A Missouri grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of unarmed 18-year old Michael Brown earlier this year, has sparked protests across the United States.
Responding to Monday's verdict, rights’ activists and civil liberties’ organizations denounced the failure to indict Wilson as symptomatic of a larger failure by the American justice system to hold police officers accountable for their disproportionately high rates of violence against people of colour.
Jeffrey Mittman, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement,
On Tuesday morning, Governor Nixon called in hundreds more National Guard Troops to Ferguson, escalating the ‘state of emergency’ he pre-emptively declared on November 17th. Many including the mayor of Ferguson, James Knowles, have criticized Governor Nixon for his response to the unrest.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, another young black male, Tamir Rice, 12-years old, was fatally shot by police officers in Cleveland, Ohio, while reportedly playing with a toy gun in a park.
Also see our earlier posts:
Missouri State Highway Patrol takes over security in Ferguson (15 August 2014)
State of emergency declared by Missouri governor (16 August 2014)
National Guard deployed as Ferguson protests escalate further (18 August 2014)
Responding to Monday's verdict, rights’ activists and civil liberties’ organizations denounced the failure to indict Wilson as symptomatic of a larger failure by the American justice system to hold police officers accountable for their disproportionately high rates of violence against people of colour.
Jeffrey Mittman, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement,
“The grand jury's decision does not negate the fact that Michael Brown's tragic death is part of an alarming national trend of officers using excessive force against people of color, often during routine encounters. Yet in most cases, the officers and police departments are not held accountable. While many officers carry out their jobs with respect for the communities they serve, we must confront the profound disconnect and disrespect that many communities of color experience with their local law enforcement.”In a statement released on Monday, the family of Michael Brown expressed their disappointment with the decision.
“We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions. While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen”Thousands of Americans at demonstrations throughout the country have condemned the failure to indict Wilson as unjust. Despite calls for restraint by various state and federal officials, including President Obama, some have turned to rioting and violence with reports of police having fired tear gas and flash-bang canisters at protesters. In Ferguson alone, 61 people were arrested Monday night.
On Tuesday morning, Governor Nixon called in hundreds more National Guard Troops to Ferguson, escalating the ‘state of emergency’ he pre-emptively declared on November 17th. Many including the mayor of Ferguson, James Knowles, have criticized Governor Nixon for his response to the unrest.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, another young black male, Tamir Rice, 12-years old, was fatally shot by police officers in Cleveland, Ohio, while reportedly playing with a toy gun in a park.
Also see our earlier posts:
Missouri State Highway Patrol takes over security in Ferguson (15 August 2014)
State of emergency declared by Missouri governor (16 August 2014)
National Guard deployed as Ferguson protests escalate further (18 August 2014)