History is written by the winners
http://digg.com/2014/darren-wilson-testimony-transcript
That quote is echoing through my head as I read the transcript (hosted on Scribd, Digg link above) of the grand jury testimony. Officer Wilson's testimony begins on page 195.
My immediate takeaway from this is that I'm quite sure Mr Brown would have given different testimony were he still alive to tell his side of the story. Officer Wilson's testimony focuses a great deal on the initial altercation, for which Wilson has supporting evidence, and seems almost to skim over the final confrontation that resulted in Mr Brown's death. The questioning after his testimony goes back to that part, somewhat, but it's clear that we're in Officer Wilson's narrative at this point.
If the other witness to the initial incident and then (I believe also) the shooting, Mr Johnson, also testified I didn't see it here. I expect his story would differ considerably from Officer Wilson's. I've read elsewhere that other eyewitnesses to the shooting that killed Mr Brown have given accounts that are substantially different. I wonder if the grand jury also considered those accounts. I wonder if they felt, as I do, that a court of law exists to help us sort through conflicting accounts, to weigh evidence and reach decisions.
There have also been accusations that the police department of Ferguson conducted its own investigation and has not fully revealed its findings. I cannot help but assume that this is because those findings would cast further doubt on Officer Wilson's narrative. In an open court of law one could have subpoenaed those findings and examined them for further revelations. Perhaps as the FBI pursues its civil rights case against Officer Wilson we may yet get to hear that fuller story.
But today the fact remains that Officer Wilson is the one alive to write history.
That quote is echoing through my head as I read the transcript (hosted on Scribd, Digg link above) of the grand jury testimony. Officer Wilson's testimony begins on page 195.
My immediate takeaway from this is that I'm quite sure Mr Brown would have given different testimony were he still alive to tell his side of the story. Officer Wilson's testimony focuses a great deal on the initial altercation, for which Wilson has supporting evidence, and seems almost to skim over the final confrontation that resulted in Mr Brown's death. The questioning after his testimony goes back to that part, somewhat, but it's clear that we're in Officer Wilson's narrative at this point.
If the other witness to the initial incident and then (I believe also) the shooting, Mr Johnson, also testified I didn't see it here. I expect his story would differ considerably from Officer Wilson's. I've read elsewhere that other eyewitnesses to the shooting that killed Mr Brown have given accounts that are substantially different. I wonder if the grand jury also considered those accounts. I wonder if they felt, as I do, that a court of law exists to help us sort through conflicting accounts, to weigh evidence and reach decisions.
There have also been accusations that the police department of Ferguson conducted its own investigation and has not fully revealed its findings. I cannot help but assume that this is because those findings would cast further doubt on Officer Wilson's narrative. In an open court of law one could have subpoenaed those findings and examined them for further revelations. Perhaps as the FBI pursues its civil rights case against Officer Wilson we may yet get to hear that fuller story.
But today the fact remains that Officer Wilson is the one alive to write history.