Activists Immediately Call For Eric Holder To Indict Darren Wilson On Federal Charges

Immediately after the announcement that the killer of teenager Michael Brown would not be indicted, activists are calling for Attorney General Eric Holder to file federal charges against Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

Rashard Robinson the Executive Director of ColorofChange released a statement calling on Attorney General Holder to indict Darren Wilson on federal charges.

Robinson said,

We all lose when the justice system fails the way Missouri Governor Nixon and Prosecutor Robert McCulloch have failed Mike Brown’s family. This non indictment charge stems not from a lack of evidence but from a coordinated effort to stack the deck, to keep justice for Mike Brown out of reach. Now, justice for Mike Brown lays in the hands of President Obama and US Attorney General Holder who have the responsibility and power to ensure Officer Wilson is prosecuted to the fullest extent of federal law.

What we see here today is a breakdown in Missouri’s justice system. With Governor Nixon’s shameless endorsement, Prosecutor Robert McCulloch did everything in his power to avoid securing justice for Mike Brown’s death. The grand jury was set up to fail.

Due to Governor Nixon’s failed leadership and deep corruption in law enforcement, a dangerous police officer who brutally killed an unarmed teenager will remain on the Ferguson payroll–unless our national leaders act. This type of two tiered justice system that treats police as above the law is morally outrageous, deeply inhumane, and puts Black Missourians in danger of further police violence and human rights abuse.

We are in a historic time and what Pres. Obama and his administration do in this moment will have a major impact on the future of racial profiling and policing in America. The status quo, business as usual, cannot continue. Ferguson is everywhere. According to FBI statistics, law enforcement kill Black Americans at nearly the same rate as Jim Crow era lynchings. The American people have lost faith in the justice system and law enforcement’s ability to operate fairly. This is President Obama’s opportunity to restore that faith by implementing concrete structural reforms to Missouri police and law enforcement policy at the federal level that will allow police departments to do their job while prioritizing the civil and human rights of all communities.

Prosecutor McCulloch’s very defensive statement when the decision not to indict was announced lent credibility to claims that the process was rigged from the beginning and justice was not going to be done. Other activists called for justice system that protects everyone.

“In preparation of exercising the right to air our grievances, we have trained hundreds of people in non-violent direct action,” said artist and St. Louis community organizer Damon Davis. “We have organized people around the country to stand up to this injustice that was, sadly, so predictable. This grand jury decision will not deter us. It is a start, not an end. We are all Mike Brown, and Ferguson is everywhere. We need a justice system that protects us all, and we will direct our moral outrage into nonstop, nonviolent action to win meaningful change.”

The grand jury decision was predictable. The federal government should investigate whether federal charges are justified. There are major problems are across the country. Ferguson is just the latest symptom of a disease that results for injustice for most.

The Justice Department needs to take a fresh look at the events in Ferguson immediately.