It didn't occur to me until just now, watching the anger rise on the streets of Ferguson.
Throughout the day, when I heard the announcement would take place at 9:00 eastern time and 8:00 local time, I guess I thought that they believed releasing the news as late in the day as possible would likely limit the chance of rioting. I gave the question no more thought than that.
How could I be so stupid? I don't think as quickly as the media manipulators in MO do. I don't "get it." I don't think about "fixing" things. I don't support Wilson.
They knew there would be rioting - especially after that bullshit press conference where the DA all but indicted Michael Brown (God rest your soul, young man) for lying dead and congesting up a street.
They counted on it.
They announced the grand jury opinion at 8:00 pm instead of 8:00 am. They didn't want their decision announced in the early morning hours with a day full of media questions as to what evidence was applied to what. They want no attention, no questions, on the process. So, they released the actual "evidence" and the "decision" long after the hard news shows ended.
They wanted their handsome, suited and fine tied, white DA to stand up before the country and announce how wonderful a job they'd done and how it was all so terribly complicated and terribly sad and how terrible all those witnesses were. And then cut to the crowd scene.
They wanted rioting.
They wanted the media to focus on the rioting, not the hard questions. They wanted us white Americans looking at TV screens and seeing these "animals" (in racists' words) running through the streets. They wanted the actual victim[s] de-humanized. They want the citizens of this town de-humanized. There are maybe 100-200 people out according to Chris Hayes, out rioting and they dominate the news - not the 10-20,000 citizens who live in a police state, not the real evidence and real law applied to a real murder and damn sure not to Michael Brown. They want their pretty little picture wrapped up and then off to the "animals" rioting in the street. They want right wing Americans saying "Good."
They played this perfectly. It's so easy. And I didn't even see it until now and I consider myself fairly sophisticated. They hope the hard questions will slip away with the tear gas.
I have a hard question. Why didn't they release the news at 8:30 am?
They know. They support Wilson.
Edit to Add: I wish I had time to do a new diary but since this is on the top of the rec list it seems like the best platform. I encourage every single attorney here (and all other, but especially attorneys) to read Wilson's GJ testimony because he is so obviously a lying POS. To believe Wilson, one must believe that out of absolutely nowhere and after being asked nicely by nice Officer Wilson to get out of the road, Michael Brown decided to punch Wilson in the head through the window. On has to believe that when Wilson threatened to shot him, Brown said, "you're too big a pussy to shoot me."
But, I want attorneys especially to read his testimony because the testimony reads like direct testimony from a person's own attorney with no follow up questions, especially about the time frame and what could possibly have made Wilson believed deadly force was necessary.