Ferguson, MO

Recently, our global class was assigned to research more into Michael Brown's case. I was assigned to Volume 12 of the the entire grand jury transcripts. At first, it seemed like yet another assignment to do, more research on something I already understood. But once I began to read, I truly realized how much I didn't know. Some of the transcripts were difficult to read because so many names were redacted, making it very confusing. But by reading these transcripts, it really gave me insight on the legal system and how the defense and prosecution works. In Volume 12 specifically, there were transcripts of four witnesses. It was so interesting to see what the witnesses saw and how there memory can be distorted after a couple weeks. It's also fascinating how all these witnesses are cross referenced to really figure out step by step what happened on that tragic day. The first witness I read was a male who witnessed pretty much saw everything. The prosecution attorneys ask so many detailed questions to understand every little detail. While reading the transcript, it was borderline boring to read the same questions posed different ways and the same answers over and over again. But after reading multiple witnesses transcripts, it was much easier to understand why the attorneys ask such detailed questions. To create a timeline of events, it is critical to get every detail, down to the movement of Michael Brown's arm to the angle Darren Wilson's SUV was parked. Although I personally am not interested in pursuing a legal career, it was incredible to learn how mysteries are solved, especially in a serious case like this one. All the pieces must work together to solve the puzzle.