The transcript of the proceedings of the grand jury that examined the death of Michael Brown at the hands of police officer Darren Wilson, on August 9, on the streets of Ferguson, MO, is interesting on many counts.
Here is one excerpt that caught my eye.
page 45, Volume X, October 6, 2014
or page 1825/4799
(Grand juror): (redacted) When you said it is not a safe area, if I could get just a little bit more clarification. This is not a safe area. Is there gang activity in the area that you know?
A: Honestly, I don't, I don't know. I just don't want my child there. When I say that, it is just that my son is (redacted) years old, he's (redacted), he's a good kid. Things happen, police are always down there. I don't know what goes on. I honestly don't go down there at night. So when I say I don't want my child there, he abides by what I tell him and he goes places where I feel he is going to be safe.
(Grand juror): I understand.
A: I understand that's (redacted)'s home, I'm not comfortable with him being (redacted). I have a (redacted) daughter and (redacted) knows they can came and take (redacted) out during the day, but it is just too much, it is too much activity, whether it is the residents or police or whatever, I don't want him there.
And as a mother, he does what I tell him to do. So it has nothing to do with that. My mother is a business owner, I don't like for him to go where her business is at night because he's (reeducated). This is my way of protecting my child as much as I can protect him.
(Grand juror): Uh-huh
A: When I say go somewhere, he don't go. He's (redacted) he drives, he's a good student, but when he leaves my house and he's going somewhere, he needs to give me a phone call.
(Grand juror): Uh-huh
A: And that's what I expect him to do. When he's on his way home, he needs to give me a phone call.
(Grand juror): Uh-huh
A: But that's my way, that's our way of protecting him as much as I possibly can. I don't know what happens there because I don't live there.
(Grand juror): Uh-huh
A: But I don't want him there because it is too much police activity, there is too many people many walking up and down the streets all the time, and I don't know what they do there because I don't live there, but I don't want either one of my kids there. I'm going to tell you how I feel and my husband.
(Grand juror): If I can ask another question being a mother, like you said, of a (redacted). Do you also advise him to respect --
A: Yes
(Grand juror): -- law officers?
A: Every time I tell him what to do and he even encountered being stopped by a police officer and it scared him to death because he was not doing anything, this is when he first learned how to drive. He was going to my aunt's house, it was dark and I don't know if you all are familiar with Parker Road, there are no lights on Parker, he had his high beams on. The police officer pulled him over and he stopped, he was not disrespectful, he was not belligerent, he pulled out his insurance, his license and the police officer told him, young man, I'm just giving you a warning, turn your high beams off. And my child was so afraid, the officer wanted to know if he needed us to come and pick him up.
So he respects the authority, however I don't want him to be in a situation where he has to second guess anything that my husband and I have told him about, what he's supposed to do when he's encountered by a person of authority. My child has a 3.5 GPA. He's never been suspended, he's never been in trouble, but it is always that one incident.
When he leaves the house he's only to have two people in his car outside of his sister. I mean, I mean, I was a teenager, my husband was as well, but we try to train him and teach him to do things that he's supposed to do. But that's not always the case. And when you have other people in your car, you don't know what they have on them. So we've given him as much guidance as we possibly can.
Now whether or not he uses it when he walks out the door, that's another story.
(Grand juror): Uh-huh
MS. ALIZADEH {one of the prosecutors}: (redacted) just to clarify, the officer that pulled over your son, was he a Ferguson officer?
A: No, he was a county.
MS. ALIZADEH: Okay. And that encounter went okay?
A: He was fine, it just scared him to death.
MS. ALIZADEH:: Maybe that's a good thing, right.
A: I mean, when he got in the house, he was trembling. I mean, he was shaking, and we were like what is wrong with you. He is like, I got stopped. I'm like, okay. Calm down, but because he knows he has to respect authority. And he just, but I didn't do anything. Which I understand that, but he had his high beams on a dark road and he could have blinded the other driver.
And again, like I said, he was (redacted), just learning how to drive. It was dark, he figured I turn on the high beams and I will be okay.
