Every week on Monday morning , the Council and our invited guests weigh in at the Watcher's Forum, short takes on a major issue of the day, the culture, or daily living. This week's question: What Do You Think The Grand Jury Will Decide In The Michael Brown Shooting? Why?
Simply Jews : I can't weigh in with an informed opinion, but, judging by the previous cases, the Grand Jury may very well pass the whole to a trial. This, if Frontpage is to be believed (and sometimes it does go overboard, unfortunately) is not a good sign.
But let the justice (or, rather, law) do its thing...
Bookworm Room :I hate to say this, but I think it depends on the jury's racial composition. I can't say what a majority white jury would do, because I don't have the evidence before me. However, sadly, I have no doubt whatsoever that a majority black grand jury would issue an indictment for first degree murder.
This leads me to a different issue. Back in 1939, when Hattie McDaniel was the first black woman to win an Oscar for best supporting actress as Mammy in Gone With The Wind, she made a brief speech:
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, fellow members of the motion picture industry and honored guests: This is one of the happiest moments of my life, and I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me for one of their awards, for your kindness. It has made me feel very, very humble; and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel, and may I say thank you and God bless you.
It later turned out that the studio wrote those words for McDaniel, especially the bit about her sincere "hope I shall always be a credit to my race," a line that deeply humiliated her.
I can understand McDaniel's humiliation about having any words put in her mouth, especially words that emphasized her race, but I've never found the notion of being a credit to ones race distasteful. Perhaps that's because I'm Jewish, and we Jews, like the blacks, have always been the "other" race.
What one Jew does always has the potential to be a negative stereotype applied to all people. Thus, I found Bernie Madoff's frauds disgusting, because they destroyed people's livelihoods, but I also found them embarrassing because, as a Jew, I hate it when a fellow Jew feeds into a negative Jewish stereotype.
One of the things I find so incomprehensible about modern American blacks is that they do not impose standards on their fellow blacks. There is no expectation of a self-correcting mechanism. If you're a black who does bad things, you're not someone who brings shame on the black community. You are, instead, just another victim, along with the black teens you've killed, the Korean or Indian store owners you robbed and pistol whipped, and the whites you injured or murdered in a "knock out" game. The black community, rather than denouncing a drugged out, weaponed up, murderous black teen as a disgrace to the race is embraced and has his image printed on t-shirts.
Thinking about it, what I've just said isn't a different issue at all. It explains why I'm certain that a majority- or all-black grand jury would indict the Ferguson police officer in the blink of an eye. As far as they're concerned, blacks are always the victims no matter how degraded or violent their behavior. And if it's always someone else's fault, an indictment against whichever "someone else" happens to be available is a no-brainer. Racial pride, rather than bringing with it high standards, means no standards whatsoever.
The Right Planet :I don't have a real great track record concerning predictions on the outcomes of judicial matters, nor am I much of an authority on such matters. With that being said, I've read numerous articles that seem to focus solely on the racial makeup of the grand jury. I would hope the focus would be on getting at the truth on just what happened during the confrontation between Officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown. But, that's just "hope." I'm not holding my breath, especially considering the top law enforcement official in the land, Attorney General Eric Holder, has been quoted as saying "change is coming." What does that mean?
My biggest beef in this whole Ferguson affair is hearing people like Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, et al., say they will pursue a "vigorous prosecution" of Darren Wilson, as opposed to a vigorous investigation. It amazes me how many on the left-side of the political spectrum demand we read Miranda rights and provide due process to known and suspected terrorists, yet the officer involved in the Michael Brown case has already been tried in the court of public opinion, and has essentially been given a "death sentence." No due process for Officer Wilson. He's been found guilty until proven innocent. And even if Darren Wilson was cleared of any wrongdoing in the Michael Brown shooting, I doubt it would make any difference to those who believe that Wilson is a "racist white pig" who ruthlessly "executed" a young black man walking in the street.
So, what's my prediction? Based on the facts as they stand now, or lack thereof, I would predict Darren Wilson would be cleared of any charges of "police brutality" that was solely fueled by "racial animus." But I tend to be a bit on the logical side, which means I'll probably be wrong concerning the ultimate decision and findings by the grand jury.
The Independent Sentinel: If the lynch mob has anything to say, Officer Wilson will go to jail for life without any further evidence. There will be a trial for political reasons regardless of what the evidence shows. There is too little information right now to guess either way, but I have faith in the criminal justice system and in the jury. Most will do the right thing.
JoshuaPundit: In a sense, it doesn't matter what the Grand Jury decides. There's an old, sorta silly '70's movie called Billy Jack in which the heroine, a young school teacher, gets gang raped by some local thugs. One of her students who sees the end of her ordeal and comes down to untie the teacher urges her to report it, telling her 'you can't let them get away with this.' The teacher's response? 'They already have.'
