Ferguson’s Hope for Justice and the U.S. Department of Justice - 11.19.14

Gov. Jay Nixon yesterday declared a state of emergency in Ferguson, adding the National Guard to the heavy police presence planned for the city when the grand jury’s decision on whether Police Officer Darren Wilson is to be prosecuted for killing Michael Brown is announced. Nixon and local officials promise a kinder, gentler militarization.

The grand jury’s ruling, a determination of Wilson’s criminal culpability, formally will conclude the state’s inquiry into the contentious Aug. 9 shooting, which touched off weeks-long unrest and violent skirmishes between protesters and police. But the state grand jury isn’t the only determinant of justice. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder had launched a Department of Justice investigation into Brown’s death and the Ferguson Police Department.

Following yesterday’s discussion on the state grand jury, Leid Stories focuses on the federal inquiry and whether Ferguson’s hope for Justice will be delivered by the Justice Department. “Attorney at War” Alton H. Maddox Jr. discusses the competing interests and conflicts of the state and federal investigations.