We've dropped the ball on this coverage ~ honestly, the decision terrifies me ~ Ferguson is waiting to explode, and the simmering anger is being fed by outside groups ~ Ferguson and surrounding communities are canceling school to protect children next week in anticipation of a decision being announced ~ in the meantime, "outsiders" have been arrested for explosives ~ no matter what the decision is, I expect bloodshed ~ Sooz

TPM LIVEWIRE
CNN: Ferguson Grand Jury Still Hasn't Reached A Decision
By Catherine Thompson Published November 22, 2014, 3:16 PM EST

The grand jury debating whether to indict white Ferguson, Mo. police Officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown still hasn't reached a decision, CNN reported Saturday.

Citing anonymous federal and local law enforcement officials, CNN reported that the grand jury did not reach a decision when it met Friday and it was unclear when it would reconvene again.

The grand jury proceedings have already been going on for three months, and this week Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) declared a state of emergency in anticipation of its decision.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cnn-ferguson-grand-jury-hasnt-made-decision-yet

Maybe someone post this in here, but I read somewhere that the officer is negotiating his resignation. Waiting for the decision. He should have resigned long ago, imo, but they said it seems like an admission of guilt. He (and his "team") could have offset that with a proper statement. "In the wake of all the protests, office so and so, has decided to resign in order to protect the department" or something similar.

The longer this takes, the more the unrest will build. They need to fish or cut bait and then deal with the fallout. I agree sooz. No matter the decision there will be violence.

Got to get computer! Lived in Ferguson while going to college. Got married there. Where I stay when I go "home". Sad what is happening

Get ready to BUCKLE UP!!! ~ ~ Sooz

Grand jury reaches decision in case of Ferguson officer
The Washington Post | 11 mins ago

A grand jury has reached a decision on whether to indict Darren Wilson, the white Ferguson, Mo. police officer whose fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager sparked days of turbulent protests, sources close to the process said.

Sources said that press conferences are being prepared by the county prosecutors’ office and the Missouri governor. Those press conferences will likely come later today.

The announcement gave no indication of whether Wilson, 28, will face state charges in the August shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, which triggered a frank conversation about race and police interaction with African-Americans.

The grand jury’s decision is the latest turn in a case marked in the national consciousness by the stunning images of protesters looting stores and police wearing riot gear and deploying tear gas in the days after Brown’s death. Details of the grand jury’s deliberations have leaked out in recent weeks, angering the Brown family and protesters who saw it as a signal there would be no charges filed.

Although a parallel federal civil rights investigation of the shooting is continuing, federal investigators have all but concluded they don’t have a case against Wilson, law enforcement officials have said. Federal investigators are also conducting a broader probe of the Ferguson Police Department.

If Wilson is not charged, government officials are bracing for protests in the St. Louis area and nationwide. They have discussed emergency plans in the event of a violent reaction, while protest and community leaders have mapped out their response in the hopes of avoiding the unrest that exploded after Brown was killed.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/grand-jury-reaches-decision-in-case-of-ferguson-officer/ar-BBfDcHR

To be honest, I think the grand jury was waiting for the go-head to announce, but made their decision days ago. The city needed to gear up for the eventual problems. jmo

Deliberately increasing the tension by dramatizing the announcement?

NO INDICTMENT/NO CHARGES ~ I wish I could say I was surprised ~

Sooz

Ferguson is 59% black. The jury is 75% white.

Sorry. Old stats. Ferguson is now 67.4% black (2010 census).

According to my brother Ferguson is on fire and looks like a war zone

While saddened, I'm not even remotely surprised Ferguson erupted ~ there are things in this account of the events leading up to Michael Brown's death I never heard/read before ~ but it also renews BIG questions in my mind about police training and "entitlement" ~ is a "handful of cigars" worth a young man's life? ~ NO!!! ~ I'm going to plow thru some of the grand jury documents live-linked below later this week ~ Sooz

With no indictment, chaos fills Ferguson streets
Associated Press | By JIM SALTER and DAVID A. LIEB, Associated Press | 27 mins ago

FERGUSON, Missouri (AP) — Enraged protesters set fire to buildings and cars and looted businesses in Ferguson after a grand jury decided not to indict a white police officer in the death an unarmed black 18-year-old — one of America's most racially charged cases in recent years.

Smoke billowed from some businesses Tuesday morning and shattered glass covered the sidewalks in front of others, but the streets in Ferguson were mostly clear.

There were 61 arrests in Ferguson overnight, many for burglary and trespassing, St. Louis County Police spokesman Brian Schellman said. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said there were 21 arrests in the city, where some protesters broke business windows.

The violence erupted despite pleas for calm from President Barack Obama and the family of the victim Michael Brown after prosecutors announced the officer faces no state criminal charges.

Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said the jury of nine whites and three blacks met on 25 separate days over three months, hearing more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses, including three medical examiners and experts on blood, toxicology and firearms.

"They are the only people that have heard and examined every witness and every piece of evidence," he said, adding that the jurors "poured their hearts and soul into this process."

