On Nov. 24 a grand jury reached their decision on whether to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on charges filed on the shooting death of Michael Brown.
The story in Ferguson has spanned over three months and has had a far reaching effect outside of just the St. Louis suburb.
The shooting death of Michael Brown was on Aug. 9 when officer Darren Wilson was responding to a separate police call in the area.
At this moment Wilson saw Brown and confronted him after recognizing him from a description of a robbery suspect of a convenience store that day.
What events have transpired after this initial encounter is what has led to a wide range of speculation over the past three months.
What facts have been determined is that Brown was indeed unarmed when he was shot and ballistics tests have shown he was shot in the front of his body.
Mixed accounts of the shooting however have come forward whether Brown had attempted to attack Wilson in his squad car during his confrontation.
Official testimony as seen by the grand jury who chose to not indict Wilson, stated mixed witness opinion on what exactly occurred in the confrontation.
Some of the questions still unanswered were whether Brown attempted to grab Wilson’s gun in the squad car and if Wilson proceeded to shoot Brown after Brown had surrendered with his hands up.
The grand jury heard testimony from many witnesses who reported differing accounts of events that led up to the shooting and what had occurred during the shooting.
As the grand jury continued to hear information on the case numerous protests took police in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson.
On Aug. 16 the governor of Missouri Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency, which was not lifted until Aug. 21.
The unrest leading up to the grand jury decision spread across the United States and involved messages of support to the Brown family and defiance towards the current American justice system.
Signs of support for Brown were seen all over media and at local universities that featured poses with students and athletes with their hands up.
Recently the St. Louis Rams, the professional football team, entered the field with their arms raised in a sign of solidarity with the supporters of Brown.
Saint Xavier University’s African American Studies Diaspora Club on campus hosted an event in remembrance of Brown on Sept. 30.
The event was one of the many events held at college campuses around the country aimed at letting students open a dialogue on the Ferguson shooting on their campus.
The decision to not indict Wilson was reached early on in the day on November 24th, the public release of the decision however was moved to the primetime that evening.
Upon release of the news of Wilson’s lack of an indictment prosecutor Robert McCulloch expressed his hope for non-violence in response to this decision.
This response to promote non-violent protest was echoed by President Barack Obama and the family of Michael Brown.
The night of the grand jury decision was marred however by violent protests in Ferguson that led to numerous buildings and vehicles to be set ablaze.
By the second night after the decision the National Guard had come to to support the local police and protests were noticeably more calm that evening.
The response by many to the Ferguson jury decision and events that unfolded are mixed among members of the American population.
On the campus of Saint Xavier students have also voiced their views including Education Major Marissa Melvan who stated, “We need a change, we need to fight oppression and we need to protect both the good people and the good cops, we need clear detail, and we need police monitoring. We need to look at the facts and not just focus on a single source, we need to realize that people around the world are saying hands up, don’t shoot.”
The entire series of events in Ferguson, Missouri have led to a mix of varying opinions and thoughts on what had unfolded. What is certain is that some change is coming, but what this change is yet to be seen.
Some suggestions to improve the judicial system and how police conduct have been brought forward by many in the population.
One of the most talked about suggestions is the requirement that police officers wear cameras at all times to ensure they are treating all citizens with respect.
At this time Wilson has resigned from his post at the Ferguson police department.
He officially will be leaving the force and will receive no form of compensation after his departure.
For more information on future of Ferguson and events on campus surrounding the events of Ferguson continue to read The Xavierite.
Jake Alleruzzo
Senior News Editor
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