Jessilyn Ring

Hughes
Coffeehouse Exam
15 December 2014
Innocent, Because No One Wants to Prove Him Guilty
There is nearly always ambiguity when it comes to any jurys decision regarding any
verdict, but it is safe to say that the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri is one of the most
mysterious to be disputed. Earlier this August, Michael Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson
police officer, Darren Wilson. Over two months later, a grand jury decided to throw out the case,
saying that there would be no trial regarding the indictment of Wilson for the incident. Because
of conflicting eyewitness accounts and forensic reports, there is not much clarity surrounding the
shooting, which has been construed as a racial crime, as Wilson was white and Brown was black
Although there is no way to know on what grounds Brown was actually killed, the black
community of Ferguson is outraged at the decision of the jury to declare a trial unnecessary when
there are clearly facts that need to be clarified in order to put the case to rest.
Since the shooting, there has been much unrest in Ferguson due to the controversial
nature of the case. Protests surrounding the case have been using the phrase, hands up, dont
shoot in support of Michael Brown (Lopez). Allegedly, Brown was backing away from Wilson
during the encounters with his hands up in surrender. Wilson said that this was not the case and
that Brown was violent during the encounter. Unfortunately, eyewitness accounts have not been
consistent in support of this fact, or many others. A chart released by PBS Newsroom shows the
witness interviews and the inconsistencies in their answers, ranging from the number of bullets
fired to the direction that Brown was facing at the time of the shooting. There have been
accounts saying that Brown had robbed a convenience store moments before he was stopped by
Officer Wilson. Police Chief Tom Jackson gave an account stating that Wilson stopped Brown
for jaywalking and was not aware of robbery (Lopez). Later, Wilson stated that he became aware

of the robbery during his altercation with Brown and reported this over the radio network. Not
only have eyewitness accounts been unreliable, but forensic evidence has also been incorrect. It
was previously released that Brown was shot thirty-five feet from Wilsons police cruiser, but
recent forensic investigations found that Brown was one hundred and fifty feet from the vehicle
(Lopez). In fact, there is little about the case that has been considered to be concrete evidence.
The basic facts that remain undisputed are not enough to convict Wilson of murder, as they are
ambiguous as to motive. It is confirmed that Brown was unarmed, but Wilson claims that Brown
was a threatening presence and he shot in self-defense. This is confirmed by the evidence of a
close-range shot that was fired at Brown, suggesting that there was a physical altercation
between the officer and civilian (Lopez). None of these facts are enough to accuse Wilson of
murder, as they suggest that Brown was threatening the officer even though he was unarmed.
Therefore, the confirmed facts do not play in either partys favor.
In November after the shooting, a grand jury was convened to evaluate the evidence in
play and decide if a trial was necessary. There was much dispute as to whether this jury would
fairly represent the feelings of the people of Ferguson. The demographic in Ferguson has
changed greatly over the years. Predominantly white and middle-class in the late nineties, the
citys population about twenty years later had doubled in poverty rate and was now two-thirds
black (Nicks). The jury brought together was thought to be racially biased by the public, as the
makeup of the jury was nine white individuals and three black individuals. Of the twelve people
on the jury, there were six white men, three white women, two black women and one black man
(CBS Associated Press). This outraged the city of Ferguson, as the trial concerned an altercation
between a white man and a black man, yet the jury only had one-twelfth of the jury representing
the demographic of the victim. There are many arguments as to whether this incident occurred
because of race. Whether or not Wilson shot Brown because of his race will always be unclear,

