How Are Legal Analysts Weighing in on Ferguson?


Michael Brown
This month, the United States has been in a state of social unrest as people everywhere continue to try and make sense of the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager who was shot and killed by officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. After Brown was killed, many communities in Ferguson and across the country came together in protest, and the world watched as peaceful demonstrators, Ferguson residents, and journalists were tear-gassed, arrested, and assaulted by law enforcement.

Now that the initial, tragic chaos has begun to settle, many people are demanding answers, and justice, for Michael Brown. According to The New York Times, “The F.B.I. has opened a civil rights inquiry into the shooting, and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. arrived in Ferguson on Wednesday [August 20th] to meet with investigators. Locally, the case is being handled by the St. Louis County Prosecutor, Robert P. McCulloch, but there have been calls to have it shifted to a special prosecutor. A grand jury began hearing evidence Wednesday,” of the legal proceedings that have begun to take place.

Many media outlets have begun consulting prominent legal analysts such as former federal prosecutor Kendall Coffey, analyst Jack Ford, sociology professor Ron Stewart, and others to try and understand the direction this case is going to go in.
Ford discusses the role of the grand jury, explaining, “the grand jury is not a trial jury. They don’t decide guilty or not guilty. All they decide is if there is probable cause to determine if a crime has been committed, and that the defendant was involved in it.” Ford also mentions George Zimmerman, and like many, draws parallel between his actions and those of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

Coffey has discussed the significance of Attorney General Holden’s early intervention in Ferguson, pointing out that it might be an attempt to keep the peace there. In a recent interview for Newsmax Coffey explains, “We all have to recognize that this is an extraordinary thing for the U.S. attorney general to go on to the scene of an investigation at its early stages. […] In the attorney general’s mind, perhaps it’s going to calm the community down, but it’s going to put more pressure on prosecutors and FBI agents because they are going to perceive that the guy at the top wants some action,” of how Holden’s presence is influencing the investigation.  

Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson notes that “In Missouri if a felon is fleeing, under certain circumstances, deadly force is allowed to be used,” of a key aspect of Missouri law that could significantly impact the outcome of this case. Almost every legal expert that has discussed Michael Brown has drawn connections between his death and that of Trayvon Martin, in which a self-defense strategy allowed for Zimmerman, Martin’s killer, to avoid a prison sentence.

Some predict that the grand jury investigation will continue until at least October. It’s safe to say that Brown’s friends and family, the people of Ferguson, and the rest of the country are all waiting anxiously for the grand jury verdict, and for the truth.

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