Monday, December 01, 2014

FERGUSON - Grand Jury Ruling, Timse 3

When is law enforcement and our justice system going to comprehend that killing an UNARMED person, for any reason, is wrong.  And using the 'fearing for my life' is just an excuse NOT justification.

"Understanding the grand jury ruling on Michael Brown’s death" PBS NewsHour 11/24/2014

Excerpt

ROBERT MCCULLOCH, St. Louis County Prosecutor:  …Mr. Brown’s movements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  That’s Robert McCulloch, the prosecutor in St. Louis County, Missouri, reporting that what he describes as an accurate and tragic story but that ends in no probable cause being found in order to — to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot, in August, Michael Brown, the unarmed teenager.  It’s created, as you can see, lots of unrest in Ferguson for months.

He told us that there were 25 days of grand jury meetings, 70 hours of testimony, 60 witnesses, including three different medical examiners, hundreds of photos and that they basically concluded that a lot of the things that we had heard, a lot of the eyewitnesses did not — were not consistent with the stories that they found, the evidence they say they have now found, that the physical evidence basically refuted a lot of the eyewitness evidence, and that, as a result tonight, there will be no indictment for that Ferguson police officer, as you can also have been able to see, there had already been some, at least so far, peaceful protests.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  That’s right.  I think it’s fair to say, Gwen, what we’re listening to now is the prosecutor recount what different witnesses said.  But he — what you just summed up is — is what was important tonight.  There is no indictment of Officer Darren Wilson.

They are saying there’s no probable cause.  He was trying to explain it was an exhaustive process.  He talked about wit — eyewitnesses, but in the end, he said, it’s the evidence that — that mattered the most.

We do have three guests we want to bring in to talk about what we’ve just heard.

They are Roger Goldman.  He’s a professor at Saint Louis University School of Law.  Gil Alba, he’s a former New York Police Department detective.  He currently runs a private investigation firm.  And Rev. Willis Johnson.  He’s a pastor at Wellspring Church in Ferguson.



"Ferguson reeling from the effects of grand jury decision" PBS NewsHour 11/25/2014

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The decision that Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson would not be charged by a grand jury for the shooting of unarmed black teen Michael Brown sparked riots and protests in Ferguson and major cities last night.  Gwen Ifill reports on the reactions by protesters and law enforcement after the decision was announced.



"What’s next for the city of Ferguson?" PBS NewsHour 11/25/2014

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Just a day after the grand jury announced not to indict police officer Darren Wilson, the city of Ferguson remains tense.  Gwen Ifill speaks with Christina Swarns, Litigation Director for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Susan McGraw of St. Louis University, on the grand jury’s role in the legal system and what’s next for the city of Ferguson.

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