Washington (CNN) -- Members of the Congressional Black Caucus gave voice to the frustrations of demonstrators who gathered in Ferguson, Missouri, as well as places like Washington, D.C., Monday night to protest a grand jury's decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. Rep. Marcia Fudge, the caucus' chair, called the grand jury's decision a "slap in the face to Americans nationwide" in a statement released just moments after St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch announced the grand jury's decision. "This decision seems to underscore an unwritten rule that Black lives hold no value; that you may kill Black men in this country without consequences or repercussions," Fudge said, calling the decision a "miscarriage of justice."
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The Congressional Black Caucus called the decision to not indict Darren Wilson 'a slap in the face'
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Some members of Congress took Twitter overnight to express their frustration with the case
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Rep. Marcia Fudge, the caucus' chair, called the decision a 'miscarriage of justice'
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As tensions in Ferguson flared and violence erupted amid largely peaceful protests, the caucus members called on protesters to remain peaceful in expressing their anger and urged activists to channel a moment of frustration into a larger movement to effect change on the justice system and relations between @placeholder communities and police departments nationwide.
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She said Ferguson officials "botched" the case from the start, noting that Brown's body was in the street for hours after he was killed and called officials "mean-spirited" for leaking surveillance footage of @placeholder stealing cigars from a convenience store shortly before he was gunned down.
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"While we await the conclusion of that independent investigationâ€”and continue working together for solutions to systemic issues highlighted by this tragedyâ€”I'm praying that the good people of @placeholder and local law enforcement will remain peaceful and respectful of one another," McCaskill said.