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| Body of Michael Brown. |
A Justice Department review has found that Missouri's troubled Ferguson Police Department engaged in a broad pattern of racially biased enforcement that permeated the city's justice system, including the use of unreasonable force against African American suspects, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the findings.
In 88% of cases in which Ferguson police documented the use of force, for example, that force was used against African Americans, according to the official who is not authorized to comment publicly. In addition, in all 14 canine bite incidents in which the suspect's race is known, the person bitten was African American.
African Americans account for 67% of the population in Ferguson, but they accounted for 85% of the drivers stopped by police, 90% of the people issued tickets and 93% of the people arrested, a three-year examination of suspect stops found. When those cases reached the Municipal Court, authorities collected more fines for suspects' failure to appear than any other charge, mostly from the city's poorest and most vulnerable residents.
African Americans were more than twice as likely than white drivers to be searched during vehicle stops, but 26% less likely to have contraband, the review found.
The Ferguson Police Department often charged its black residents with petty crimes. African Americans accounted for 95% of the people charged with walking in the street and 92% of people charged with disturbing the peace.
Well this comes too late to bring justice to Michael Brown, but hopefully it might help to protect the next Michael Brown.
Update: Also found among municipal e-mails was this statement about President Obama:
Among the report's findings was a racially tinged 2008 message in a municipal email account stating that President Barack Obama would not be president for very long because "what black man holds a steady job for four years."
Perhaps they were thinking of a certain half term quitter from Wasilla. Because our President is in it for the long haul.
Is anyone really surprised?
ReplyDeleteThere has been institutional racism is police departments
forever. There are a lot of murders under the belts of cops
all over the country of minorities.
Recently, our local (white) Sheriff was tipped off to racial slurs occurring between officers on their iphones. (Hint - when divorcing, be sure your soon-to-be-ex doesn't have access to your phone!) He was LIVID on the news the evening the story first broke. It only took a few weeks of investigating for him to fire two of the officers and put several more on probation. He said the only reason they were given one more chance is because they expressed sincere remorse, but assured the public that he would be watching them closely. We need many more like Sheriff Plummer!
ReplyDeleteAnd yet most were given a pass. So your sheriff ain't all that.
DeleteTerminations and probations are hardly a free pass.
DeleteI think it was smart of the DOJ to focus on the system and avoid getting dragged into a he said/she said battle over the officer involved.
ReplyDeleteThe officer involved, Wilson, was terminated from his last place because of racial bias and then Ferguson hired him , and yet the media completely overlooked that.
DeleteThe entire police force was disbanded by the City Council, no matter the record of the individual officers 9:21, and I think you know that. You probably also know that Wilson had no disciplinary record during his tenure at Jennings, and was one of the officers allowed to re-apply for a job there because of his good standing. Media my ass. Most the media, Holder, Obama, and Al etc... crucified a good officer doing his job.
DeleteIf they have that email, they know the identity of the sender. Should be the first person fired.
ReplyDeleteThere is justice, slow, but sure.
ReplyDeleteRacism was always below the surface, but there are more that aren't racist than there are, which is the only calming thing left to think on. The email reveal is sickening.
Hubby and I went to court years ago to pay a "speeding" ticket. I saw my hubby's demeanor change when we walked into the courtroom. 100% of the defendants were either black or hispanic, this is from a town that is 95% white.
ReplyDeleteGuess we have our own ferguson police department here.
Colleges in the St. Louis are noticing a drop in applications. Long term effects of civil unrest are not easy to quantify, but I think it's clear that many people will be affected for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt that the protests were/are necessary. But the "win" of this situation is hard to see.
Maybe if the town was safe for minorities they would have more people applying for college?
DeleteSt. Louis was in a downward spiral long before the protests. It's been heartbreaking to watch that city decline. Ferguson is the first light of potential change or a shift. The win is that it shook up the status quo enough that the opportunity to do better has some oxygen.
DeleteHere are Some of the Racist Emails From the Ferguson Police Unearthed By the DOJ
ReplyDeletehttp://aattp.org/here-are-some-of-the-racist-emails-from-the-ferguson-police-unearthed-by-the-doj/
ReplyDeleteThe arrest Eric Holder just described — the one with the guy who had just been playing basketball — is simply horrifying. We'll have a full write up on the DOJ's report on Ferguson later this afternoon.
We'll have details from the report itself later, but here are Holder's words describing the incident from his presentation this afternoon ...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/sickening
I guess it would never have occurred to the author of the email (suggesting that President Obama would not last through one term in office) was mightily surprised when his heroine, Sarah Palin, quit her job as Alaska's governor less than a year after the 2008 election.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom