Ferguson grand jury expectations – Update: No Indictment

As I begin typing this post, it’s about 8:10 p.m. ET, 50 minutes or so prior to the announcement concerning the grand jury’s decision in Ferguson. They are making the decision if Officer Darren Wilson should be indicted for shooting and killing Michael Wilson in Missouri.

Update (9:25 p.m. ET): No indictment. We’ll see how the evening goes. It’s interesting they will be releasing as much evidence as possible – without naming witnesses – to help all of us better understand the available evidence. Hopefully people will take the time to review all of the information released.

Update (10:25 p.m. ET): For those of you protesting. If you’re anywhere near people throwing rocks, bottles or trying to turn over police cars. Near other protesters breaking store windows? GO HOME. If you don’t, you are part of the problem. I don’t want to hear one protester bitching about police brutality. Not. One. Word. You’ve got your chance to head home … be on your way now…

Update (10:55 p.m. ET): This is a personal observations just from my perspective sitting on a couch. There seemed to be a mix of folks – white and black – on the street “facing off” with law enforcement. All the folks I just saw breaking the windows at McDonald’s and looting the Ferguson Meat and Liquor store were black.

Update (11:04 p.m. ET): Interesting. Fox News just reported a group of protesters joined hands to stop people from looting a business establishment. Good job and thank you to those folks.

And back to my original post…

In my opinion, Wilson is not guilty of anything. I think he shot Brown in self-defense. We’ll hear from the grand jury soon enough, and if there is a no-bill (no indictment) there still is the federal government’s Department of Justice who has stuck their nose into this for no other reason than angry “protesters.”

About those protesters. There may – most likely will – be some bad actors who will loot and burn. I’d like to suggest it is the peaceful protesters who must point out these troublemakers and demand they be removed.

Here’s the problem. I don’t think the peaceful protesters will do this. They will not take responsibility for bad actors who happen to be “protesting” at their side. It’s not them. It’s not their fault. It’s not their responsibility.

I expect you’ll see hundreds of protesters together, many with video cameras recording as they claim to be “media,” and many will be baiting law enforcement and trying to get a reaction. Within those hundreds, there will be the criminal troublemakers – hidden by masks – throwing rocks and committing other crimes that really should and must result in arrest.

As I mentioned above, I expect those not involved with the criminal activity will not take it upon themselves to demand those criminals leave, or point them out to law enforcement. They won’t say a thing, and they won’t leave the group.

What is law enforcement to do? They will be in a no-win situation here. You’ll see those “peaceful” protesters complaining about police brutality, without mentioning a word about the anonymous criminal throwing rocks and looting the stores marching with them they pass as a group.

I really hope I’m wrong.

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

14 Comments

  1. ricbee on November 24, 2014 at 9:05 pm

    I predict an indictment for the least offense.
    But why are these clowns waiting until 9:00 at night? Is that the best time for looting?



  2. Lynn on November 25, 2014 at 8:21 am

    Well, I just heard 12 businesses were burned. How very sad, I would love it, if Bill Ayres would like to make amends for the sins of his past, including the killing of a police officer, by spending his money to help these people.Or maybe Warren Buffet who has declared he does not pay enough income tax would like to spend it helping the community rebuild. Or maybe Al Sharpton who has not paid $4.5 million in taxes would pay for the rebuilding, in lieu of his debt to the US Treasury. This is way too much fun. I’m taking tmy rose colored glasses off now.



  3. bien-pensant on November 25, 2014 at 8:32 am

    The announcement of indict/not indict was just the starting signal for the riots to begin. This is now not about Wilson or Brown. They are only the inciting points.
    Now the “demonstrations” are all about other agendas. Peaceful protest is fine but it is being hijacked by many other goals, chief among them, rioting, burning, looting, robbery, mayhem and murder. (How many black-on-black murders and assaults will come out of this?)
    Declare martial law! Lock that whole area down to preserve life and property. Then let legitimate, honest, law-abiding citizens who have business in that area go about their business. Ship all of these other agitators back to where they came from. As people are vetted, I bet you’ll find a lot of wanted criminals in the mix who are in Ferguson only to cause trouble.