MS. ALIZADEH: But the officer wasn't belligerent with your son?
A: No, huh-uh.
Here is one excerpt that caught my eye.
page 45, Volume X, October 6, 2014
or page 1825/4799
(Grand juror): (redacted) When you said it is not a safe area, if I could get just a little bit more clarification. This is not a safe area. Is there gang activity in the area that you know?
A: Honestly, I don't, I don't know. I just don't want my child there. When I say that, it is just that my son is (redacted) years old, he's (redacted), he's a good kid. Things happen, police are always down there. I don't know what goes on. I honestly don't go down there at night. So when I say I don't want my child there, he abides by what I tell him and he goes places where I feel he is going to be safe.
(Grand juror): I understand.
A: I understand that's (redacted)'s home, I'm not comfortable with him being (redacted). I have a (redacted) daughter and (redacted) knows they can came and take (redacted) out during the day, but it is just too much, it is too much activity, whether it is the residents or police or whatever, I don't want him there.
And as a mother, he does what I tell him to do. So it has nothing to do with that. My mother is a business owner, I don't like for him to go where her business is at night because he's (reeducated). This is my way of protecting my child as much as I can protect him.
(Grand juror): Uh-huh
A: When I say go somewhere, he don't go. He's (redacted) he drives, he's a good student, but when he leaves my house and he's going somewhere, he needs to give me a phone call.
(Grand juror): Uh-huh
A: And that's what I expect him to do. When he's on his way home, he needs to give me a phone call.
(Grand juror): Uh-huh
A: But that's my way, that's our way of protecting him as much as I possibly can. I don't know what happens there because I don't live there.
(Grand juror): Uh-huh
A: But I don't want him there because it is too much police activity, there is too many people many walking up and down the streets all the time, and I don't know what they do there because I don't live there, but I don't want either one of my kids there. I'm going to tell you how I feel and my husband.
(Grand juror): If I can ask another question being a mother, like you said, of a (redacted). Do you also advise him to respect --
A: Yes
(Grand juror): -- law officers?
A: Every time I tell him what to do and he even encountered being stopped by a police officer and it scared him to death because he was not doing anything, this is when he first learned how to drive. He was going to my aunt's house, it was dark and I don't know if you all are familiar with Parker Road, there are no lights on Parker, he had his high beams on. The police officer pulled him over and he stopped, he was not disrespectful, he was not belligerent, he pulled out his insurance, his license and the police officer told him, young man, I'm just giving you a warning, turn your high beams off. And my child was so afraid, the officer wanted to know if he needed us to come and pick him up.
So he respects the authority, however I don't want him to be in a situation where he has to second guess anything that my husband and I have told him about, what he's supposed to do when he's encountered by a person of authority. My child has a 3.5 GPA. He's never been suspended, he's never been in trouble, but it is always that one incident.
When he leaves the house he's only to have two people in his car outside of his sister. I mean, I mean, I was a teenager, my husband was as well, but we try to train him and teach him to do things that he's supposed to do. But that's not always the case. And when you have other people in your car, you don't know what they have on them. So we've given him as much guidance as we possibly can.
Now whether or not he uses it when he walks out the door, that's another story.
(Grand juror): Uh-huh
MS. ALIZADEH {one of the prosecutors}: (redacted) just to clarify, the officer that pulled over your son, was he a Ferguson officer?
A: No, he was a county.
MS. ALIZADEH: Okay. And that encounter went okay?
A: He was fine, it just scared him to death.
MS. ALIZADEH:: Maybe that's a good thing, right.
A: I mean, when he got in the house, he was trembling. I mean, he was shaking, and we were like what is wrong with you. He is like, I got stopped. I'm like, okay. Calm down, but because he knows he has to respect authority. And he just, but I didn't do anything. Which I understand that, but he had his high beams on a dark road and he could have blinded the other driver.
And again, like I said, he was (redacted), just learning how to drive. It was dark, he figured I turn on the high beams and I will be okay.
MS. ALIZADEH: But the officer wasn't belligerent with your son?
A: No, huh-uh.
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