The Justice Department has finally confirmed what many of us were certain was the case: Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson told the truth about what happened when he said he shot Michael Brown in self-defense.
In other words, all of the rioting, demonstrations and racist pronouncements that followed were based on lies.
After a six-month investigation, the DOJ concluded that Brown, allegedly a thug and a thief, was not trying to peacefully surrender when the incident occurred. He did not hold his hands up and say, “Don’t shoot.” And he was not shot in the back, as some alleged.
The operative word in the Justice Department’s conclusions was “credible.” It comes up again and again in the DOJ report:.
• “There is no credible evidence to refute Wilson’s… belief that he was acting in self-defense.”.
• “In analyzing all of the evidence, federal prosecutors found Wilson’s account to be credible.”.
• “There are no witnesses who could testify credibly that Wilson shot Brown while Brown was clearly attempting to surrender.”.
• “Multiple credible witnesses corroborate virtually every material aspect of Wilson’s account and are consistent with physical evidence.”
In other words, a bunch of witnesses lied under oath about what happened, in an effort to get Wilson indicted for murder. Their lies were repeated over and over again by the media. They were used to justify weeks of rioting that followed the shooting.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon was just one of the officials guilty of a dishonest rush to judgment. When he promised to do everything possible “to achieve justice for this family,” the governor wasn’t talking about Brown and his family. On the contrary, he said that “a vigorous prosecution must now be pursued” against the police officer. The Washington Post reported that “after canvassing more than 300 homes and reviewing physical, ballistic, forensic, medical and crime-scene evidence,” as well as examining “Wilson’s personnel records, audio and video recordings,” the Justice Department concluded that Wilson told the truth about what happened.
As the Justice Department report put it, “There are no witnesses who could testify credibly that Wilson shot Brown while Brown was clearly attempting to surrender.” And the report continues, “The evidence does not establish that it was unreasonable for Wilson to perceive Brown as a threat while Brown was punching and grabbing him in the SUV and attempting to take his gun.”
So now it’s part of the official record: Wilson told the truth. While it may help salvage his reputation, it comes too late to save his career. And don’t expect the witnesses who lied to be prosecuted for perjury. Or for the racist agitators and public officials who got it so wrong to apologize for their incendiary remarks.
On the contrary. Attorney General Eric Holder has said that deep-seated racism in the Ferguson police department was to blame for what happened. Here’s his mealymouthed explanation of events:
[A]mid a highly toxic environment, defined by mistrust and resentment [of police], stoked by years of bad feelings and spurred by illegal and misguided practices, it is not difficult to imagine how a single tragic incident set off the city of Ferguson like a powder keg.
Isn’t that disgusting? Our nation’s top law enforcement officer actually says it is perfectly understandable that some people would lie under oath and try to get an innocent policeman indicted for murder because of a history of racism in their city.
The Justice Department says that proof of the racism in Ferguson is the fact that blacks comprise 67 percent of the population there, but account for 93 percent of arrests. But there is nothing unusual or unfair about this. According to FBI crime statistics, while blacks comprise 13 percent of the population in this country, they account for one-third to one-half of all violent crimes.
In his syndicated column, Pat Buchanan got it right when he said, “The real story of Ferguson is the entrenched bigotry that propelled a mob-like rush to judgment by journalists and race hustlers that ruined the life of an honest cop who did his duty and told the truth.”
That’s the truth. But don’t expect the Obama administration or their lapdogs in the mainstream media, to admit it. Wilson may have been vindicated. But every police officer in the country — black, white or Latino — will continue to be smeared by racist agitators and a hostile media.
Until next time, keep some powder dry.
Chip Wood was the first news editor of The Review of the News and also wrote for American Opinion, our two predecessor publications. He is now the geopolitical editor of Personal Liberty Digest. This article first appeared on PersonalLiberty.com and has been reprinted with permission.
