ferguson-grand-jury

It’s 2:00pm PST right now and all that’s known is that The Grand Jury in the killing Michael Brown by Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson has reached a decision. The decision will be announced later today, there’s no specified time yet on when that will be.

The indications along the way haven’t been very encouraging with regards to the outcome and government response to potential protests, the state and local governments have all taken steps to respond to protests as if they will be violent (it certainly brings up racial bias to assume that peaceful black protesters need to be guarded against and warned against violence but white police officers who were unjustifiably violent in the previous protests, don’t).

We shall see what decision was reached and what the reaction is. Your thoughts and comments are invited and welcome here, before, during and after the decision is announced.

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Kalima
Admin
sillylittleme
Member

I saw this and thought that it was so apropos.

James Michael Brodie
Member

I don’t really have words for any of this.

The DA insulted all of us by holding a secret trial, rather than let the evidence be presented in open court.

He was disingenous when he talked about sciende trumping the testimony of the witnesses.

And I am still trying to determine how a 6’4″ man with a loaded gun would be “afraid” of anyone.

I am also afraid that the violence will be all people will talk about, giving them an excuse to ignore this isuue once more. Allowing the bad guys to win the day.

Already there are people trying to paint the 12-year-old shooting victim in Cleveland as a bad kid, destined to be a thug (new code for that other word…).

Very discouraging…

VegasBabe
Member

Annonymous is looking better and better to me, all the time:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/21/anonymous-video-warns-kkk_n_6198810.html

Now, this is an effort I can happily contribute to!

EXFANOFARIANA
Member
EXFANOFARIANA

Ad, my simple – and perhaps naive – question here is: why did African Americans accepted (yesterday), after the verdict was aired, to take part in the vandalism that ensued? It’s like bible belt voters ever voting for the factual enemies? If anyone is interested:

like bible belt the final verdict? BTW this officer issues are far from over. The ACLU will be suing, the DOJ will probably get involved – IF I still have any faith on Holder,there will be a civil suit too…..

The ACLU has actually a brand new petition for #justiceforblacks…

Kalima
Admin

I was going to post this on Thursday’s MB, but think it’s better here where everyone will see it. Great article about some important black history and where the real anger lies.

“Ferguson isn’t about black rage against cops. It’s white rage against progress.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ferguson-wasnt-black-rage-against-copsit-was-white-rage-against-progress/2014/08/29/3055e3f4-2d75-11e4-bb9b-997ae96fad33_story.html?wpisrc=nl-most&wpmm=1

James Michael Brodie
Member

Kalima, I cannot thank you enough for this. It captures in ways I could only hope to do so the feelings and the challenges we are facing as a nation.

It made me think about my time in college at the University of Colorado. It was 1976 and the school named Mary Frances Berry as our chancellor — the first, and only, Black person to occupy that position, and the first Black woman to head a major research university.

Within weeks of Berry taking the job, there was a move by the university to eliminate any programs, student groups and other supports for students of color on the campus. The back and forth culminated in our taking over a building in 1977 and holding it for 17 hours.

Ms. Berry, who was in DC meeting with President Carter, flew back to Boulder, negotiated a settlement, and then stepped down to become assistant secretary for education in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Today’s America has not chnaged much from 1970s Boulder…

Kalima
Admin

Hello J.M. Brodie. So glad that you found it and had the chance to read it. I thought that the author did a brilliant job of condensing that pertinent history in her article. She left no doubt about the treatment of black people then and now.

No, unfortunately, not much has changed.

I just posted this in my MB updates, and the writer’s words are what so many of us are now thinking about the farce in Ferguson and beyond

.

Michael Brown was not a boy, he was a ‘demon’

There’s a reason that Ferguson looks like a horror movie – the main character was a monster.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/11/michael-brown-demon-ferguson-2014112672358760344.html

—-

How Ferguson showed us the truth about police

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-ixRx4kOBPU

MurphTheSurf3
Editor

WHY DID THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY CHOOSE TO RELEASE THE GRAND JURY FINDING AT 8 PM? WHY DID OTHER OFFICIALS COOPERATE IN THIS? WHAT DID THEY EXPECT WOULD HAPPEN GIVEN THE EVENT OF THE SUMMER AND THE GROWING ANGER IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS? WHO WERE THE PROTESTORS? WHO WERE THE RIOTERS?

[img]http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/yolB5k0xXhvV9RLwKq9oZg–/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Y2g9Mjg1Nztjcj0xO2N3PTQwNTM7ZHg9MjtkeT0wO2ZpPXVsY3JvcDtoPTcwMDtxPTc1O3c9OTkz/http://l.yimg.com/os/publish-images/news/2014-11-25/b2a6c0c0-7461-11e4-93d8-b77a2c90da6c_h_51676749.jpg[/img]

8:30 AM CST Tuesday November 25.

