As a former prosecutor who has worked in the Grand Jury Unit, no words can express my dismay and disgust at how St. Louis prosecutor Robert McCullough handled the presentation of Michael Brown's killing to the grand jury. There is distrust in the African American and other minority communities at how the criminal justice system appears stacked against them. Actions or lack of actions taken by the St. Louis prosecutor only substantiate those claims that the system is often rigged against African Americans. Whenever there is a flawed system, you will receive flawed results. The question that many ask is what was wrong with presenting every piece of evidence, including reliable and unreliable witnesses to the grand jury for their decision. Well, first the grand jury is not a trial. The saying among prosecutors and defense attorneys is that a prosecutor could indict a ham sandwich. What must be added to that sentence is “if they want to indict.” Prosecutors take cases into the … [Read more...] about Ferguson Grand Jury was a Sham and a Shame
Michael Brown
Ferguson is a Reminder of Our Ugly Past
The events unfolding in Ferguson surrounding Michael Brown’s death, the investigation and the Grand Jury procedure brings back a time when the credibility of African Americans were brought into question in court proceedings. Historically, there were periods in American history when a black person could not by law testify for or against a white person. A white person’s credibility was deemed superior to that of a black person. Blacks were not reliable persons to testify. And at many other times since then, the deck has often appeared stacked against a black person when faced with going up against the word of a white person. In the Brown case, several black eyewitnesses say they saw Officer Darren Wilson shoot Brown while surrendering with his hands up. There has been from the beginning what appears to be a case of black testimony as juxtaposed with the majority white police force and Prosecutor McCullough. In a community that is majority African American, the witnesses who … [Read more...] about Ferguson is a Reminder of Our Ugly Past
Ferguson, MO is Everywhere In America for African Americans
The shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri police officer has set off another moment of racial injustice in America for African Americans. By the involved yet still unknown police officer’s account, Michael Brown was shot 35 feet away from the police officer’s car where he is alleged to have reached for the officer’s gun after some type of altercation at the officer’s vehicle. Being shot 35 feet away from the vehicle, while unarmed and running from the officer, hardly suggests that the officer was in fear of his life. In fact, it suggests that the shooting was unjustified. It hardly suggests a reason for the officer’s name to be kept secret. But this is what occurs when you are black in America. Ferguson, Missouri is like any other city or town in America where African Americans reside. Every African American has those pivotal moments when they realize justice for African Americans often differs from what justice looks like for white Americans. There are … [Read more...] about Ferguson, MO is Everywhere In America for African Americans