For the past three months, Ferguson, Missouri has been in the national spotlight because of the shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown. The story has spread globally through social media as well as mainstream media coverage, even the supreme religious leader of Iran tweeted his disbelief at the killing of the black teen. All of black America who was concerned about this case turned to our first black President, Barack Obama, for leadership and justice in this case. For his part, President Obama sent U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to Ferguson, Missouri, to assure the residents that the Justice Department was also investigating the case to determine if Officer Darren Wilson violated federal civil rights laws when he shot Brown.
But how quickly things seem to be changing in the investigation of the shooting. Michael Brown’s character was subjected to re-victimization, through outright lies and mysterious leaks by unidentified officials close to the investigation. The leaks all seem centered around supporting the narrative of Officer Darren Wilson, who claims that Brown was the aggressor during the attack. Now the Washington Post is reporting another damaging leak that an unidentified Justice Department official close to the federal investigation has stated, “The evidence at this point does not support civil rights charges against Officer Wilson.”
These words printed by the Washington Post do little to calm an already intense and inflammatory environment in Ferguson. The public has had to deal with:
- That the grand jury was not given instructions by the County prosecutor as to what charges to seek
- False narratives allowed to circulate by mainstream media outlets such as CNN
- Leaked autopsy results with misquoted commentary by experts
- A buildup of riot control equipment by the Ferguson police.
- An unconstitutional order by a local judge that stated, protesters had to be in constant motion or face arrest
- In addition, supporters of the Brown family are convinced there will be no state-level indictment of Officer Darren Wilson.
Will America be ready to deal with the aftermath of a possible “no indictment” for Darren Wilson and the appearance of no justice for Michael Brown? Even though the grand jury is allowed to delay its decision until January 2015, there is talk that a decision will be made in November of this year. Some political pundits are stating that this was done deliberately so the midterm elections could be completed. In any case, it seems that America is poised for a long, hot, winter of discontent.
