Jonathan Ferrell's Life Does Not Matter

CNN reports that:

Prosecutors in North Carolina will not seek a retrial of a police officer charged in the shooting death of an unarmed man, according to a letter from the state attorney general's office.

Officer Randall Kerrick of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department was charged with voluntary manslaughter after he shot and killed Jonathan Ferrell, a college student and football player, in 2013.

A judge last week declared a mistrial after the jury could not reach a verdict.

Prosecutors made their decision after speaking with jurors from the original trial. They said they will submit paperwork for dismissal of the charge.

"In consideration of the jurors' comments, the evidence available to the State, and our background in criminal trials, it is our prosecutors' unanimous belief a retrial will not yield a different result," said the state attorney general's letter to the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said at a new conference on Friday that he still stands by the decision to bring the case to trial.

"The loss of Jonathan Ferrell's life is a tragedy -- it should not have happened," Cooper said. "Our prosecutors have talked with Jonathan's mother about this decision. It was the right thing to bring this case before a jury and seek a conviction, but now we need to listen to what the jury said."

This is a disgrace. It is an act of cowardice. Instead of having the fortitude to retry the case, the prosecution caved under pressure like some weak chumps. The prosecution should have presented the case to a new jury and let the jury decide. In lieu of that, Attorney General Roy Cooper essentially decided the case for them.

Despite all of the pleasantries and phony expressions of concern, his message is loud and clear: Jonathan Ferrell's life does not matter. Black lives do not matter.  They never have, and probably, never will.  Now, another black man is dead, and another white killer cop walks free. In fact, Randall Kerrick will probably be rewarded for killing Jonathan Ferrell. Kerrick will probably receive thousands of dollars for interviews.

Unfortunately, we are to blame for this outcome as well. We allowed ourselves to be pacified by a grand jury indictment and a trial. We lost focus and fell asleep at our post. For a second, we were deluded. We actually thought that justice was in sight. We stopped protesting and blogging about this case.

With virtually no pressure from the public, it was easy for the prosecutor to decide not the pursue the case. The prosecutor made his announcement on a Friday for a reason. Sadly, many of our people are more concerned about going to the club than they are about pursuing justice. By Monday, it will be business as usual and no one will give a damn about our brother Jonathan Ferrell.

Jonathan Ferrell: The Road to Justice is Long

"The road is long with many a winding turn that lead us to who knows where...But, I am strong enough to carry him. He ain't heavy. He's my brother. So on we go. His welfare is my concern." Donny Hathaway

CNN reported that:

A grand jury has indicted Officer Randall Kerrick of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on a charge of voluntary manslaughter in the September 14 shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell, according to a statement from state Attorney General Roy Cooper.

The grand jury heard evidence from the state Bureau of Investigation and the police department.

"With the strength of the evidence in this case, we're not surprised," Charles Monnett, an attorney for Ferrell's family, said about Monday's indictment.

"We're all pleased and happy that the process is beginning now and that there's an end in sight," he said. "It is the first step towards justice."

Ferrell's mother, Georgia, told CNN that she is prepared to wait as long as it takes for the case to wind its way through the justice system.

"I just feel like God's will will be done," she said.

The Charlotte, North Carolina, officer faced a second grand jury proceeding for the fatal shooting of Ferrell, an ex-college football player who was reportedly seeking assistance after a car accident.

Attorneys for Kerrick had denounced the prosecution's move to resubmit the case as unlawful and filed a motion to block it, but CNN affiliate News 14 Carolina reported the grand jury convened Monday morning.

A grand jury last week declined to indict Kerrick. Prosecutors said afterward the grand jury was composed of less than a full panel and vowed to send the case back.

I am glad that the second grand jury decided to indict Randall Kerrick for voluntary manslaughter. It looks the Ferrell family is beginning to walk on the long road toward justice. We will stand with the family on their journey. Justice for Jonathan Ferrell! Justice for Renisha McBride! Justice for Jordan Davis! Justice for Trayvon Martin!

Shattered Dreams and Disposable Black People

Too often, black dreams are shattered. Too often, we are reminded that our lives are expendable and that we are disposable. The two stories below are prime examples of that harsh reality. The Huffington Post reports that:

A partial grand jury in North Carolina has decided not to indict Randall Kerrick, the officer who fatally shot Jonathan Ferrell in September 2013.

After meeting for eight hours on Tuesday, the jury reportedly submitted a document to the county clerk of the court, not only stating it would not indict the officer on the charge of voluntary manslaughter, but also attached a handwritten letter respectfully requesting the district attorney submit a bill of indictment for a lesser charge.

However, Attorney General Roy Cooper said in a statement that the decision was not made by a full grand jury, and that his office plans to resubmit the request as soon as possible.

"Today, our prosecutors learned that the grand jury that considered the indictment on charges of voluntary manslaughter was less than a full panel. It would be in the best interest of justice to resubmit this case to a full grand jury, which we plan to do as soon as possible," Cooper said.

