No true bill. No charges against Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. Case closed.
It’s a wrap, at least as far as St. Louis County law enforcement is concerned…What the U.S. attorney general’s office may or may not do is another matter. If the a.g. also determines that Wilson broke no laws when he fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, people can be more comfortable with the county grand jury’s decision.
As most of you know, soon after the Aug. 9 shooting I jumped to the conclusion that Wilson had unlawfully shot Brown. It sounded like manslaughter to me. I was one of millions who jumped to that conclusion.
But tonight, as I was listening to St. Louis Prosecutor Robert McCulloch recite key points of testimony and evidence, one point in particular rocked me like a thunderclap.
Some of Brown’s blood was found 23 feet past the point where his body ended up.
That means as he had been heading away from Wilson, he decided to turn around and come back toward the officer.
I had not heard that before. It could well be a piece of evidence that did not come out until tonight. In any event, it is, to me, profoundly important.
It is even more significant — conclusive, in my view — when combined with the fact that autopsies showed that none of the bullets that struck Brown hit him from behind.
Clearly, what happened is that after a brief tug of war over the officer’s weapon inside his patrol car, and after Wilson had already fired one or two shots (neither of which seriously wounded Brown, apparently), Brown started running away.
And had he kept on running, he might well have lived to tell the story.
But this young man, who was still full of himself after having stolen some cigarillos in a store and roughed up a store clerk, made the worst decision of his life: He reversed course and went back toward Wilson.
Some witnesses said he “charged” at Wilson. The fact that the fatal wound was a bullet to the top of the head strongly indicates he was moving toward Wilson with his head down. That would support the testimony that he “charged” toward Wilson.
I wish the people who were poised for protest out on the streets of Ferguson would have stayed home and listened to McCulloch’s presentation instead of heading to the streets. Most of them probably wouldn’t have taken to the streets.
As McCulloch said, the physical evidence doesn’t lie and it doesn’t change (assuming it is gathered professionally and correctly).
There was a movie out last year — a good one — about legendary background rock-n-roll singers. It was called “20 Feet from Stardom.”
Twenty-three feet is also a real short distance. If Brown had been thinking about survival instead of further confrontation, and if he hadn’t turned back toward an officer with an already-smoking gun…well, he probably would have been plea bargaining over the theft of those cigarillos.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Jim,
Yeah, watching it all unfold right now…eating popcorn I just (ironically, from a purchase around the time of my previous popcorn comment) received from the Boy Scouts of America. It’s microwave kettle corn, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t taste like the real thing.
This was all too predictable.
Wish jenniferm was still around to chime in…I’m curious as to what she would have to say in light of the new evidence.
As you said, Jim, I too wish they had stayed home and listened to the prosecutor’s statements, but I am afraid their minds were made up before the Grand Jury’s decision. I’ll add that the prosecutor’s statement was hands above any statement we have received from our Governor, in both preparation and clarity. He may even end up in Nixon’s office after this. I thought he showed great poise delivering the “bad news” in an obvious topic of national interest.
Looking forward to our lunch date at Ponaks. My wife said it is a strong competitor with Manny’s (my favorite). Because I’m somewhat loyal, (I eat at Manny’s about once a week) I have never tried Ponak’s, and am looking forward to it. You gotta be due for an oil change at some point, so I should be hearing from you soon. I am also curious how Charlie fared with his fuel pump issue in Vegas. They kinda had him by the balls, but I hope I was able to help in some way, with the advice I gave.
Signing off! Your friend,
Jason
I thought McCulloch handled it pretty well, too, especially the Q and A from the media. Jeffrey Toobin, CNN’s legal analyst, rightly observed that the first half of his presentation was a “whine” against social media. Could done without that; the whining isn’t going to change anything.
Any mayor that does not deploy SWAT snipers to deter looting and arson should have their own house burned down.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/st-louis-county-police-scanner
This is a joke. The cops are doing nothing to stop these thugs.
Social and national media is why the thugs think they have a right to commit crimes in the name of Michael Brown. In case you missed the point, most of the hate and violence was generated by the circulation of bogus testimony that the media was all too happy to spew out as fact.
Am I the only one who thought it odd that there were over 60 witnesses to this shooting, whereas in most predominately black communities, there are next to no witnesses in a black on black killing?
I point my finger at both the social, and the national media for buying and selling the same bullshit you bought.
As Alexander Pope said in his “Essay on Criticism”…“To err is humane*; to forgive, divine.”
*Original spelling, as was accepted during that period.
I’d like to forgive the media for this soup sandwich they created in the name of hanging a white cop for racist crimes, but it’s difficult for me.
I expect some sort of unbiased news coverage in a case of national importance such as this. Instead, we received a shit-ton of op-ed pieces from every nook and cranny from both sides.
