A member of the grand jury that declined to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot and killed African-American teenager Michael Brown, is suing prosecutor Robert McCulloch.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of an anonymous juror identified only as “Grand Juror Doe,” in an attempt to lift a gag order that prevents the juror from speaking publicly about the secret proceedings.
The lawsuit claims McCulloch mischaracterized some of the evidence presented to the grand jury and mischaracterized the grand jury’s views. Specifically, the lawsuit challenges McCulloch’s implication that all grand jurors believed no support existed for any of the charges.
If the grand juror is allowed to speak publicly, Ferguson and other communities in the St. Louis metropolitan area could see renewed violence and clashes with police. Protesters’ clashes with police and attempts to disrupt their community in the name of social justice have continued since the grand jury decided not to indict Wilson in November. On New Year’s Eve, approximately 70 protesters swarmed St. Louis Police headquarters, only to be turned away by cops with pepper spray. Whether permitting a Ferguson grand juror to speak publicly would spark something similar, or something worse, remains to be seen.