tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post6873042997051011374..comments2023-09-29T11:23:38.668+02:00Comments on For what we are... they will be: Protests shatter USA on acquittal of Ferguson copMajuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-22104168352950978482014-12-04T14:12:33.999+01:002014-12-04T14:12:33.999+01:00Same thing. How do you explain that in a town 2/3 ...Same thing. How do you explain that in a town 2/3 black the jury is 3/4 white? How do you explain the acquittal of New York? How do you explain the murder of a 12 y.o. kid in Cleveland? How do you explain a proceeding taking place for months?<br /><br />What is clear is that for this or that specific technical justification: police is never punished for their criminal deeds, being de facto authorized to kill people, mostly black men, at whim. <br /><br />It's not just this case: it's almost 500 police "exceutions" (many of them no doubt cold blood murder) per year, almost 300 of them of black people. Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-13540585185682849962014-12-03T04:45:52.505+01:002014-12-03T04:45:52.505+01:00I am not an expert in criminal law proceedings, bu...I am not an expert in criminal law proceedings, but it appears that the public prosecutor (an elected official) short cut the process.<br /><br />The police officer was not acquitted because he did not stand trial. The grand jury is a mechanism to determine whether probable cause exists to charge an individual with a crime. It is a low standard, a low "burden of proof" on the prosecution. In the Anglo-American legal tradition, the defendant does not have the right to present exculpatory evidence. That comes later after he has been charged with a crime. In this case, the prosecutor, who controlled the grand jury process, not only allowed exculpatory evidence but allowed the police officer's version of events to be submitted to the grand jury. In essence he conducted a mini-trial in a process which he controlled rather than a judge. Nine of the twelve jurors were white. Basically, he ensured there would be no trial while placing the decision on the shoulders of the grand jury rather than himself. You may ask how this could happen, but in this case the prosecutor did not want to prosecute the police officer. Ordinarily the prosecutor is expected to have a motivation to prosecute an alleged criminal. <br /><br />The criminal justice system did not work in this case because of the actions of the public prosecutor. I don't know what recourse there is except to vote him out of office at the next election. Clayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13747093567397999406noreply@blogger.com