POLITICS

Ferguson Prosecutor Robert McCulloch Gives Bizarre Press Conference

11/24/2014 10:04 pm ET | Updated Dec 05, 2014
  • Alana Horowitz The Huffington Post

    • St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced on Monday night that Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted for the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in a press conference that many found baffling, unwieldy and inflammatory.

    McCulloch said the grand jury "gave up their lives" while deliberating.

    The prosecutor also repeatedly lashed out at the media, blaming the internet and "the 24-hour news cycle" for the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, where Brown was shot and killed in August. He continued talking for several minutes before revealing the much-anticipated grand jury decision.

    “The most significant challenge encountered in this investigation has been the 24-hour news cycle and its insatiable appetite for something, for anything to talk about, following closely behind with the non-stop rumors on social media,” he said.

    Media figures and social media users lashed out at the notion that cable news and Twitter were to blame for the tension in the months following Brown's death, rather than the death itself.

    "Social media isn't the problem," author Maureen Johnson said. "Shooting children is the problem."

    CNN legal expert Jeffrey Toobin called the press conference "an extended whine" and "entirely inappropriate and embarrassing."

    11/30/2014 3:28 PM EST

    Wilson Resigned Over Safety Concerns, Lawyer Says

    Reuters reports:

    he white police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, this summer, resigned from the force without any severance deal, the mayor of the St. Louis suburb said on Sunday.

    The officer, Darren Wilson, announced his resignation late Saturday, saying he feared for his own safety and that of his fellow police officers after a grand jury decided not to indict him in the fatal Aug. 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

    Read more here.

    11/30/2014 7:27 AM EST

    10 People Arrested During Portland's Ferguson Protest

    PORTLAND, Ore (AP) — Authorities say 10 people have been arrested in Portland during a protest related to the Ferguson, Missouri, police shooting.

    The city police bureau says the arrests came Saturday night "after a large group of protesters laid down in the street and refused lawful orders to clear the roadway."

    Earlier, the gathering over the Missouri shooting death of a black man by a white police officer included a speech by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

    The Oregonian reports that Jackson urged nonviolence and said the resignation of the officer was "a step in the right direction," but that much remained to be done to achieve justice for the victim.

    Police say that after Jackson left, some protesters marched around downtown and sporadically disrupted traffic.

    Officials say some bottles were thrown at officers and a police car was damaged.

    The nine adults and one juvenile arrested will face charges that include disorderly conduct.

    11/29/2014 10:15 PM EST

    Flag Burning

    11/29/2014 10:01 PM EST

    Large Police Presence

    11/29/2014 9:42 PM EST

    Saturday Night Protest In Ferguson

    11/29/2014 9:26 PM EST

    Armed 'Oath Keepers' Plan To Protest

    The NYT reports that armed members of the group "Oath Keepers" are in Ferguson to offer their help protecting businesses from damage.

    From the NYT:

    The volunteers, who are sometimes described as a citizen militia — but do not describe themselves that way — have taken up armed positions on rooftops here on recent nights....

    But on Saturday, with the county police said to be threatening the Oath Keepers with arrest, the volunteers decided to abandon their posts and instead protest against the authorities. Late in the day on Saturday, a protest was being planned for that night.

    Read more here.

    11/29/2014 6:56 PM EST

    Darren Wilson Resigns From Ferguson Police Department

    Darren Wilson has resigned from Ferguson police department.

    Read his resignation letter below, via St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

    "I, Darren Wilson, hereby resign my commission as a police officer with the City of Ferguson effective immediately. I have been told that my continued employment may put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk, which is a circumstance that I cannot allow. For obvious reasons, I wanted to wait until the grand jury made their decision before I officially made my decision to resign. It was my hope to continue in police work, but the safety of other police officers and the community are of paramount importance to me. It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal. I would like to thank all of my supporters and fellow officers throughout this process."

    11/27/2014 12:55 PM EST

    Murals In Ferguson

    11/27/2014 11:28 AM EST

    Ferguson Protests Hit Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

    Unrest following the Ferguson grand jury's decision to not indict police officer Darren Wilson has hit the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

    Using #StopTheParade as a rallying cry, protesters attempted to disrupt the annual parade in New York City. According to Mashable, police arrested some of the demonstrators just as the parade kicked off.

    --Mollie Reilly

    11/27/2014 11:19 AM EST

    Ferguson Library Stays Open Throughout The Protests

    MSNBC's Steve Kornacki reports on Ferguson's public library, which has remained open throughout the protests.

    Over 50 volunteers helped staff the library, which provided free lunches to children as schools remained closed. The library also offered help to businesses who suffered damage during the protests following the grand jury's decision.

    "We have a dramatic setting right now but it is not different than what libraries do every day," library director Scott Bonner said.

    Watch the segment here.

    --Mollie Reilly

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    Ferguson Prosecutor Robert McCulloch Gives Bizarre Press Conference

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