It was a long night…..a long, sad night with scary moments. At a neighborhood church we were never in danger. We ended up with 100 or so who stayed the night. 100 others left after midnight. Those who had cars drove home. Those without were taken home by a church van. My friends and I stayed. We were too tired not to and while we did very little, just being there seemed to be a value.

An hour ago we went for a walk.

We saw several looted stores, smouldering buildings, a dozen or so. There were shell casings on the ground. The owners of several looted, wrecked, burned out businesses stood outside of them crying. The common opinion is that those who did that were “trouble makers, gang members, stupid kids.” It was pretty clear last night that while the crowd at the police station was mixed by age, by race, by sex; the marauding rioters were almost entirely young, black and male.

At one point last night, we saw (on TV) protestors/rioters hurling bottle, batteries, rocks at police while they moved in large groups accompanied by security vehicles shot off smoke and tear gas grenade and fired bean bag rounds at clusters of individuals. The noise of sirens, and gun fire was constant.

As protesters hurled bottles, batteries and rocks at police, officers in riot gear responded by shooting bean bags and tear gas. It appears that no one suffered a significant injury. The police were generally restrained. The media was relatively balanced.

In “our” church, which had been designated as a “refuge” many had gathered before the announcement to watch it on TV. There were women, children, some men, very few young people. As the night went on we were joined by some who had been on the street, all adult men and women, mostly at the police station, and had gotten frightened. A few came from neighboring homes and apartment buildings afraid of the crowds.

My friends and I are not from the area. So we mostly watched and listened. We served a lot of cocoa and cookies; gave out blankets and pillows; and this morning we got up a bit earlier and helped to serve a meager breakfast. Most left by 6:00 AM. We are hanging around to help clean up and then we will go.

==============================================

Let me be clear. I deplore the actions of those who engaged in acts of violence last night.

But it is my opinion (and the opinion of others) that the events last night were entirely predictable by authorities and may be precisely what prosecuting attorney, Robert P. McCulloch, and other officials wanted. The mayhem has provided cover for the finding of the Grand Jury. It has provided a backdrop for the finding that seems to say “See- this is what “those people” do.”

For months now there has been planning by various community groups for peaceful and well orchestrated protests with extensive training of leaders. BUT, the decision to announce the finding at night made all of that futile. The night is a mask that promotes disorder. It hides the actions of those who are opportunists, and provocateurs. Those who want to loot, to pillage, to destroy, to destabilize love the night. The police have said that for months. Civil Rights leaders have said that. Community leaders have said that. SO, why wait 12 hours to announce the finding?

Why didn’t McCulloch (backed up by Governor Jay Nixon, and county and city leadership) make his announcement in the light of day? Why not wait until 9 AM this morning. Permit marches and rallies with an announced curfew of 6 PM? Why not give time for those who had not boarded up their businesses to do so? Why not position more police, national guard in the light of day? Why not? Today’s narrative is all about the rioters….and that may be why 8 PM was the perfect time to announce the finding.

Pete Geller
Member
Pete Geller

Well Murph the way it looks to me is that Ferguson was set up. Everything from the late release of the information to law enforcement standing by while fires were set and businesses burned. This situation has been mishandled from beginning till now….

MurphTheSurf3
Editor

I have to agree with you.

Kalima
Admin

STATE OF MISSOURI V. DARREN WILSON (you will have to download the pdf)

Full Transcript Of The Ferguson Case Including Darren Wilson’s Testimony

http://digg.com/2014/darren-wilson-testimony-transcript

—-

Justifying Homicide

Why Darren Wilson was never going to be indicted for killing Michael Brown.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/11/darren_wilson_was_never_going_to_be_indicted_for_killing_michael_brown_our.html

—-

Michael Brown shooting
Michael Brown killing: mass protests after grand jury decision – live

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2014/nov/25/michael-brown-darren-wilson-ferguson-protests

funksands
Member

Thanks Kalima for posting this.

Kalima
Admin

Happy you found it, funk. My pleasure.

GreenChica
Member
GreenChica

Thanks for the link to the transcript, Kalima. I want to make time to read through this and decide for myself. There’s so much anger and emotion involved at this point, I really don’t feel like any media sources are particularly reliable.

Kalima
Admin

Hi GreenChica.

Good idea, I think that everyone should take the time to go through it. Looking at the stills from the rioting, you would think it was all of Ferguson setting fire to police cars and trashing businesses. The majority went home after the police started to use excessive tear gas, and those looting were mostly from out of town. If I see one more picture of a burning car I’ll scratch my eyes out. So much for the media. Where were the interviews with the majority of peaceful protestors? It’s all bs. So was the Grand Jury fiasco, it was tainted and biased from the start. The press would better serve the public if they actually did some investigative reporting to uncover the coverup that began the minute Wilson shot an unarmed black teenager to death. This is not justice. This is revenge.

kesmarn
Admin

Kalima, thank you so much for posting the link to the Ferguson transcript. I’ve been reading it on and off all day.

