The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    barefooted's picture

    Stay Strong, Ferguson

    By barefooted on Mon, 11/24/2014 - 6:29pm |

    The Grand Jury decision regarding whether or not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Wilson for the killing of Michael Brown will be announced tonight. Should there be an indictment, the charges levied against him will be included in the statement. The stage has been set for quite some time - the question now is the theatre itself.

    Ferguson, Missouri is as prepared for whatever happens now as any American city can be. It's entirely possible that they're too prepared. Expecting the worst, to the point of excessive reaction to an unknown result, can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Then again, many believe that it's unrealistic not to be highly proactive. Neither position can be proven correct, and it ultimately doesn't matter. The rubber band is about to break.

    Whatever the decision may be, the ramifications will be felt far beyond Ferguson. It's a very large, and very old theatre.

    Comments

    No indictment. Anyone surprised?


    by barefooted on Mon, 11/24/2014 - 9:28pm

    The way the supposed prosecutor presented the case telegraphed that there would be no indictment. 

    The Governor's call for calm verified there was no indictment.

    Edit to add: the violence in Ferguson has been an outlier when we consider other police involved shootings. Exoneration of Wilson will do little to change the distrust in the legal system. The prosecutor, mayor, and chief of police cannot regain the trust of many of their citizens.

    Hopefully, We will see what evidence the grand Jury saw.


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 11/24/2014 - 10:24pm

    They stopped short of using a bullhorn to telegraph it. Yet, even knowing the likely outcome doesn't dull the sense of injustice. It heightens it.

    Everything about this, from day one, has been wrong. A data dump won't change that.


    by barefooted on Mon, 11/24/2014 - 10:43pm

    The prosecutor has a zero for five record when prosecuting police officers who shot and kill unarmed men. 

    What he presented at the press conference was a presentation expected from a defense attorney.

    Edit to add:

    You close schools leaving teens at home. You the announce that there is no indictment after the sun goes down.

    What could go wrong?


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 11/24/2014 - 11:03pm

    You didn't know?

    It was his "prosecutorial discretion"


    by Resistance on Mon, 11/24/2014 - 11:26pm

    Yes it was.What the prosecutor did was legal.

    The Governor could have replaced him with a special prosecutor. The Governor chose to keep the Ferguson prosecutor on the case, the process used by the prosecutor will have to be explained.

    There may be a Federal investigation of the Ferguson Police Department. There may be a civil law suit. The Governor has appointed a committee to deal with police issues. Things are not static,


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 11/24/2014 - 11:35pm

    Of course they're worried about riots. If I lived in Ferguson I'd be with the group tearing shit up. Not hyperbole. I've been on the front line at protests advancing on cops with machine guns. The only thing they understand is fear.


    by ocean-kat on Tue, 11/25/2014 - 12:11am

    Nothing has been done since the very beginning by anyone in authority to avoid unrest. On the contrary, they seem to be doing all they can to provoke it. It's been the majority of the protestors who have worked for a peaceful solution. They have followed the rules - even absurd ones - and raised their voices for over 108 days. They've tried to do it right. Who can blame those who now fight back?

    It's easy for observers to judge from afar. But when we point at the angry and hurt citizens of Ferguson, we're judging the wrong people.


    by barefooted on Tue, 11/25/2014 - 1:01am

    I got the same vibe. Leadership of both parties did not care about what the community needed 


    by rmrd0000 on Tue, 11/25/2014 - 7:18am

    They have been all rapped up in their own elections campaigns and pleasing all the money bags to finance them.  A community like Ferguson don't matter unless they make loud noise. 


    by trkingmomoe on Tue, 11/25/2014 - 10:53pm

    You're right, momoe. And it's not just politicians who only notice when it's noisy. Sometimes you just have to scream.


    by barefooted on Wed, 11/26/2014 - 12:16am

    Just a note that has nothing to do with the topic -- the reason this is in Creative Corner is because I can't seem to post in the Reader Blogs. Sorry!


    by barefooted on Wed, 11/26/2014 - 6:09pm