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Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

Representing the 30th District of TEXAS

Congresswoman Johnson Releases a Statement on the Ferguson Grand Jury Decision

Nov 25, 2014
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C.—(November 25th, 2014) – Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson released the following statement in response to the Ferguson Grand Jury’s Decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the death of unarmed teenager, Michael Brown: 

“I am deeply saddened by the Ferguson Grand Jury’s decision yesterday evening. The decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown is both a travesty and a failure by our justice system. As the proud mother of a black man and grandmother to three grandsons, I cannot imagine the depth of the wound left in the hearts of Lesley McSpadden and Michael Brown Sr.

The death of their son at the hands of a police officer sworn to protect and serve, aggravated by the refusal of the District Attorney to prosecute, is a profound affirmation of the devaluation of African-American men in this country.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King once said: “we must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Yesterday’s decision in Ferguson highlights that there is still much work to be done. Our charge now is to harness that anger into constructive change by initiating dialogue with our community members, our elected officials, and our police departments to ensure that there are no more senseless murders of young black men.  In the wake of this inequitable decision, we must stand together—peacefully. 

 

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