No matter what the Grand Jury decides, unless he's an extraordinarily strong person Darren Wilson's life is crap from now on..just like George Zimmerman's, Bernie Goetz, Steven Pagones and a number of other people who have, shall we say, had life changing interactions on the wrong side of political correctness. The quest for the Great White Defendant never ends.
The Grand Jury? I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them take the path of least resistance and come up with something to take this to trial. Remember, it's other people's money they're spending, not theirs. Ironically enough, I think the fact that reportedly only three of the jurors are black increases the chances, since none of the non-black jurors, the politicians or the prosecutor will want to be labeled ra-aaa-a-cists.
The big problem here when it's trial time for the prosecution is that The 'Gentle Giant', Michael Brown clearly assaulted a police officer fairly forcefully. That gives the defense a large amount of leeway.
Another point worth considering is that the game that's being played here really has nothing to do with Michael Brown, or 'murder', or civil rights, or the police. It's not even about convicting Darren Wilson of anything, really. It's about something very, very different.
Laura Rambeau Lee, Right Reason: On August 9th,2014, 18 year old Michael Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Two weeks later, despite unrelenting media coverage, this is still the only fact we know.
The tension in this community between its predominantly black population and the predominantly white Ferguson police department appears to have been simmering for a longtime. The usual race baiters arrived on the scene expressing outrage at the “execution” of this gentle giant by the police officer and demanding justice. While they say they want peace and justice, the only justice that will satisfy them is the conviction of police officer Darren Wilson.
The entire country, in fact the entire world, looks on as America’s ongoing struggles with racism take the forefront in the tragic shooting death of a young black man by a white police officer.
Not only have the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton inserted themselves and their divisive rhetoric into this volatile environment. President Obama actually took time from his vacation to make a statement, expressing his and Michelle’s condolences to Brown’s family over the heartbreaking death of their son. Attorney General Eric Holder and his very selective Department of Justice determined this to be a case worthy of investigation, conducting a dual investigation along with local officials. His words to the black community expressing his personal experiences with racism and racial profiling tip the scales of justice towards a bias that should cause great concern to every American. The FBI launched a civil rights investigation, putting more than 40 agents on the ground in Ferguson.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon called for a complete and fair investigation, justice for the Brown family, and also vigorous prosecution of the case.
Missouri State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal called for St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorne yBob McCulloch to be replaced by a special prosecutor believing he cannot possibly be impartial because of his ties to law enforcement and the fact tha this police officer father was killed by a black man. She has also said if there is not a conviction, to “be prepared for the entire city to have looting.”
Governor Nixon(D), Attorney General Eric Holder (D), and Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D),along with the Revs. Jackson and Sharpton, have pre-determined the guilt of police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown.
The decision to prosecute the police officer will be political, because when it comes to issues of race, Eric Holder is right. We are a nation of cowards. As long as insisting that justice be based on facts and evidence alone is deemed racist,as long as we allow the race baiters to continue to pick at old wounds and not allow for healing, as long as people continue to threaten violence if “justice”does not go their way, America will continue to be divided by the progressive politics of race.
Ask Marion : I would like to believe that our legal system works and that both Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson involved and Michael Brown will get a an impartial fair shot at justice based on the facts heard by 12-impaneled Grand Jurors , who are all U.S. citizens and residents of St. Louis County, are all at least 21-years-old and who have not served on a grand jury in the past 10 years.
Such a grand jury began hearing evidence in St. Louis County on Wednesday August 20th in the death of Michael Brown, who was shot August 9th by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson.
Grand juries decide “whether a crime was committed and whether there is probable cause to believe the defendant committed it.” If so, the grand jury can issue an indictment, which is a formal charging document.
In this case, the grand jury will decide whether or not to indict Officer Wilson, who fatally shot Brown. They will consider a range of charges, from first-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter To issue an indictment, at least nine members of the 12-person panel must agree to do so.
With the pressure from the White House through Eric Holder who visited Ferguson in person as well as from the community, and considering the amount of media spin, all of whom seem less than focused on the facts, it will take a lot of courage and integrity on the part of the jury to weigh the evidence and make a decision based on that evidence alone. The Progressives who back or are part of the media and the Obama administration are already laying the groundwork for the next round of riots in Ferguson, Missouri, now that a grand jury has been convened.
But I am putting my belief in the American judicial system and the 12-Americans who are serving on that Grand Jury and praying that I’m right; for if we can't believe in that we really are doomed.
Well, there you have it.
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