but it is hard to dispute the racially biased makeup of the grand jury. If the case was not
popularly viewed by the public as an issue of racism, the makeup of the jury would not have
been as controversial. The fact remains that Ferguson is a predominantly black city with a
predominantly white police force. The force of fifty-three officers only has three black men and
is run by Chief Jackson, a white man (Firozi). With the population of Ferguson being sixty-seven
percent black, it is disconcerting to hear that the police force is made up of nearly all white men.
The demographic of the city is not represented in its law enforcement, which is part of the reason
that there has been unrest regarding Browns case.
With a majority of the grand jury being white and the decision being not to indict the
white officer who shot and killed an unarmed black man, there have been some serious
allegations of racism put upon the city officials and police. Directly after the shooting, there were
riots of people who were outraged at the shooting of Brown. Police forcefully shut down these
protests, which were more relaxed before the decision of the jury. The protests have not stopped
in Ferguson, but have spread nationally as the news of this case reaches other states. In one
specific case, protesters gathered on Interstate 95 in Providence, Rhode Island after the decision
of the grand jury was released (Towne). Near the Point Street exit, around one hundred and fifty
protesters jumped the fence to the highway and shut down both sides of the road (Towne). There
were initially more people in the protest, around four hundred, but groups broke off as the
peacefulness of the demonstration dwindled. Rhode Island is not the only place that has been
witness to protests like this one. Ranging from places like Los Angeles to New York, groups
have been gathering in protest of the racial discrimination that is prevalent in the case, as well as
the evident police brutality (Gurman). Whether or not the shooting was on racial grounds, the
reaction of the Ferguson Police Department to the protests in the city was excessively forceful,
with the use of tear gas and stun guns. This, as well as the undertones of racism, is a factor that

has caused the case to sweep the nation and inspire protesters to march for peace and equality in
their own towns and cities.
From conflicting eyewitness testimonies to nationwide protests, the Ferguson case has
been dominating the media since August. It is not clear, and most likely never will be, as to who
was the most at fault for the shooting. Although the jury decided not to indict Darren Wilson, the
case is not going to be considered closed by the many members of the Ferguson community that
it affected. Unfortunately, this is not the only case that has grabbed the attention of the media
because of its apparent racism and excessive force used by police. In Staten Island, New York,
Eric Garner (yet another unarmed black man) was put in an illegal chokehold and killed by a
white officer. The entire incident was caught on tape, yet the grand jury decided there would be
no indictment for Officer Daniel Pantaleo (Sanchez). Due to the lack of ambiguity surrounding
this particular case, protests have been happening nationally for this incident as well. Many
Americans are struck by the lack of responsibility juries are allowing officers to take even though
there was no reason for these men to be killed in these situations. Because of the incongruity
surrounding the Ferguson case, there have been significant steps taken to ensure funding for
body cameras being attached to police vests. Much debate has followed this topic due to the lack
of indictment in the Garner case that was fully caught on video. Are these cameras actually going
to bring justice to the families who have suffered loss because of police brutality? Is this an issue
of race or is it simply an example of the corrupt nature of the law enforcement system? These
questions may have no concrete answers right now but in light of these recent incidents it is
reasonable to be hopeful that deaths like Michael Browns will not be pushed into the shadows.
Although the grand jury did not see a reason for a trial, the rest of the country is vocal about the
outrage that this decision has caused. Hopefully, these protests will cause juries to think about
the consequences of throwing out a case as controversial as the one in Ferguson.

Works Consulted

Bosman, Julie, et al.: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/26/us/ferguson-grand-juryweighed-mass-of-evidence-much-of-it-conflicting.html?_r=1

CBS Associated Press: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ferguson-case-racial-and-gendermakeup-of-grand-jury-revealed/
Clarke, Rachel and Castillo, Mariano: http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/25/justice/fergusongrand-jury-documents/
FindLaw.com: http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-procedure/how-does-a-grand-jurywork.html
Firozi, Paulina: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/08/14/fergusonpolice-department-details/14064451/
Gurman, Sadie: http://wpri.com/2014/11/24/rallies-planned-across-us-before-fergusondecision/
Lopez, German: http://www.vox.com/cards/mike-brown-protests-fergusonmissouri/mike-brown-shooting-facts-details
Nicks, Denver: http://time.com/3138176/ferguson-demographic-change/
Sanchez, Ray: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/us/police-slayings-reaction-roundup/
Towne, Shaun: http://wpri.com/2014/11/25/ri-protesters-force-shutdown-of-i-95/
Yan, Holly: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/09/us/ferguson-documents/

The chart above relates the conflicting answers given by witnesses regarding the
Michael Brown case. http://www.vox.com/cards/mike-brown-protests-fergusonmissouri/mike-brown-shooting-facts-details