As I read portions of the Grand Jury transcript in the shooting death of Michael Brown, it appears that the prosecutors were often defending the actions of Darren Wilson instead of doing their job as prosecutors to obtain an indictment. Allowing Darren Wilson to explain and justify his actions in shooting unarmed 18 year old Michael Brown is not the job of the prosecutor. That’s the job of a defense attorney. The job of a prosecutor is not to present exculpatory evidence or evidence that might negate guilt to the grand jury. The grand jury’s role is not to determine guilt. That’s called a trial.
The sole job of a prosecutor during the grand jury process is to obtain an indictment against the perpetrator of a crime for the crimes committed. The prosecutor is not in a neutral role. They are not in a defense role. Their role is to prosecute. Probable cause is the standard by which the grand jury must render an indictment. And probable cause is a very low standard. That’s why a prosecutor is often said to be able to indict a ham sandwich. But that prosecutor must be doing his job and not playing the role of neutral or indirect or direct advocator for the perpetrator of the crime. There is a difference between a trial and a grand jury process. I’m not sure the prosecutors accepted the difference in Darren Wilson’s case. I know they knew the difference.
I discussed the grand jury and prosecutor Robert McCullough on Thom Hartmann’s show, The Big Picture on RT America following the decision. See below for TV clip.