Sometime in the next couple of weeks, the Grand Jury is expected to return its decision on Officer Darren Wilson, the officer who shot Michael Brown on August 9th 2014. As you can remember, there was violent protests and mobs after the shooting of Michael Brown. Because of this, both state and county authorities will be helping to prevent this from happening again once the decision is announced. The governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon has come out and said that “Violence will not be tolerated.”
This will be a difficult task. Many people feel strongly about this specific case. There is no denying that there is a racial problem to be talked about in regards to this situation. This issue has been boiling up over time, especially since the Trayvon Martin/Zimmerman case. After Zimmerman was acquitted in the death of Trayvon Martin, many people believed that it was the wrong decision. Now comes another big decision, in a case that could go either way. There are facts that defend both the victim and the suspect. However, when it comes down to it, much like in the Trayvon Martin case, Michael Brown was an unarmed Black teen. This is not only about the Michael Brown case, but it also says something about being a Black teen in America. If people, especially police officers, are getting away with murder, then how can young, Black men walk around feeling safe in this country. That is why I believe people feel so strongly about this case, and why I believe the governor will have a tough time preventing an uproar if the decision is Not Guilty.
Bobby Gibbons
THE AC301 