(CNN) -- If the local grand jury brings no charges against police Officer Darren Wilson in the case of Michael Brown's killing, street protests in Ferguson, Missouri, are inevitable. Demonstrators angry about Wilson's shooting of the unarmed black teenager in August already decry the grand jury's secrecy and "lack of transparency." But for those who believe that the grand jury procedure is some sort of cop and prosecutor conspiracy to trample the rights of minority citizens, a little background on this hallowed institution might be in order. Although prosecutors are often accused of controlling grand jury proceedings, the institution was actually created by the Founding Fathers to provide a wall of citizen protection against overzealous prosecutors. It is a section of the 5th Amendment of the Bill of Rights.
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Paul Callan: Ferguson protests certain if grand jury fails to indict Officer Darren Wilson
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Callan: Protesters might want to skip grand jury process, but it's essential
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Callan: It's better that a citizens' panel handle this explosive case than a single judge
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He says change comes through voting rather than in street demonstrations
In @placeholder, bringing a case before a grand jury in a felony case is optional -- prosecutors could have chosen to conduct a probable cause hearing before a judge.