  4. bien-pensant on November 25, 2014 at 8:56 am

    Just saw some looting video from last night. “Carnival atmosphere” of wanton destruction and looting. Lots of very bad language from the participants as they smashed and grabbed. Isn’t that how this all started with Brown’s smash and grab, strong-arm robbery?

    I am glad I live in the country.



  5. Dimsdale on November 25, 2014 at 10:17 am

    Mob rule, incited by the president and his race baiting cronies. Look at the laughing etc. in the groups doing the looting. This is a party to them, an early Christmas.

    A year from now, they will all be wondering why businesses don’t want to locate/relocate in Ferguson.



    • Lynn on November 26, 2014 at 1:13 pm

      I will never say Dims is out of line for anything he says. President Obama has had a history of inflaming racial tensions and condemning police for doing their jobs. I agree with Dr. Ben Carson who has said that race relations were better before President Obama was elected. He is supposed to be President of the UNITED States, meaning all races, religions & creed. Instead he has favored only one race and one religion. I merely said he made one responsible statement about the decision. As for AG Holder, he is again in the “dog house” with me. Or maybe a “dog house” is a better place than I can think of. How dare he suggest a Civil Trial for Officer Wilson. He has reviewed the entire case, autopsy etc., he has just shown that he should never have been AG of America, possibly of Russia, where he and Putin exhibit the same contempt for defending all of their people.



  6. Lynn on November 25, 2014 at 11:32 am

    I have to say, that at least President Obama’s comments were responsible. Do you think, he has finally stopped listening to the race baiters? From the reporting it seems that the indicted AG Holder also made use of his law degree and explained the meaning of the autopsy findings and that they totally discredited the “eye witnesses”. However, I can’t say anything positive about the comments by the “lawyer” for the Brown family. Obviously he missed the classes about evidence.



    • sammy22 on November 25, 2014 at 2:18 pm

      Lynn, I agree w/ you. I also think Dims is out-of-line: if he were in Ferguson, his comments could be considered inflammatory.



    • JollyRoger on November 26, 2014 at 2:52 am

      It’s amazing the myopia of the quixotic progressive liberal.
      I guess it’s safer to turn your relativism on soft/polite targets like Dimsdale than to go into a bad neighborhood and tell some moron to pull his pants up, get a job, and support his own damned kids.



    • bien-pensant on November 26, 2014 at 9:23 am

      Our community organizer said much but it really meant nothing. At least Holder was honest when he condoned the rioters. Neither was helpful.
      How can you so blithely ignore reality and think for a second Dims is out of line?



    • sammy22 on November 26, 2014 at 11:15 am

      I believe that the first sentence of Dims comment is out-of-line. Sounds like jollyroger and b-p don’t think so.



    • Lynn on November 26, 2014 at 1:16 pm

      Oh sorry, I should have put my comment above as a reply to you Sammy, not Dims. Sammy, we have to agree to disagree on Dims. Also, you will probably not like my comment above either. Happy Thanksgiving!



    • bien-pensant on November 26, 2014 at 3:55 pm

      Obama squandered a wonderful opportunity to call for peace and for everyone to return to their homes. Instead, he went on and on about how he understood the frustrations. Blah, blah, blah. Wink, wink, nod, nod. He just wanted to hear himself talk. A real community organiz–agitator.
      I understand there are apologists for the president. Apologize away. It won’t change reality one bit. Innocent people have lost their businesses, many their life’s work. For what? So some dirtbags can steal a bottle of liquor or smash the glass of a business or set fires and run wild in the streets?
      There is no right in this rioting. You cannot defend the evil and wrongdoing being perpetrated in Ferguson.
      Do remember, this all started with a criminal act by Brown.



    • sammy22 on November 26, 2014 at 10:50 pm

      The people who have been looting, destroying and burning are a bunch of thugs, period! I also agreed w/ Lynn, see above.



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