There seem to be lots and lots of holes in Wilson’s testimony, and I’m not even finished with it yet. The more I read, the worse this smells.

Kalima
Admin

Hello Kes.

This DA saying that Wilson was saving the life of a baby when he heard about the robbery at the convenience store is the total opposite to a police statement that he hadn’t heard about it when he shot Michael Brown, I remember this clearly because I posted the link here. As far as I’m concerned, this DA is a conniving, lying pos, who conspired with the police department and town officials not to arrest or charge Wison with a bloody thing. In fact he tried to paint Wilson as the victim. Nothing about this sits well with me, and it stinks of corruption to high heaven. He should be investigated and disbarred. Heads should roll in the police department and local government who took part or encouraged the disgraceful coverup should be removed. They are not fit to govern anywhere.

Btw, the DA’s father was a policeman who was shot and killed by a black man and should never have been allowed to destroy justice in Ferguson.

kesmarn
Admin

Kalima, I did not know that — about the DA’s father having been a policeman who had been shot by a black man! That should have raised red flags right off the bat.

When Wilson describes the struggle in the police car, he initially says that Brown was holding cigarillos in his right hand. Then — mysteriously — the cigarillos are in Brown’s left hand as he is allegedly pummeling Wilson with his right. Then — next thing we know — Brown has handed off the cigarillos to his friend and isn’t holding them at all. And that’s just one of many inconsistencies.

Kalima
Admin

Yet he dismisses all the witness accounts that didn’t fit his agenda, blames the media and social media, and only accepts those that clear Wilson of wrongdoing. This excuse from Wilson of being afraid and the victim trying to grab for his gun, is exactly what Zimmerman said during his farce of a trial.

Wilson’s testimony is here say, and Michael Brown can no longer defend himself.

Asked Monday night whether he had any regrets about the way he handled the case, McCulloch replied, “No, not at all.” This shouldn’t be a surprise, given McCulloch’s history. That his father, a police officer, was killed by a black suspect doesn’t by itself disqualify him, but his record should have: not a single prosecution of a shooting by police in his 23 years on the job. Four times he presented evidence to a grand jury in such a case and didn’t get an indictment; now he can add a fifth.

Well, while it doesn’t disqualify him, it does make it that much more suspicious and questions his motives and integrity for how he handled the GJ. After all, George Bush invaded a country that cost hundreds of thousands of lives because Saddam Hussein tried to assassinate his father. Right?

“Bob McCulloch’s pathetic prosecution of Darren Wilson”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-bob-mccullochs-pathetic-prosecution-of-darren-wilson/2014/11/25/a8459e16-74d5-11e4-a755-e32227229e7b_story.html?wpisrc=nl-pmopns&wpmm=1

S-Man
Member
S-Man

This is what hopelessness looks like.

MurphTheSurf3
Editor

More complete report…

We are watching the news coverage. We are also getting reports from the streets.

There are a couple of hundred people on the streets. Not much more than that.

Most of them are wandering around shouting. Most are young. I have been told that there are a number of gang members present.

Some of them are acting provocatively.

A few of them are engaging in acts of violence: setting fires (3 of them), a bit of looting, breaking windows.

Most people are home or in places like this one, a church.

It is just the image that I think the Prosecuting Attorney and those in charge here wanted. The Grand Jury Deliberations were done at midday and his office says they needed several hours to do a summary. Fine. Why not wait until tomorrow morning? Why not wait to the daylight? Why not have a curfew at dark for a week after this? Why not?

I can tell you this, we are close to 300 people at a church in Florissant and the anger here (which includes anger at those doing the damage) is palpable.

A prayer service has started to pull more people into it the prayers and the hymns.

We are probably here for the night.

MurphTheSurf3
Editor

10:30 PM….

There are a couple of hundred people on the streets. Not much more than that.

Most of them are wandering around.

Some of them are acting provocatively.

A few of them are engaging in acts of violence: setting fires, looting, breaking windows.

Most people are home or in places like this one.

It is just the image that I think the Prosecuting Attorney and those in charge here wanted.

The Grand Jury Deliberations were done at midday and his office says they needed several hours to do a summary. Fine.

Why not wait until tomorrow morning? Why not wait to the daylight?

I can tell you this, we are close to 300 people at a church in Florissant and the anger here (which includes anger at those doing the damage) is palpable.

A prayer service has started to pull more people into it the prayers and the hymns.

We are probably here for the night.

S-Man
Member
S-Man

It appears as if they orchestrated this announcement to cause as much chaos as possible. It worked.

funksands
Member

Shorter McCulloch: “I don’t want this to go trial, so it won’t”.

THAT’S how a f’ing prosecutor doesn’t get an indictment from a grand jury.