In case you hadn’t heard…the Justice Department decided there was no probable cause for charges against Officer Wilson, prior to the Grand Jury’s decision, so I am not sure what good an indictment from the AG would do.
In the end, it is Officer Wilson (for doing his job), and the Community of Ferguson who suffer in the end.
P.S. As I alluded to in your previous comments section, maybe Michael Browns’ parents could have done a better job with him.
Oh, almost forgot…”Pants up, don’t loot!”
BTW – Don’t care what CNN’s legal analyst thinks, he’s getting paid by CNN. Conflict of interest as far as I’m concerned.
http://www.peoplespunditdaily.com/2014/11/07/news/us/police-decide-whether-michael-browns-mother-should-be-arrested/
My bet is they let her get away with it. If you can loot and burn without consequence, what’s another armed robbery?
You gotta remember, John, that Pearlie is Lesley’s former mother-in-law. Lesley might have some scores to settle there.
Plus, it was just a little family skirmish, like that drunken dust-up the Palins were involved in a while back.
Except none of the Palins stole anything. It is rather easy to see that acorn Michael did not fall far from the might oak tree that was his mother, same method he used to steal the cigars and confront a LEO that led to his death.
Bottom line, until they stop molly coddling the rioters, the buildings will continue to burn. Too bad there were no Asians who owned those businesses in Ferguson, the riot would be over now.
On other interesting point about the event involving the Palins was that a CNN info babe made fun of the fact that Bristol Palin was physically assaulted during the melee, but since attacking conservative women is acceptable, she got off by making a phony “apology”.
Although I think Officer Wilson’s actions were justified, given how events unfolded, I completely agree with this comment that “Josh” from New Jersey posted on a New York Times story this morning.
“What the courts and grand jury fail to address is the context of interaction that led to young man’s death. Any adult in a position of power who interacts with adolescents in today’s world needs to have a skill set that includes a tremendous amount of empathy and restraint. And for adolescents, essentially every adult represents someone in a position of authority. If you happen to be in law enforcement, consider that to be a position of particular importance and also one that has requires tremendous skills in being able to talk with people, especially the most vulnerable and at-risk members of our society (which includes adolescents). I have no doubt that a more skilled, engaging, and community connected officer in Ferguson would have had a completely different interaction with Michael Brown on August 9. The question as to whether there are officers like that in Ferguson and beyond is one that needs to be asked now and going forward.”
Here’s a sorry commentary:
Jon Belmar, chief of the St. Louis County police, said that unless his agency could bring in 10,000 officers, “I don’t think we can prevent folks who really are intent on destroying a community.”
…Also Lesley McSpadden did Ferguson — and the nation — a terrible disservice by going to the streets last night, weeping and gnashing her teeth after McCulloch’s announcement. She should have stayed home. Michael Brown Sr., on the other hand, has been stand-up and has managed to maintain his equanimity during this entire ordeal. Kudos to him.
Darla Jaye is now reporting on her facebook account that the mayor of Ferguson asked Jay Nixon to send in the National Guard after his officers were overwhelmed. Nixon refused and let the city burn.
That’s why Darla got dumped from drive time; she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
I can’t debate that, but I was listening to the St Louis County police scanner and I didn’t hear anything about the National Guard providing too much assistance and articles today indicated that Nixon was going to send them in tonight. If you have any different information, I’m open to seeing what you come up with.
“Meanwhile, Gov. Jay Nixon ordered hundreds of more National Guardsmen into Ferguson to help local law enforcement keep order in the St. Louis suburb.”
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/national/article4137500.html#storylink=cpy
Thank you.
Did anyone else notice that Wilson was in the neighborhood caring for a young mother and her infant until an EMT could get there?
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/ferguson-mayor-asks-where-national-guard-was-gov-nixon-pledges/article_343a2224-4d61-54fb-b5ac-a13ea99951f7.html
Only 700 last night. Many in Jennings (much higher crime rate than Ferguson). Boosted to 2200 tonight, but that still seems slim and a day late and a dollar short.
Another link from a conservative blog on the Guard question.
http://themissouritorch.com/blog/2014/11/25/kinder-says-adjunct-gen-of-national-guard-wanted-to-go-in-to-help-in-ferguson-but-told-to-stand-down/
There was a lot of time to prepare for this and if anyone got screwed by “the system” it’s the business owners and workers and honest citizens of Ferguson who were basically abandoned and left to their own devices by a Governor who failed to provide what everyoe knew was going to be a massive response to any decision.
And another.
http://www.dcclothesline.com/2014/11/25/missouri-lt-governor-obama-ordered-national-guard-stand-ferguson/
Is this Jimmy C’s blog or a repeat of fox news by John Altevogt?