Free Republic

The shootings of two police officers overnight in Ferguson, Missouri, are "inexcusable and repugnant" and threaten the reforms sought by nonviolent protesters, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Thursday. "We will continue to stand unequivocally against all acts of violence against cops whenever and wherever they occur," he said in a statement. A report commissioned by Holder and issued last week found widespread racial bias in law enforcement in Ferguson. The officers were shot toward the end of a demonstration that followed the resignation of the Ferguson police chief. The St. Louis County police chief described the shootings of the...

Racial bias: Substantial evidence of intentional discrimination. While about two-thirds of Ferguson's residents are African American, only four of Ferguson's 54 police officers are. Historical hostility to African Americans living in Ferguson lingers among some police officers. Emphasis on revenue: Ferguson's police practices are shaped by a focus on maximising revenue rather than improving public safety. Many officers appear to see some residents, especially those who live in Ferguson's predominantly African American areas, less as constituents to be protected than as potential offenders and sources of revenue. For example, police accused a black man sitting in his parked car cooling...

The U.S. Department of Justice issued two reports last week, both growing out of the Ferguson, Missouri shooting of Michael Brown. The first report, about "the shooting death of Michael Brown by Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson" ought to be read by every American. It says in plain English what facts have been established by an autopsy on Michael Brown's body — by three different pathologists, including one representing the family of Michael Brown — by DNA examination of officer Darren Wilson's gun and police vehicle, by examination of the pattern of blood stains on the street where Brown...