WAS IT THE WORST OUTCOME?
The grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson, Mo., police officer DarrenWilson in the shooting of teenager Michael Brown was the worst possible outcome— except for one in which passion overwhelmed facts andWilson was forced to stand trial despite a lack of adequate evidence.
— Ruth Marcus, Washington PostWriters Group
Prosecutor made it worse.
(T)he county prosecutor, RobertMcCulloch, who is widely viewed in the minority community as being in the pockets of the police, made matters infinitely worse by handling this sensitive investigation in the worst possible way.
— New York Times editorial board
Communities deserve answers.
If nothing else, an indictment would show that Brown’s lifemattered. That the lives of people like Brownmatter. And that their communities deserve answers and explanations for police violence.
— Jamelle Bouie, Slate
What will happen next?
Thanks to a relentlessly forward-skewed news media— “What will happen next?” was the topic of nearly every cable news discussion— Monday night’s violence became ondemand programming for a nation that flits from one blockbuster event to the next.
— Marc Fisher andWesley Lowery, TheWashington Post
Preying on the poor.
By this time next year, Ferguson’s white mayor and all-white (save one) city council will continue presiding over their majority-black suburban plantation. Economic disparities will persist, and local governments will continue preying on the poor for traffic fines to keep their budget balanced.
— Charles Ellison, The Root
Truth doesn’t matter.
For every black and every white unwilling to condemn the protests overMichael Brown’s killing that took place before any relevant facts came out, their half-hearted condemnation of the riots notwithstanding, truth doesn’t matter. The protests, riots, and liberal condemnations of the white officer began when no one knew anything about the killing.
— Dennis Prager, National Review online