Innocent Until Proven Guilty - Unless You're In Ferguson, Missouri

In an interesting twist in the case of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, nearly two weeks ago, Jamilah Nasheed, a Missouri state Senator, has called for the St. Louis County prosecutor, Robert McCulloch, to recuse himself from the Brown case.

“This racially charged climate demands an independent investigation, and to be perfectly blunt, the African-American community has no confidence that your office can carry out an impartial investigation and prosecution,” Nasheed said in a two page letter to the prosecutor's office.

One of the reasons Nasheed and others believe Mr. McCulloch, a white Democrat who has been re-elected four times, should recuse himself is because his police officer father was killed in the line of duty by a black man - over 50 years ago. In an interview last evening Ms. Nasheed was asked why, if McCulloch is trusted enough by the community to have been re-elected four times by the people, he is now unqualified to be the prosecutor in the Brown case. Ms. Nasheed's answer was "The black community didn't vote for him." 

U.S. Representative William Lacy Clay also weighed in on McCulloch's position as prosecutor in the case. “We don’t have any confidence in the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office,” said Clay, a Democrat from St. Louis. “I have no faith in him, but I do trust the FBI and the Justice Department.”

Isn't it odd that these two black political figures have no faith in a four-time re-elected prosecutor when it comes to a case involving the shooting of a black man by a white police officer. To my knowledge they have never asked him before to recuse him self from a case.

Nasheed is complaining because Officer Wilson hasn't been arrested and indicted yet. Two weeks after the incident, when the facts of the case are still being uncovered, Missouri Democrat politicians are pushing for the officer to be indicted without all of the facts and evidence being brought out. Some political figures, including the governor of Missouri, seem to be anxious to toss aside the Constitution in an effort to speed this case along before the facts are known. The governor made a video last week saying "Vigorous prosecution must now be pursued." He didn't say "vigorous investigation" but prosecution. And he was the Missouri Attorney General for 16 years. Do they not understand that rushing the case could just as easily help the officer as it could the Brown family?

Or maybe they're seeing more evidence that the officer was justified in shooting Brown and they want him charged and tried before the evidence shows his innocence....?

Senator Nasheed said to McCulloch: "If you should decide to not indict this police officer, the rioting we witnessed this past week will seem like a picnic compared to the havoc that will likely occur, because the black community will never accept that there was an impartial investigation from your office."

That's pretty irresponsible and inflammatory for a state Senator to say given the volatile events that are going on right now. She's stoking the fires and threatening the prosecutor at the same time. 

She went on: "On the other hand, if you should indict, the black community will be suspicious of your office's sincerity in carrying forth the prosecution, as I can imagine serious questions about the lack of African-American prosecutors in the county."

Damned if you do, damned if you don't, it seems. Anyone want to bet she wants a special prosecutor who just happens to be African-American? I wonder what racial breakdown she'll demand for the jury? So much for "Justice is blind."

It's very obvious Ms. Nasheed has no interest in discovering the facts of the case but instead wants Officer Wilson indicted - even if it's not warranted. Apparently in her world people are not innocent until proven guilty. She also believes Robert McCulloch has no personal integrity - most likely because he's white. That seems odd considering he's been re-elected so many times. The black community has had numerous opportunities to make change in their local government but has apparently failed to do so.

I wonder if, being a state Senator, Ms. Nasheed is familiar enough with the Constitution to know that indicting someone for a crime simply to satisfy an angry community is illegal? Knowledge of the Constitution doesn't seem important in politics today. For that matter - following it doesn't seem important to them either.

In other news concerning Ferguson, Attorney General Eric Holder said in a news conference today: "This attorney general and this Department of Justice stand for the people of Ferguson.” I can't help but wonder what that means. Over 120 people have been arrested during the disturbances in Ferguson over the last two weeks. Only four of them actually live in Ferguson. So who is it really that is outraged over the death of Michael Brown? 

Holder is in the process of railroading Officer Wilson toward a civil rights violation charge. Never in my lifetime have I seen a U.S. Attorney General involve himself so soon in a small town case like this, nor travel to the town before the local investigation has been completed. It's unprecedented. And I believe it's because Holder wants to hang this white police officer out to dry whatever the facts and evidence show. He was unable to do that with George Zimmerman so he's making it a personal thing. Why else would he involve himself in the case before all of the evidence is in?

I can't help but wonder if Brown had been white and Wilson was black if Eric Holder would have involved himself in the case and would have visited Ferguson. I think we all know the answer to that. A recent police shooting in Salt Lake City involved an unarmed, white man and a "non-white" (as stated by the local news) police officer. Not only has Holder not gone to Salt Lake City but he hasn't even mentioned the incident. And the local news won't even say "black" or "African-American," just non-white. Political correctness in this country has gotten to the point of idiocy.

As I said one day last week - Darren Wilson should be very afraid - not only of some angry people in the Ferguson community but from vigilante politicians and the left-wing media who want to lynch him. It doesn't matter if he's guilty of a crime or not - they don't care. They want blood for blood and they'll do what they have to do to get it, legal or not.