Season's Greetings from Ferguson

“A white police officer will not face charges for fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager in a case that set off violent protests and racial unrest throughout the nation, an attorney close to the case said Monday night,” USA Today reports, with a lede that hits all of the racial polemics, followed by these initial details:

A St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict officer Darren Wilson, 28, for firing six shots in an August confrontation that killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, said Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the family. The decision had been long awaited and followed rioting that resembled war-zone news footage in this predominantly black suburb of St. Louis.

“The jury was not inclined to indict on any charges,” Crump said after being informed of the decision by authorities. Prosecutors scheduled an news conference to announce the decision.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, called for calm after calling up National Guard troops to stand by in case of unrest. Speaking before the decision was announced, he urged that “regardless of the decision, people on all sides show tolerance, mutual respect and restraint.”

Crowds gathered around the Ferguson police headquarters in anticipation of the announcement at the courthouse in Clayton, Mo., another St. Louis suburb.

And with an MSM fully prepared to gin up a firestorm. Literally, they hope, particularly in a period that in less enlightened times used to be a slow news week:

Hope the Ferguson reaction is everything the media’s been dreaming it might be!

— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) November 24, 2014

Update:

@ZekeJMiller @blackandgold43 @jeneps Douchebag reporters with an agenda, in other words

— JWF (@JammieWF) November 25, 2014

Exactly. And speaking of which…

By the way, as this story fades from view in coming weeks and as the next racial protest in ginned up by the White House and its Democrat operatives with bylines, a reminder from Rod Dreher and Fred Siegel that Ferguson will likely never recover from the riots inflicted upon it since August. See also: Newark and Detroit.

As a commenter quipped at Hot Air, this could be the quote of the year:

McCulloch said many witness statements contradicted physical evidence and sometimes their own stories.

“Physical evidence does not change because of public pressure or personal agendas,” he said.

Sadly, Messrs. Obama, Holder, and Sharpton do not agree with that reality. Nor does Sharpton’s fellow contributor at MSNBC, Chris Hayes:

@chrislhayes Because he called you out for turning #Ferguson into a three-ring circus?

— TMZ Politics (@TMZ_Politics) November 25, 2014

Meanwhile, a prominent Time-Warner-CNN-HBO-HN spokeswoman offers her expert opinion on the verdict:

@NancyGraceHLN no, of course not. But being physically intimidating AND attaching a store clerk and a cop does. #NotGentleGiant

— Fred (@carocanesfan) November 25, 2014

Update (7:27 PM PST): The split-screens during Obama’s speech are making him sound like Baghdad Bob. (Click speaker icon on tweets for sound):

Nice juxtaposition here. https://t.co/HrBqB8xAW0

— Josh Sternberg (@joshsternberg) November 25, 2014

Perfect juxtaposition of Obama’s general lack of awareness. #ferguson https://t.co/pANKg7YzG2

— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) November 25, 2014

Update (8:15 PM PST): And in New York tonight:

Unreal! RT @moneyries: NYPD police chief sprayed with fake blood at NYC protest (@jeffrae) pic.twitter.com/oh0vRt8poJ http://t.co/MNfErnoaBD — toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) November 25, 2014

What on earth was the Ferguson government thinking to hang that banner, and give the MSM a shot like this on a platter? Variations on this shot are all over Fox and CNN as I’m posting this. This photo is being called “Pulitzer material” and “the iconic photo of this story” on Twitter:

.@Reuters Photo: Police form a line in the street under a holiday sign in Ferguson, Missouri pic.twitter.com/Qws7t6KG7D

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) November 25, 2014

Update (10:44 PM PST): Fox and CNN viewers witnessed a police car, a car dealership and the local Little Caesar’s Pizza set ablaze, a beauticians’ store looted, a McDonald’s with its windows smashed — and “Full circle: Liquor store Michael Brown accused of robbing being looted.”

CNN anchorman Don Lemon interviewed his fellow anchormen while wearing a gas mask. Fellow CNN representative “Van Jones blames violence entirely on McCulloch for aggressive tone in press conference and for scheduling it in the evening,” despite McCulloch being a fellow Democrat and Obama supporter.

Exit quotes:

All right, I’m going to bed. I’ve had enough of cable TV enjoying itself while acting like it hates covering riots.

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) November 25, 2014

It’s nights like this that one gets a feel for the frankly erotic love some white progressive activists have for mob violence.

— Moe Lane (@moelane) November 25, 2014

Which brings us back to Allahpundit’s tweet at the start of this post. (Only fair, since Allah patented the exit quote format.) Was “the Ferguson reaction is everything the media’s been dreaming it might be?” In their heart of hearts, I’d bet old media is feeling pretty gleeful right now. Somehow though, Going forward, I doubt the majority of Ferguson’s 21,000 residents will ultimately think it’s worth it, as they’re in for one heck of an extended hangover.

Late Update (12:21 AM): The Smoking Gun reports, “Ferguson Witnesss Told Investigators That Michael Brown Charged Cop ‘Like a Football Player. Head Down:'”

The witness’s account of the unarmed Brown charging Wilson — even after he had been shot in the hand during a struggle at the cop’s patrol car — supports the officer’s contention that he fired a series of shots as Brown bore down on him.

During his September 16 grand jury testimony, Wilson, 28, recounted how he tussled with Brown when the teenager grabbed for his gun while lunging into the squad car. As they fought over the weapon, Wilson testified, the teenager taunted him, yelling, “You’re too much of a pussy to shoot me.”

Read the whole thing.