ST. LOUIS (AP) — Seven school districts have asked the St. Louis County prosecutor to wait until classes aren’t in session to make any announcement about whether a grand jury decided charges were warranted in the Ferguson police shooting case.
Riverview Gardens School District Superintendent Scott Spurgeon last week sent Prosecutor Bob McCulloch a letter signed by six other superintendents asking that any announcement be made after 5 p.m. or on a weekend.
The grand jury is expected to decide by mid-November whether Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson should face charges in the Aug. 9 fatal shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old, Michael Brown. Brown’s death led to weeks of sometimes violent protests in and around Ferguson.
The letter suggests that any protests after the announcement could make it hard for students to get home.
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I’m really of two minds about this. I applaud the schools for looking out for their kids. That’s their job, and they’re really trying to do it right.
On the other hand, Justice shouldn’t be something we do when it’s convenient. The charges should have been announced long ago, and given the evidence and statements that have been made public, it certainly seems like there is value in having a trial…to get the whole story out, undo the spin and lies the police have dribbled out, and let a jury decide. I’d be good with whatever decision they reach, simply because they would have heard all the stories and the lies would have been exposed and challenged.
Justice delayed is justice denied, and I think the school kids need to see that in action. On balance, I suppose a few hours won’t matter after months of delays and stalling, but…just the same.
The Grand Jury is hearing and seeing all the evidence. If he gets charged, the trial will go on. If not, ALL of the evidence and testimony presented before the Grand Jury will become public information.
WaPo reported that 6 black people have testified (not “gone on TV”) backing up Wilson’s version. Blood spatters clearly indicate Brown was moving toward Wilson as well, though the speed could not be determined. Shell casings also back up Wilson’s version. And Wilson testified voluntarily before the forensic results were released, and before the DOJ investigation. So anything he says that turns out to be a lie he can at minimum be charged with perjury. He was under no obligation to testify, yet he did. That says a lot.
I still need to see a lot more, but what has been released so far does not seem to me to warrant an indictment. But we will definitely see all the evidence one way of the other. So we all need to just be patient.