in the wake of the grand jury decision.

“First and foremost, we are a nation built on the rule of law,” Obama said Monday. “And so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make. There are Americans who agree with it, and there are Americans who are deeply disappointed, even angry. It’s an understandable reaction. But I join Michael’s parents in asking anyone who protests this decision to do so peacefully. Let me repeat Michael’s father’s words: ‘Hurting others or destroying property is not the answer. No matter what the grand jury decides, I do not want my son’s death to be in vain. I want it to lead to incredible change, positive change, change that makes the St. Louis region better for everyone.’ Michael Brown’s parents have lost more than anyone. We should be honoring their wishes.

“I also appeal to the law enforcement officials in Ferguson and the region to show care and restraint in managing peaceful protests that may occur.,” Obama continued. “Understand, our police officers put their lives on the line for us every single day. They’ve got a tough job to do to maintain public safety and hold accountable those who break the law. As they do their jobs in the coming days, they need to work with the community, not against the community, to distinguish the handful of people who may use the grand jury’s decision as an excuse for violence—distinguish them from the vast majority who just want their voices heard around legitimate issues in terms of how communities and law enforcement interact.”

“The killing of Michael Brown has forever left a void in the hearts and lives of his parents, family and friends, who lost a son and a loved one much too soon” National Urban League president and CEO Marc H. Morial said. “The subsequent grand jury decision to not indict Officer Darren Wilson has already brought to light many of the unfortunate blemishes — criminal justice disparities, volatile police, community relations, unemployment and economic inequities — that tarnish our great nation and that prevent us from being the best of whom we can be.

“We respect the grand jury’s decision in the course of due process of our legal system,” Morial continued. “We will, however, continue to fight for justice and accountability in the death of Michael Brown. As such, we first and foremost urge the Department of Justice to continue a full and thorough investigation to determine whether feweral civil rights charges should be filed against Officer Wilson, DFW 75218 cash advance as well as to carry out federal reviews of police misconduct and implement key recommendations for police reform. The excessive use of force by law enforcement in our communities is unacceptable, and we know that we cannot prevent future similar tragedies unless and until there is systemic change across the nation in the area of police reform.

“This tragedy has exposed the persistent state of emergency that grips not only Ferguson, but our nation as a whole,” Morial said. “We have a state of emergency tied to the unjust killings of Black people and the dismal economic conditions of urban communities across America, where hope is often replaced by fear and where, for many, the American Dream has become a figment of yesteryear.”

Upon learning of the grand jury decision not to indict Officer Wilson, the National League of Cities (NLC) issued the following statement:

“The National League of Cities appeals for calm and reflection in Ferguson and cities across the country when the grand jury’s decision is announced. All Americans must view the tragic death of Michael Brown as a call to conscience to create fairer and better communities.

“Everyone should respect the rule of law and understand that the grand jury reached its decision after consideration of the evidence presented. But the strong passions generated by Michael Brown’s death should serve as a catalyst for Americans to dedicate themselves to higher ideals, greater community cohesion and a redoubling of efforts to achieve racial justice.

“In this spirit, NLC recommits itself to the important work already underway in cities to improve life outcomes for young men and boys of color. NLC, in coordination with cities across the nation, is working to create more equitable opportunities for young men of color to learn, grow and thrive, and is helping cities build safer neighborhoods for all residents,” NLC continued.

“Local officials have enormous opportunity to improve the lives of their residents and get people involved in the political process, and we encourage all our members to work with community leaders, church groups and advocates to build stronger bonds of trust between local governments and their residents.”

“It’s frustrating because you try to tell young people if they follow the rules everything will be OK,” Rhondalyn Mitchell, a Gentilly resident, told The Louisiana Weekly Tuesday. “But we hear stories every day about young Black men and boys who were gunned down by police just for being Black — like Michael Brown, Oscan grant, Wendell Allen and Adolph Grimes III in New Orleans and the 12-year-old killed by police recently because he had a BB gun.”
Mitchell saw an upside to all of the unrest and protests since the Michael Brown shooting.

“There’s all this energy out there and that can be a wonderful thing,” she told The Weekly. “People are paying at tenting and asking tough questions. All of this energy and activism needs to be harnessed and used to accomplish some very specific goals to make people’s lives better and ensure that law enforcement agencies adhere to the U.S. Constitution.”

While Wilson won’t be charged in Missouri, he still faces the possibility of being charged by the U.S. Department of Justice and the likelihood of being hit with a wrongful death lawsuit by the Brown family.

“While the grand jury proceeding in St. Louis County has concluded, the Justice Department’s investigation into the shooting of Michael Brown remains ongoing,” Attorney General Eric Holder said. “Though we have shared information with local prosecutors during the course of our investigation, the federal inquiry has been independent of the local one from the start, and remains so now. Even at this mature stage of the investigation, we have avoided prejudging any of the evidence. And although federal civil rights law imposes a high legal bar in these types of cases, we have resisted forming premature conclusions.

“Michael Brown’s death was a tragedy,” Holder continued. “This incident has sparked a national conversation about the need to ensure confidence between law enforcement and the communities they protect and serve. While constructive efforts are underway in Ferguson and communities nationwide, far more must be done to create enduring trust. The Department will continue to work with law enforcement, civil rights, faith and community leaders across the country to foster effective relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve and to improve fairness in the criminal justice system overall. In addition, the Department continues to investigate allegations of unconstitutional policing patterns or practices by the Ferguson Police Department.

“Though there will be disagreement with the grand jury’s decision not to indict, this feeling should not lead to violence. Those who decide to participate in demonstrations should remember the wishes of Michael Brown’s parents, who have asked that remembrances of their son be conducted peacefully. It does not honor his memory to engage in violence or looting. In the coming days, it will likewise be important for local law enforcement authorities to respect the rights of demonstrators, and deescalate tensions by avoiding excessive displays—and uses—of force.”

This article originally published in the December 1, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.