Speaking for nearly 45 minutes, a defensive McCulloch repeatedly cited what he said were inconsistencies and erroneous witness accounts.

McCulloch never mentioned that Brown was unarmed when he was killed.

As McCulloch read his statement, Michael Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, sat atop a vehicle listening to a broadcast of the announcement. When she heard the decision, she burst into tears and began screaming before being whisked away by supporters.

The crowd with her then converged on the barricade where police in riot gear were standing. They pushed down the barricade and began pelting police with objects, including a bullhorn. Officers stood their ground.

Brown's family released a statement saying they were "profoundly disappointed" but asked that the public "channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change."

Shortly after the announcement, authorities released more than 1,000 pages of grand jury documents, including Wilson's testimony.

Wilson told jurors that he initially encountered Brown and a friend walking in a street and, when he told them to move to a sidewalk, Brown responded with an expletive. Wilson then noticed that Brown had a handful of cigars, "and that's when it clicked for me," he said, referring to a radio report minutes earlier of a robbery at a nearby convenience store.

Wilson said he asked a dispatcher to send additional police, and then backed his vehicle up in front of Brown and his friend. As he tried to open the door, Wilson said Brown slammed it back shut.

The officer said he pushed Brown with the door and Brown hit him in the face. Wilson told grand jurors he was thinking: "What do I do not to get beaten inside my car."

"I drew my gun," Wilson told the grand jury. "I said, 'Get back or I'm going to shoot you.'

"He immediately grabs my gun and says, 'You are too much of a pussy to shoot me,'" Wilson told grand jurors. He said Brown grabbed the gun with his right hand, twisted it and "digs it into my hip."

Asked why he felt the need to pull his gun, Wilson told grand jurors he was concerned another punch to his face could "knock me out or worse."

After shots were fired in the vehicle, Brown fled and Wilson gave chase. At some point, Brown turned around to face the officer.

Witness accounts were conflicted about whether Brown walked, stumbled or charged back toward Wilson before he was fatally wounded, McCulloch said. There were also differing accounts of how or whether Brown's hands were raised. His body fell about 153 feet (47 meters) from Wilson's vehicle.

Thousands of people rallied — mostly peacefully — in other U.S. cities on Monday night while the president appealed for calm.

"We are a nation built on the rule of law, so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury's to make," Obama said. He said it was understandable that some Americans would be angered, but echoed Brown's parents in calling for peaceful protests.

About 10 St. Louis-bound flights were diverted or canceled Monday night because of concern about gunfire being aimed into the sky, a Lambert-St. Louis International Airport spokesman said, but the restrictions expired at 3:30 a.m.

The Justice Department is conducting a separate investigation into possible civil rights violations that could result in federal charges, but investigators would need to satisfy a rigorous standard of proof in order to mount a prosecution. The department also has launched a broad probe into the Ferguson Police Department, looking for patterns of discrimination.

Brown's family could also file a wrongful-death lawsuit against Wilson.

The Aug. 9 shooting heightened tensions in the predominantly black suburb that is patrolled by an overwhelmingly white police force. As Brown's body lay for hours in the center of a residential street, an angry crowd of onlookers gathered. Rioting and looting occurred the following night, and police responded with armored vehicles and tear gas.
________

Link to grand jury documents: http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_documents/ferguson-shooting/

Associated Press writers Alan Scher Zagier in Clayton, Andale Gross and Jim Suhr in Ferguson and Catherine Lucey in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/with-no-indictment-chaos-fills-ferguson-streets/ar-BBfJTrf

One of the things that bothers me about this entire episode is that I have not heard or read anywhere that Darren Wilson EVER expressed ANY remorse at killing Michael Brown ~ Wilson never expressed sorrow or even sympathy with Brown's family for the loss Wilson's actions caused them ~ that says a lot to me about Wilson's mindset ~

Sooz

Wilson may have been ordered to stay quiet.

So is he going to resign now?

Maybe so, but why would anyone give that order? ~ how can anyone not be affected by taking another's life, whether "justified" or not? ~

Sooz

I'm thinking he HAS to resign, roseanne ~ putting him back on the streets there would be another nightmare ~

Sooz

What's the first thing a lawyer tells you?

I need x amount of money.

That's second.
STFU is usually first.

That "advice" only relates to answering questions without counsel present or offering information ~ it has no effect on showing humanity by, at a bare minimum, acknowledging the parents' loss ~

Sooz

I read in one of the articles that the Brown family is planning on suing him. Probably a good reason for not accepting any liability by apologizing. Inherent in an apology is an admission of some sort of wrong doing.

About 28 businesses burned,many to the ground as firefighters were forced to turn back because of the bullets flying at them. The business owners many of whom waiting eye black cried "Where's the guard? " The Guard was protecting the police department fire department and electric grid while waiting for call to action from Governor which never came.

The thing that troubles me: Wilson had already been in one wrestling match with Brown over his gun. As the man turned and charged at him was the officer supposed to get in another tussle before firing his weapon? I don't think so!

Whatever happened to shooting at one's legs? Tasers, Mace?

That's for white perps.