I'd be lying if I said I was surprised at the failure of the Ferguson Missouri grand jury to indict police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of unarmed teenager, 18-year-old Michael Brown. Having dealt with the Norfolk police departments and their internal affairs department (in connection with my own run in with gay bashing cops)and witnessed the disparate treatment of black teens in criminal court, part of me would have been shocked had an indictment been handed down. I can only imagine the feelings of black parents who must live in dread that their children will be shot down by police officers claiming they "feared for their lives." In some ways, the Jim Crow days of the South haven't really left us. Now, instead of lynchings, we have police shootings. Here are highlights from Salon:
A St. Louis grand jury decided to not indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9, prosecutor Robert McCulloch announced on Monday night. Wilson has reportedly already begun negotiations to resign from the Ferguson Police Department.
Initial reports surrounding the shooting conflict, regarding whether or not Brown and his friend, Dorian Johnson were threatening Wilson. Several witnesses reported seeing Wilson pull over the two men on Canfield Drive, at which point he grabbed Brown and started threatening him. Brown and Johnson reportedly ran away, at which point Wilson unholstered his gun and fired at least six shots at Brown, who had his hands up in surrender, killing him. Police officials and one of Wilson’s family friends say that Brown was threatening Wilson, and Wilson shot at Brown in self-defense.
The excessive response from the local police prompted a civil rights probe from the Department of Justice, under the leadership of then Attorney General Eric Holder, for a history of racial bias. Also accused of potential bias was St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch, the man responsible for presenting the case against Wilson. Not only does McCulloch have deep ties to the local police department, he also has a history of siding with law enforcement in similar cases. A petition to appoint a special prosecutor for the case organized by Mo. State Senator Jamilah Nasheed collected over 116,000 signatures.
Authorities have been preparing to crackdown on unrest in the aftermath of the grand jury’s decision: businesses have been boarded up, schools closed and barricades erected. The Federal Bureau of Investigations recently circulated an intelligence bulletin warning that the grand jury’s announcement “will likely” lead to violence from extremist protesters. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon also declared a state of emergency in the St. Louis suburb in preparation for a massive demonstration in response to the jury’s decision.
Michael T. McPhearson, co-chairman of the Don’t Shoot Coalition, outlined goals of his movement: “It must be changing how police and citizens relate to one another. We’re calling for police accountability, police transparency, changing how the police do their work.”
The sad truth is that in many parts of America, if one is not a white conservative Christian, one's life simply doesn't matter - especially to the "godly folk" and their self-proclaimed supporters. Once again, I find myself ashamed to be an American.
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