Students, professor react to Ferguson announcement
Colorado College students flocked to the nearest TV on Monday to watch a St. Louis County prosecutor announce the grand jury’s decision in the case of an unarmed black teenager shot and killed by a police officer.
The grand jury chose not to indict Officer Darren Wilson after reviewing the evidence. He shot and killed Michael Brown, 18, in Ferguson Missouri in August.
Students stayed mostly silent as the announcement came down, but disappointment showed on their faces.
Trina Reynolds-Tyler got up and walked away after hearing the grand jury’s decision. She said she had a difficult time putting her emotions into words.
“It breaks my heart. And it makes me afraid to raise a black man in America,” said Reynolds-Tyler.
The prosecutor and President Barack Obama urged people to trust the grand jury. The prosecutor reminded people that the grand jury has reviewed all the evidence before reaching their conclusion. But Reynolds-Tyler said this decision makes her not trust society.
“It makes me reflect on the country that I live in and it makes me genuinely question my citizenship as an African-American woman in this country,” said Reynolds-Tyler.
Student Jazlyn Andrews said she feels helpless.
“I wish there was something productive that I can do right at this moment to help fight this,” said Andrews.
Colorado College professor Claire Garcia asked her students to watch the decision with her. She said she is disappointed, but not defeated.
“I hope it’s a galvanizing movement for all Americans no matter what your color is because clearly race played into this incident,” said Garcia.
Garcia said responsibility now falls into the hands of her students and the younger generation. She said it will be their responsibility to fix the problem of race in the U.S.
