Following the announcement that a grand jury will not indict Officer Darren Wilson — who fatally shot black teen Mike Brown — Reverend Al Sharpton spoke to a crowd near Ferguson, Missouri. Sharpton told the riled up crowd that the federal government will be investigating the death of Brown; he made it exceedingly clear that in his view, St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch did not do an adequate job.
“The appearance of the prosecutor made it clear to everyone why we had little faith in a state prosecution,” Sharpton said. This is why Sharpton, and others, previously demanded that the federal government get involved in the case.
The Brown family attorney, Benjamin Crump, also spoke at the event and complained about McCulloch. A “first year lawyer” would have done a better job of questioning Officer Wilson than the prosecutor in this case did, Crump said.
Crump repeatedly brought up race as a factor in the case, arguing that Brown did not get justice due to the color of his skin.
Sharpton also took issue with the fact that during the indictment announcement, McCulloch discredited some of the case’s “witnesses” who were not actually on the scene during the shooting. The prosecutor “methodically tried to discredit the witnesses,” the reverend asserted. “What is the purpose of Mr. McCullough trying to undermine the credibility of the witnesses?”
He also complained that McCulloch publicly discredited Brown “who could not defend himself.”
Sharpton ultimately called for an emergency NAACP meeting in Washington, DC. He added that he — along with other leaders in the black community — are working to lay out a comprehensive plan for peaceful protest in the wake of the grand jury’s decision.
Breitbart News reporter Michelle Moons was at the press conference. “The crowd was restless and many were affirming Sharpton,” she said. “There was heavy criticism of the grand jury and repeated references of the ongoing federal and civil action.”
Follow Kristin on Twitter @KristinBTate.
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