Laurie4b Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/11/us/ferguson-grand-jury-docs/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 There are over 1000 pages (just guestimating) I am glad we get to see the evidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I have mixed feelings about this. The laws of the States of Missouri and Texas, obviously, are very different. And, possibly because this is a very high profile case, they released these documents to the public. Many years ago, I testified before a Grand Jury in Texas. It had to do with two men who had burglarized an apartment next door to mine. I was the one who called the police and after they arrived I showed them where the criminals had gone. At that time, in Texas, if they were captured within 15 (?) minutes of the crime it was considered “in the actâ€. The questions I was asked by the members of the Grand Jury and my answers to their questions were secret. The two men were ex convicts and both of them pleaded guilty and I did not need to testify during their trials. :hurray: A Grand Jury is not a public forum and based on my personal experience, I believe the information they gather should probably not be disclosed to the public as has been done by the Saint Louis County Grand Jury. I'm glad that you are interested in reading the material that was released and that it is available to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I think the powers-that-be wanted a sense of transparency since so many conflicting stories were in the media. I have the impression that some things are redacted to help protect identities of witnesses. It's interesting to hear other boardies' experiences with the legal system, grand juries, police, etc. We all tend to form opinions about current situations based on our own experiences, and having more people share their own stories helps some of us have more nuance in our thinking. Which is my way of saying "thanks for sharing." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 The officers testimony is interesting. Pg. 195 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 The officers testimony is interesting. Pg. 195 It's pretty scary how quickly things were escalated by Michael Brown. Does anyone know which witness is M Brown's friend, Dorian Johnson? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted November 26, 2014 Author Share Posted November 26, 2014 I have mixed feelings about this. The laws of the States of Missouri and Texas, obviously, are very different. And, possibly because this is a very high profile case, they released these documents to the public. Many years ago, I testified before a Grand Jury in Texas. It had to do with two men who had burglarized an apartment next door to mine. I was the one who called the police and after they arrived I showed them where the criminals had gone. At that time, in Texas, if they were captured within 15 (?) minutes of the crime it was considered “in the actâ€. The questions I was asked by the members of the Grand Jury and my answers to their questions were secret. The two men were ex convicts and both of them pleaded guilty and I did not need to testify during their trials. :hurray: A Grand Jury is not a public forum and based on my personal experience, I believe the information they gather should probably not be disclosed to the public as has been done by the Saint Louis County Grand Jury. I'm glad that you are interested in reading the material that was released and that it is available to you. I can see that point. Had they not pleaded guilty, though, would you have had to testify at the trial? In other words, did you "luck out" with the secrecy thing because of their plea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reflections Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 A Grand Jury is not a public forum and based on my personal experience, I believe the information they gather should probably not be disclosed to the public as has been done by the Saint Louis County Grand Jury. I agree. I wouldn't want the witnesses to face a backlash or worse. I think the powers-that-be wanted a sense of transparency since so many conflicting stories were in the media. I have the impression that some things are redacted to help protect identities of witnesses. It's interesting to hear other boardies' experiences with the legal system, grand juries, police, etc. We all tend to form opinions about current situations based on our own experiences, and having more people share their own stories helps some of us have more nuance in our thinking. Which is my way of saying "thanks for sharing." I think that is a very important observation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 I can see that point. Had they not pleaded guilty, though, would you have had to testify at the trial? In other words, did you "luck out" with the secrecy thing because of their plea? Yes. I was incredibly lucky. After this happened, I was told that one of them went to prison for 2 years and the other for 3 years. I am extremely thankful that I was not required to attend their trial or testify in their trial! My understanding of how a Grand Jury operates comes from living many years in Texas and there it is a Secret proceeding. I was asked questions by the members of the Grand Jury and I answered their questions and then I was free to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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