I was right about the Grand Jury decision, wrong about waiting until the coldest, snowiest day they could to have the Grand Jury vote on Darren Wilson's case. They might have waited until January, but I did say the Grand Jury probably couldn't stand it that long. No coincidence, in my mind, that they voted on it right before the holiday season started.
I really thought it would stay peaceful afterward, I guess because I really hoped for that. But, as the night progressed, and I was listening to police radio, it became apparent that things were quickly going to Hell. Ferguson sounded like it went into full riot with arson, looting and gunshots. There was less of that in and around the city's Shaw neighborhood, though in the Central West End, two officers were shot.
I might have predicted that any investigation based on evidence gathered by Darren Wilson's buddies, while they were wearing "I am Darren Wilson" bracelets, was going to have absolutely zero credibility.
As long as the police feel they have so much latitude to kill people, protests like this are not going to stop.
Afterthought: The Huffington post said that grand juries declining an indictment was exceedingly rare: out of 168,000 federal cases taken to a grand jury, on 11 were voted "No Indictment."
Now I know why the assistant prosecutor (and everybody else I met in that office) hated me so much. I think maybe eleven cases were probably declined in just my term as foreman! I probably ruined her career.
Good!
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