What If Darren Wilson Is Indicted???

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There has been a lot of talk about what happens when there is no indictment.  Speaking hypothetically, if the grand jury comes back to indict Darren Wilson, this changes nothing.  The conditions that set up the possibility for the murder of Michael Brown to be killed still exist.  The Delmar divide, the historic split between the city and the county, failing schools, the need for independent civilian oversight, the militarized response to protestors, a lack of real democratic participation and opportunities point to the need to address structural racism and deeply ingrained violence in our society.  While attention should be focused on this case, Michael Brown, Ferguson and the response from police and officials, has become the symbol of the injustice of the intransigence of a power structure holding on the power and control.  Since the death of Michael Brown, there has been a lot of important and necessary responses to this and other shootings from activists, organizers, community organizations and youth leaders who have made their voices heard. 

An indictment would also mean a prolonged trial, albeit with added scrutiny, but a chance for all kinds of dramas to play out.  This moment is an opportunity for citizen self-determination, the addressing of inequality and the people bringing systems of control and power back in check.  Communities of color often fail to control their own neighborhoods because of historic covenants and obstacles that prevent self-determination. Alice Goffman speaks of how the war on drugs was a ploy manufactured for police to exert control.

    

The historical divorce between the city and county, combined with restrictive real estate covenants, denial of mortgages the G.I. Bill to black veterans and were part of a set of policies that essentially created permanent underclass.   

Our response to indictment or non-indictment has to be the same, pushing for our society to be more inclusive and concerned with human dignity and its primary obstacle- - violence.  Human dignity is what persons of every race, gender and sexual orientation have; It is a self-adjudicating claim that proclaims our humanity and equality.  Human dignity requires us to treat people with respect that carries over to every aspect of life, including  the allocation of education dollars and or distributions of resources to communities of color.  All of our rights are based on human dignity.  Since governments often ignore marginalized communities – it is important that the people work together to create spaces where dignity is respected and human needs are addressed.  That might include developing community gardens, alternative banking and collective initiatives that empower youth and move people to provide for their own needs.  But our lives must be respected. So in case there is an indictment, there still needs to be protesting in the streets and there must be a process where people’s voices are listened to, documented and shared so the world knows and has an opportunity to respond.  The truth telling project is a part of the effort of SpeakTruth: Ferguson and Beyond that is gathering voices, sharing them, and asking victims of police violence to descend on St. Louis/Ferguson in Early 2015 (details will be released soon-sign up on site to be a part of it).  Survivors of police violence will have their experiences, as well as what they believe are the root causes, documented using a Human Right/Truth and Reconciliation framework. This is needed to officially document what is systemic, national epidemic that under- educates, criminalizes, imprisons and legitimizes violence against Black and Latino youth.  We can’t let this opportunity to make change pass us by.  While it is about Mike Brown, its also about the justice, which we might work for through conversation followed by community inspired action.  Share your voice as soon as the response to the indictment is released.

by David Ragland