What’s a White Woman To Do?
My high school friend Annie P. posted on Facebook that she was reading the transcript of the Ferguson, Missouri, grand jury proceedings. My first reaction was – don’t waste your time. But I didn’t knee-jerk and post that. I took a breath and then scrolled through the Comments. One said he had read parts of the transcript and was surprised by the conflicting eyewitness testimony. I couldn’t hold back, “Welcome to the world of criminal law,” I quipped. As a criminal defense attorney, I know that there is no such thing as reliable eyewitness testimony.[1] I closed out Facebook. But I couldn’t let go of Annie’s post. I had something to say to her but I knew that any short Facebook-y response would not be helpful. In fact, it may be hurtful. She was mining for answers in that hefty, 4,799-page transcript.