Officer Kerrick was charged after shooting Ferrell 10 times when authorities responded to a breaking and entering call. Ferrell who had been involved in an accident, was seeking help in a nearby neighborhood when a woman called the police, thinking he was a robber. Ferrell ran toward the officers, who tried to stop him with a Taser. Police said he continued to run toward them when Kerrick shot him. Ferrell died at the scene. Both the local NAACP chapter and Ferrell's family have questioned whether race played a role in the shooting.

In a rare move, the partial grand jury decided that there was insufficient evidence to indict the officer for voluntary manslaughter. I do not understand how they could possibly reach such a decision. That officer shot Mr. Ferrell 10 times. Mr. Ferrell was unarmed.  Mr. Ferrell did not pose a threat to anyone. 

Because of Mr. Ferrell's skin color that caller wrongly assumed that he was a robber.  Because of Mr. Ferrell's skin color that police officer probably assumed that Mr. Ferrell was dangerous.  Mr. Ferrell was merely seeking assistance after a car accident.  Because of Mr. Ferrell's skin color that jury had no problem allowing that officer walk. 

Like the Trayvon Martin case, the Amadou Diallo case, the Sean Bell case and other countless cases, we are reminded that the white man's word is sacrosanct and black life is worthless.

Tragically, white police officers and vigilantes are not the only people who devalue black life. Some lost brothers and sisters do not value the lives of their own people.  In another article, the Huffington Post reports that:

The shootings of two brothers within three weeks of one other has left a California mother mourning the loss of her only children.

Dinyal New, 41, admitted that she didn't have the strength to positively identify both of her sons, instead asking relatives to do so for her, SFGate reports.

On Dec. 31, 2013, New's younger son, 13-year-old Lee Weathersby, was shot dead while he was walking home from the Oakland Boys & Girls Club. Nineteen days later, her older son, Lamar Broussard, 19, died when the car he and a friend were in was sprayed with bullets, KGO reports.   

Similar violence occurs in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans and many other major inner cities around this nation. Such violence has become so routine and regular that many have accepted it as the new normal. Those endless tragedies do not receive the same level of attention as the Newtowns and Columbines.

That is yet another reminder of how insignificant black life is in this country. Instead of addressing criminogenic factors such as unemployment, poverty, inferior schools and the influx of firearms, the politicians and pundits continue to devalue black life by parroting empty slogans about personal responsibility and black pathology. As long as the underling conditions are not addressed, our cities will continue to be killing fields.

Is It Open Season on Black People?

Fox 2 News Headlines

The Detroit News reports that:

Dearborn Heights— Four days after a young woman was found dead outside a Dearborn Heights home at which she is believed to have sought help after a car accident, the family is asking: Why did she have to die?

Little has been publicly released about the circumstances of Renisha McBride’s death Saturday. The 19-year-old from Detroit died of a shotgun blast to the head outside the home in the 16800 block of Outer Drive near Warren Avenue. Dearborn Heights police said they have “identified the person who fired the shot and killed the woman.”

Her cellphone dead, her family said, she made her way to the house for help after the early morning accident.

“She probably wanted to ask him to make a call for her or if she could use the phone,” said McBride’s maternal aunt, Bernita Spinks.

Police have refused to release details of their investigation. The police chief did not return calls.

The family is filled with questions, said Spinks, a family spokeswoman. At a vigil late Wednesday, she asked: “Why did he have to shoot her?”

Spinks said the family met with police and Prosecutor’s Office about the shooting. She said police told the family the shooter is a man in his 50s.A preliminary autopsy indicated McBride was shot in the head, according to the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office. No other information on the autopsy was released.

Police on Wednesday asked the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to issue a warrant for the resident in the fatal shooting, but late Wednesday, the office said it sent back the request.

“We have requested further investigation by the police that must be submitted to our office before a decision will be made,” said Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

As the family prepares for the funeral Friday of McBride, a recent graduate of Southfield High School and an employee of Ford Motor Co., family members said they are troubled by the circumstances of the shooting. Spinks said she believes her niece was racially profiled.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that a white person killed a black person seeking help. Check out what happened to Jonathan Ferrell.

As reported in the Daily News,

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An unarmed former Florida A&M University football player shot and killed by police — who were responding to calls of a man trying to break into a house — was apparently just seeking help after a car accident.

Jonathan Ferrell, 24, was shot multiple times when cops say he surprised a trio of Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers by running toward them around 2 a.m. Saturday.

Police say Ferrell’s description matched one given by a woman who moments earlier called 911 to report a man knocking wildly on her front door and attempting to break in.

When we are not being killed by our own brothers and sisters, we are being killed by white racists who assume that all black people are dangerous criminals. They killed Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Jonathan Ferrell and now Renisha McBride. Is it open season on black people? How many more brothers and sisters must die before we finally wake the hell up and stand up?