DOJ won't charge Darren Wilson with civil rights crime

The media narrative about the Michael Brown shooting came apart pretty quickly, especially after the St. Louis County grand jury reviewed the evidence and recognized that Officer Darren Wilson had a very legitimate reason to fear for his life in the confrontation.

That didn't significantly change the media narrative at all, of course, because there's nothing the media love more than a race riot. So why report on the real evidence when they can pretend instead that a major racial injustice was done, then kick back with popcorn and watch as small businesses are looted and car dealerships are set on fire? Now that the Obama Justice Department appears likely to reach the same conclusion as the St. Louis County grand jury, do you think the narrative will change? The guess here is not at all. The media will simply play up the "racial anger" narrative without putting much emphasis at all on the reason there are going to be no charges - because the evidence simply don't support any: The FBI has completed its investigation into the August shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, and sent the findings to the Justice Department, a law enforcement official and a separate U.S. official said Wednesday. Justice Department prosecutors will not recommend civil rights charges against Wilson, who killed Brown, because there is not sufficient evidence to support charges, a U.S. official told CNN.

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The New York Times first reported the development Wednesday. A grand jury decided not to indict Wilson on state charges in November. However, the final Justice Department report has not been completed. The FBI joined local officials in interviewing over 200 people and looked at much the same evidence as the grand jury. Ultimately, the decision will be made by Attorney General Eric Holder, who has said he will announce a decision before he leaves office, which is expected to be by spring. Another Justice Department civil rights investigation into the Ferguson Police Department's overall track record with minorities is ongoing.

Central to the FBI investigation here is the fact several witness recanted after first claiming Brown had his hands in the air in a "don't shoot" pose. That, of course, became an opportunity for celebrities to preen in a phony baloney show of solidarity with the folk on the streets. And what difference does it make at this point that the testimony suggests it never happened? How many people in this country will believe until the day they die that Brown put his hands up because five St. Louis Rams did that thing on TV? Granted, Holder could overrule this likely conclusion, and you might think he's so shamelessly political that he just might. I doubt it. If your own prosecutors recommend that there's no case, what are your chances of getting a conviction? Holder's on his way out the door and, whatever his plans for the future, he doesn't need that hanging around his neck. Not that the people who need to hear this are paying attention, but every time a white cop and a black suspect come into a confrontation with each other, it is not necessarily a racial incident. You'd be wise to wait for the evidence to come out rather than simply taking the media's cues, because the media want you to riot. It's what they live for.