Here’s the scoop from the USA Today, which talked to the attorney representing the family of Michael Brown ahead of what was supposed to be an official announcement at 6 pm local time:
FERGUSON, Mo. — A white police officer will not face charges for fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager in a case that set off violent protests and racial unrest throughout the nation, an attorney close to the case said Monday night.
A St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict officer Darren Wilson, 28, for firing six shots in an August confrontation that killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, said Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the family. The decision had been long awaited and followed rioting that resembled war-zone news footage in this predominantly black suburb of St. Louis.
It’s going to be a long night in St. Louis County, and possibly in a lot of other places, too.
A rally in Portland has been set by advocates including the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform at 4 pm tomorrow in front of the Justice Center downtown.
But others are spoiling to make a local statement after news this weekend that three Portland cops used a picture of their official badge to declare “I am Darren Wilson” on Facebook—with several of their fellow officers joining the fun by liking the post. Those posts drew a strong rebuke from Mayor Charlie Hales’ office and Police Chief Mike Reese, on account of them raising temperatures at a time when city officials have been desperately trying to keep them cool.
UPDATE 6:30 PM: Hales’ office says the mayor will be offering remarks and a reaction around 7, along with a written statement.
UPDATE 7:06 PM: Hales has delivered his statement. It seems he’s trying to walk a difficult line in policing protests, trying to pre-empt concerns by signaling officers will try not to be heavy-handed (but also not ruling out that possibility, in invoking the word “safety” at the end of his remarks).
“We want people to [protest] peacefully,” Hales said after reading his statement (I watched via KGW’s live stream), calling it a chance for Portlanders to come together “in agreement about what kind of community we want to be.”
“No one will say this should have happened to Michael Brown.”
Today we learned that a grand jury in Ferguson, Mo., found no probable cause to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.
My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Ferguson, Mo.; to the residents, the police, and the family and friends of Michael Brown. We all feel the pain of the loss of a young man’s life.
The situation in Ferguson did not occur in a vacuum. All of our community is hurting today. And, together, all of our community must begin healing. We, as a society, have a lot of work to do addressing the systemic inequities history has left us.
We are working to address those inequities in Portland with the Black Male Achievement Initiative; SummerWorks internship program; Ban the Box; a felony-hiring incentive; and by working to build community trust in the police bureau. The city, and all our public institutions, must work to address these issues.
I know of at least one planned demonstration here in Portland related to the decision. And there may be demonstrations across the nation as citizens express concern about police practices.
Our police leadership has reached out to community leaders who are planning events in order to help facilitate the safe demonstration of citizens’ constitutional rights of assembly and speech. We did not drive this collaboration; we participated in it. I sincerely hope these conversations and collaborative planning will be a model of citizens and police working together, even on difficult issues.
People have a right to speak their minds on this and any other issue. Our Police Bureau policies on demonstrations reflect our city’s commitment of these rights.
We are fully prepared to support the people who choose to publicly demonstrate. We will work to facilitate safety for all demonstrations.
UPDATE 7:14 PM: And tonight’s also apparently going to see a protest at the Justice Center.
folks are gathering at the Justice Center.
#portland #ftp
— jessie sponberg (@ozone2016) November 25, 2014
In Seattle, they’ve opened their emergency center—while protesters do things like block intersections to hold “die-ins.”