---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One mechanism of repression is the grand…"
description: "\"One mechanism of repression is the grand jury.\" — Michael Parenti"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/michael-parenti-7383_grand-jury_one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand_23343.jpg"
---

#  One mechanism of repression is the grand jury.

![“One mechanism of repression is the grand jury.” quote by Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/michael-parenti-7383_grand-jury_one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand_23343.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/michael-parenti-7383_grand-jury_one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand_23343.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/michael-parenti-7383_grand-jury_one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand_23343.jpg)

> “One mechanism of repression is the grand jury.”

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The grand jury can be used by those in power to suppress dissent and protect their interests, acting as a tool of systemic control rather than impartial justice.

**In simple terms:** Grand juries can serve as instruments of political repression.

Key Takeaway

Legal mechanisms may reinforce power structures.

Themes

Power dynamics Legal institutions Political repression Justice system Institutional bias

Mood

Critical Skeptical

Type

Political Analytical

When to use this quote

- Investigating political activists
- Protecting corporate interests
- Silencing whistleblowers
- Controlling protest movements

Key Concepts

Grand jury function State authority Civil liberties

Practical Applications

- Legal reform advocacy
- Public awareness campaigns

Questions to Reflect On

- How does the grand jury process differ from a trial?
- What safeguards could prevent its misuse?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Repression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repression/)

## Related quotes

> [A federal grand jury is investigating allegations that David Copperfield raped, assaulted and threatened a woman he took to his private island in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/a-federal-grand-jury-is-investigating-allegations-that-david/)

[Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/)

> [“Mr. Buckley, let me explain it this way. And I'll do so very carefully and slowly so that even you will understand it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-and-i-ll-do-so-very-carefully/)

[John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/)

> [I've led a grand jury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pruitt/i-ve-led-a-grand-jury/)

[Scott Pruitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pruitt/)

> [So the fact that the grand jury would come back and make the decision not to indict the jailers and not make a decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-cooper/so-the-fact-that-the-grand-jury-would-come-back-and-make-the-decision/)

[Sharon Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-cooper/)

> [More details coming out about Michael Jackson. It seems his 13-year-old accuser testified before a grand jury that Michael had seven locks on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/more-details-coming-out-about-michael-jackson-it-seems-his-13-year/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [The grand jury process is secretive for a reason, to protect the safety and anonymity of all the grand jurors, witnesses, and innocent persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cameron/the-grand-jury-process-is-secretive-for-a-reason-to-protect-the/)

[Daniel Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cameron/)

> [I have made a career out of arguing that we shouldn't be criminalizing political differences. I've made a career out of arguing that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-have-made-a-career-out-of-arguing-that-we-shouldn-t-be/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [I hardly expected the grand jury to sustain me, after they saw everything different from what it had been while I was there. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-hardly-expected-the-grand-jury-to-sustain-me-after-they-saw/)

[Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/)

> [The police were also ready with more formidable tools of intimidation. The office also assigned a veteran homicide prosecutor to oversee the investigation. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-blitzer/the-police-were-also-ready-with-more-formidable-tools-of-intimidation/)

[Wolf Blitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-blitzer/)

> [We were right about the slush fund. But Sloan did not testify about it to the Grand Jury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/we-were-right-about-the-slush-fund-but-sloan-did-not-testify-about-it/)

[Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/)

> [A grand jury hears only one side - that of the prosecutor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of-the-prosecutor/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [As I've stated prior, I have no concerns with a grand juror sharing their thoughts or opinions about me and my office's involvement in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cameron/as-i-ve-stated-prior-i-have-no-concerns-with-a-grand-juror-sharing/)

[Daniel Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cameron/)

> [Prosecutors have absolutely no control over what witnesses say when they leave the grand jury room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/prosecutors-have-absolutely-no-control-over-what-witnesses-say-when/)

[Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/)

> [The duty of the grand jury is to separate fact from fiction, after a full and impartial examination of all the evidence involved, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-p-mcculloch/the-duty-of-the-grand-jury-is-to-separate-fact-from-fiction-after-a/)

[Robert P. McCulloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-p-mcculloch/)

> [I did answer all of the questions put to me today, ... Nothing in my testimony in any way contradicted the strong denials that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podesta/i-did-answer-all-of-the-questions-put-to-me-today-nothing-in-my/)

[John Podesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podesta/)

