Crescent International
Judicial lynching is still a part of life in the US, especially for blacks. The grand jury's verdict to not indict police officer Darren Wilson in the killing of an unarmed black teenager Michael Brown reflects this grim reality. Thousands of people have been protesting for the second night running in more than 90 cities across the US.
St Louis,
2014-11-26, 08:11 EST
Thousands of people have been protesting in 90 cities across the US for the second day against a grand jury decision not to indict a white police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager Michael Brown last August. Given ubiquitous racism in the US, especially against blacks, the grand jury’s verdict was virtually a given yet people felt there would be some recognition of the wrong done in the killing of an unarmed young black boy. Protesters had planned for this for nearly a week, anticipating that the system is loaded against blacks and justice is such a rare commodity that the white police officer will not be indicted. The grand jury’s verdict confirmed their worst fears.
When St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch announced on Monday November 24 night that Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, 28, will not face charges for the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9, people were flabbergasted. McCulloch said the grand jury “weighed evidence and testimony before concluding there was no probable cause to indict the officer.” Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Brown's family said, "The jury was not inclined to indict on any charges.'' The 12-member grand jury comprised nine whites and three blacks.
Brown's family called the ruling “profoundly disappointing” but called for calm and peaceful protests. Lesley McSpadden, Brown's mother, was delivered a second blow in three months. She lost her teenage son who was planning to go to college and the grand jury verdict added insult to injury. She began crying after being informed about the jury’s decision, Crump said. "What do you mean no indictment?" she screamed.
President Barack Obama used only a portion of the family’s statement about “calm and peaceful protest” but ignored their “profound disappointment” and revulsion at the grand jury verdict. The protests reflected the great divide between ordinary Americans and the US establishment despite a black man currently occupying the White House. Obama is viewed by many as a “house slave”, to use a polite version of the late Malcolm X’s profound statement about the slave mentality and the surrender of some blacks to this fact.
The protests reflected anger at racial discrimination and police brutality as well as militarization of the police. Protesters have included blacks, Latinos, Asians and whites transcending the racial divide. Increasing numbers of Americans are beginning to realize that they live in a police state and that they cannot get justice from the system.
In addition to St Louis, other large rallies were held in Oakland (CA), Chicago, New York and outside the White House in Washington DC. Other large rallies were held in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Salt Lake City. “Mike Brown is an emblem (of a movement). This country is at its boiling point,” said Ethan Jury, a protester in Philadelphia. “How many people need to die? How many black people need to die?” Demonstrators chanted slogans “hands up, don’t shoot” and “black lives matter.”
In Ferguson, the police have been using excessive force and dealing with largely peaceful protesters with great brutality. This has resulted in people setting fire to some stores and overturning police vehicles to vent their anger. The killer police officer, Wilson could still face civil rights charges brought by the US Justice Department or a civil lawsuit filed by Brown's parents. It will be interesting to see what the Obama regime does.
For the Brown family, a civil lawsuit would be a very expensive undertaking and could take years to go through the constipated court system. For now, the parents of a murdered black teenager grieve all over again for being slapped by a judicial system that refuses to provide justice.
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