No
indictment, says St. Louis
County Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch. “No probable
cause exists to file any charge against Officer Wilson,” he
announced.
The grand jury has spoken in the case of (soon to be former)
Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown.
Brown’s death inflamed Ferguson, Missouri, St. Louis County, and
the country beyond. There’s little doubt that the grand jury’s
decision not to indict Wilson will leave many people
unsatified.
Michael Brown’s death raised questions about police
conduct—especially with regard to minority communities. The
incident excites different reactions across the racial divide, with
many black and white Americans perceiving the shooting, and the
proper treatment of Officer Wilson, very differently. It’s no
surprise that Reason-Rupe polling finds approval of police is
highest among older, prosperous, white Republicans.
The reaction to protests in the wake of the shooting introduced
many Americans to the sight of police officers dressed in
camouflage, wielding assault rifles, and riding armored vehicles.
Reason readers are familiar with the frightening militarization of
American policing in recent years. But cops-as-troops came as
an unpleasant revelation to much of the public.
The grand jury’s decision as to the legal treatment—at least so
far as the criminal justice system is concerned—of Darren Wilson
hardly settles the matter. The conversation over this case, over
police conduct, and over law enforcement’s relationship with
minority communities will continue in the days to come.
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