## More by Michael Parenti

> [A nation as such does not give aid to another nation. More precisely, the common citizens of our country, through their taxes, give to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/a-nation-as-such-does-not-give-aid-to-another-nation-more-precisely/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [Democracy is not about trust; it is about distrust. It is about accountability, exposure, open debate, critical challenge, and popular input and feedback from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/democracy-is-not-about-trust-it-is-about-distrust-it-is-about/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [All economic and political institutions are contrivances that should serve the interests of the people. When they fail to do so, they should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/all-economic-and-political-institutions-are-contrivances-that-should/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [ \[The ruling elites\] know who their enemies are, and their enemies are the people, the people at home and the people abroad. Their enemies… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-ruling-elites-know-who-their-enemies-are-and-their-enemies-are/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [Even though the crime rate has dropped in recent years, the United States has more police per capita then any other nation in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/even-though-the-crime-rate-has-dropped-in-recent-years-the-united/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [The crucial role communists played in organizing industrial unions in the 1930s and struggling for social reforms, peace, and civil rights strengthened rather then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-crucial-role-communists-played-in-organizing-industrial-unions-in/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [Candidates who win while spending less than their opponents still usually have to spend quite a lot. While not a surefire guarantor of victory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/candidates-who-win-while-spending-less-than-their-opponents-still/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [People who think they're free in this world just haven't come to the end of their leash yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/people-who-think-they-re-free-in-this-world-just-haven-t-come-to-the/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [The rich have grown richer, but their tax rate has declined. The poor have grown poorer, but their taxes have increased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-rich-have-grown-richer-but-their-tax-rate-has-declined-the-poor/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [The trick is to steal big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-trick-is-to-steal-big/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [In almost every enterprise, government has provided business with opportunities for private gain at public expense. Government nurtures private capital accumulation through a process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/in-almost-every-enterprise-government-has-provided-business-with/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [The essence of capitalism is to turn nature into commodities and commodities into capital. The live green earth is transformed into dead gold bricks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-essence-of-capitalism-is-to-turn-nature-into-commodities-and/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [Official Washington cannot tell the American people that the real purpose of its gargantuan military expenditures and belligerent interventions is to make the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/official-washington-cannot-tell-the-american-people-that-the-real/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [Ecology's implications for capitalism are too momentous for the capitalist to contemplate. The plutocrats are more wedded to their wealth than to the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/ecology-s-implications-for-capitalism-are-too-momentous-for-the/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [The US government is usually on the wrong side against the poor and downtrodden, because the wrong side is the right side, given the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-us-government-is-usually-on-the-wrong-side-against-the-poor-and/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

[Explore all 92 Michael Parenti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

## More Grand jury quotes

> [A federal grand jury is investigating allegations that David Copperfield raped, assaulted and threatened a woman he took to his private island in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/a-federal-grand-jury-is-investigating-allegations-that-david/)

[Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/)

> [The duty of the grand jury is to separate fact from fiction, after a full and impartial examination of all the evidence involved, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-p-mcculloch/the-duty-of-the-grand-jury-is-to-separate-fact-from-fiction-after-a/)

[Robert P. McCulloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-p-mcculloch/)

> [Prosecutors have absolutely no control over what witnesses say when they leave the grand jury room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/prosecutors-have-absolutely-no-control-over-what-witnesses-say-when/)

[Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/)

> [As I've stated prior, I have no concerns with a grand juror sharing their thoughts or opinions about me and my office's involvement in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cameron/as-i-ve-stated-prior-i-have-no-concerns-with-a-grand-juror-sharing/)

[Daniel Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cameron/)

> [A grand jury hears only one side - that of the prosecutor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of-the-prosecutor/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [We were right about the slush fund. But Sloan did not testify about it to the Grand Jury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/we-were-right-about-the-slush-fund-but-sloan-did-not-testify-about-it/)

[Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/)

> [The police were also ready with more formidable tools of intimidation. The office also assigned a veteran homicide prosecutor to oversee the investigation. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-blitzer/the-police-were-also-ready-with-more-formidable-tools-of-intimidation/)

[Wolf Blitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-blitzer/)

> [I hardly expected the grand jury to sustain me, after they saw everything different from what it had been while I was there. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-hardly-expected-the-grand-jury-to-sustain-me-after-they-saw/)

[Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/)

> [I have made a career out of arguing that we shouldn't be criminalizing political differences. I've made a career out of arguing that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-have-made-a-career-out-of-arguing-that-we-shouldn-t-be/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [The grand jury process is secretive for a reason, to protect the safety and anonymity of all the grand jurors, witnesses, and innocent persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cameron/the-grand-jury-process-is-secretive-for-a-reason-to-protect-the/)

[Daniel Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cameron/)

> [More details coming out about Michael Jackson. It seems his 13-year-old accuser testified before a grand jury that Michael had seven locks on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/more-details-coming-out-about-michael-jackson-it-seems-his-13-year/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [So the fact that the grand jury would come back and make the decision not to indict the jailers and not make a decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-cooper/so-the-fact-that-the-grand-jury-would-come-back-and-make-the-decision/)

[Sharon Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-cooper/)

> [I've led a grand jury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pruitt/i-ve-led-a-grand-jury/)

[Scott Pruitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pruitt/)

> [“Mr. Buckley, let me explain it this way. And I'll do so very carefully and slowly so that even you will understand it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-and-i-ll-do-so-very-carefully/)

[John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/)

> [I did answer all of the questions put to me today, ... Nothing in my testimony in any way contradicted the strong denials that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podesta/i-did-answer-all-of-the-questions-put-to-me-today-nothing-in-my/)

[John Podesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podesta/)

Browse all 40 Grand jury quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "One mechanism of repression is the grand jury.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Parenti"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand-jury/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Grand jury"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand-jury/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/michael-parenti-7383_grand-jury_one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand_23343.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/michael-parenti-7383_grand-jury_one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand_23343.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/michael-parenti-7383_grand-jury_one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand_23343.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One mechanism of repression is the grand jury.” — Michael Parenti",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Michael Parenti",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "One mechanism of repression is the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand-jury/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand-jury/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
