Worcester Reacts to Ferguson Grand Jury Announcement

Monday, November 24, 2014

Patrick Sargent, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

On Monday evening, Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson was not indicted by a Missouri grand jury in the Michael Brown, Jr. shooting. According to reports, there were several hundred people outside of the Ferguson Police Department waiting for the grand jury announcement.

Worcester Reacts

Former Marketing Coordinator of Worcester's African Community Education (ACE) and current Campaign Manager for State Senator Harriet Chandler, David LeBoeuf said, "I feel horrible for the people of Ferguson and for Mike Brown's family that tonight's decision did not provide any justice. Although we are a nation of laws, we have a lot of work to do to make sure our laws are more just and that a travesty like this does not happen again. "

Alma Notaro, a middle school teacher in Worcester, said "The first thing that crossed my mind were the kids. How am I going to handle this in the classroom tomorrow? Will I have answers for them, and will I have the courage to instill in them a sense of responsibility. Responsibility to educate themselves and make their voices strong. Too often our voices are discredited and our experiences discounted or brushed aside with loaded words like, "thug" or "looters".

Notaro said, "I worry for my students, they carry such a heavy weight, but I believe that with the right education they can be brave and make their voices heard, so that instead of thug, we say human being, equal, worthy. I don't want my students to become angry or disenfranchised, on the contrary, I want them to feel powerful and hopeful. As a nation, we are on the edge of something huge, and young people should feel excited to become a part of the change."

"Statistically it's very rare for a prosecutor who wants an indictment from a grand jury to not get one," said LeBoeuf.

In Missouri

During the announcement of the grand jury's decision, Robert McCulloch, St. Louis County Prosecutor, said "All decisions in the criminal justice system must be determined by the physical and scientific evidence, and credible testimony corroborated by that evidence, not in response to public outcry or for political expediency. Decisions on a matter as serious as charging an individual with a crime simply cannot be decided on anything less than a complete critical examination of all available evidence. Anything less is not justice."

In a press conference prior to the announcement, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said, "Our shared hope and expectations is that, regardless of the decision, people on all sides show tolerance, mutual respect and restraint."

Following the grand jury announcement, McCulloch said, "During this extremely tense and painful time that we have, the citizens in this community should be, and I know are, very mindful of the fact that the whole world is watching, and watching how we respond and how we react. With the loss that was suffered by the Brown family.. it has opened old wounds and has given us an opportunity to address those wounds now, as opposed to in the past where they just fade away."