After months and months of peaceful protesting and a Ferguson community anxiously waiting, the grand jury finally came back with the decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for killing Michael Brown. The grand jury deliberated for 25 days and heard over 70 hours of testimony from approximately 60 witnesses before reaching a decision. The announcement was made late Monday night by St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch.
The decision not to indict Officer Wilson came as no surprise to many. Leaks from the grand jury led most to conclude an indictment was highly unlikely. It’s incredibly rare for a prosecutor and grand jury to do what Ferguson’s did, considering grand juries nearly always decide to indict. Mostly all grand jury cases that involve police officers come back with an indictment.
Michael Brown’s attorneys and the Ferguson community petitioned for a special prosecutor fearing that Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch’s involvement would taint the grand jury process. McCulloch is the son of a St. Louis police officer who was killed in the line of duty by a black man in 1964 when McCulloch was 12 years old. Even though his father’s killer was brought to justice, some feel McCulloch still carries a chip on his shoulder stemming from that tragedy. The decision not to indict Officer Wilson was explained during a press conference McCulloch held late Monday night. See the video below.
After the announcement of no indictment, the Michael Brown family issued a statement;
“We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions,” Brown’s family said in a statement. “While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen.”
It is unclear what the decision will do to the city of Ferguson now that the official announcement’s been made. Will the community continue to protest peacefully? Or, will angry and fed up individuals take to the streets to riot, loot and destroy property? It remains to be seen.
Emotions are running high so rest assured; something is about to go down. However, destroying your community is never a solution. You know what they say- “Don’t shit where you sleep.”
