Attorney General Eric Holder speaking at the justice Department, Wednesday, March 4, 2015, articulated the findings of the Justice Department's investigation into racism in Ferguson, Missouri. The report is a result of the killing of the black 18-year old Michael Brown on August 9, 2014 by the white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson and the protests that followed in Ferguson and some other cities in America.

The Grand Jury of Ferguson, 75 percent white, considered whether or not to indict police officer Wilson only after the public outcry which demanded that the Grand Jury take action. On November 24, 2015, the Grand Jury announced that Wilson would not be brought to trial.

Prior to the release of the Justice Department releasing the report on the findings in the Ferguson Police Deartment, the Department announced that Wilson will not be prosecuted for a lack of evidence to disprove Wilson's testimony that he feared for his safety when he shot and killed Brown.

The Justice Department report found rampart racial bias in the Ferguson, Mo., Police Deparment which confirms what blacks living in Ferguson said for years that fell on deaf ears insofar as officials of the Police Department and the Municipal Courts were concerned. The report on Ferguson Police Department concluded that city law enforcement practices are discriminatory and call for sweeping reform changes.

SOME RACIAL HIGHLIGHTS

The Basic Findings

Not only does the police but also the courts in Ferguson have been treating blacks unfairly, unlike whites are treated, violating the law and the U.S. Constitution. Police use force too often and even when not provoked.

     * From 2012 to 2014, 93 percent of all arrests and 85 percent of all vehicle stops involved black people, who constitute 67.4 percent of the population.
     * Blacks were more than twice as likely as whites to be searched during vehicle stops, yet contraband was found 26 percent less often on them than on white drivers.
     * Almost 90 percent of documented force used by officers was used against blacks.
     * Police make many arrests for talking back to officers, recording  police activities and engaging in lawful protest.

Evidence that City Courts were Co-Conspirators

      * Blacks are 68 percent less likely than others to win dismissal of their cases.
      * Blacks represent 92 percent of cases where an arrest warrant was issued in 2013.
     * The court often imposes large bail amounts that do not seem justified by public-safety concerns.
     * City officials otfen fix tickets for themselves and their friends.

Systemic Racial Policies

    * As a result of a single illegal parking violation in 2007, a black woman spent six days in jail, paid $550 in fines and still owed $541 as of December.
    * In 2013 police on their way to arrest someone at an apartment building instead arresed without justification a black man parked outside, hadcusffed him and kept him in a patrol car while they ran his record. Faced with a complaint later a police sergeant described the detention as "minimal" and said the car was air conditioned.
    * In 2012, an officer stopped to question a 32-year old black man sitting in his car with windows that may have been more deeply tinted than allowed under the city code. The officer went on without cause to call the man a pedophile, order him out of his car for a pat-down and ask to search the car. When the man refused, the officer reportedly pointed a gun to his head and arrested him.
   * Police brake-up a lawful protest on six-month anniversary of Michael Brown's death by shouting "Everybody here's going to jail!" Two people; were arrested simply for recording the police action. Four others were arrested. It appears police were upset about insults written in chalk on the department parking lot and on a police vehicle.

Key Quotations

    * "Minor offenses can generate crippling debts, result in jail time because of inability to pay and result in the loss of a driver's license, employment or housing.
    * "Ferguson's approach to law enforcement both reflects and reinforces racial bias without probable cause."

Racist Jokes

    * A November 2008 email said President Obama would not be president for long because "what black man holds a steady job for four years?"
    * A May 2011 email said "An African American woman in New Orleans was admitted into the hospital for the pregnancy termination. Two weeks later she reeeived a check for $5,000. She phoned the hospital to ask who it was from. The hospital said  "Crimestoppers."

Recommended Reform Changes

    * Shift away from police practices aimed at raising revenue.
    * Focus on public safety, rather than stopping people simply because police have authority to do so. End ticketing and arrest quotas.
    * Move officers toward deescalating confrontations.
    * The Police Department should improve race and gender diversity in recruiting, hiring and promotion practices.
    * Municipal code violations should result in jail in only the rarest circumstances. Arrest warrants should not be used to collect court fees.

Recommendations of Uriah J. Fields

    Based on the findings and recommendations of the Justice Department this writer makes the following recommendations:

     * That the victims of mistreatment by police and the courts in Ferguson, such as the black woman who as a result of a single illegal parking, spent six days in jail, paid $550 in fines and still owed $541 as of December of that year, be reimbursed every dollar beyond the actual cost of an illegal parking ticket.
    * The termination of the Chief of Police and Prosecutor of Ferguson.
    * That a speical hearing be held to determined whether or not judges who have been co-conspirators with the Ferguson police to treat unfairly blacks in the courts are fit to continue to be judges in Ferguson.
    * That the Justice Department keep oversight of the police and courts of Ferguson until reform is achieved in the police department and courts that guarantees blacks protection of their constitutional rights.
   *  That other towns and cities in the vicinity of Ferguson, including St. Louis, be required to meet the same standards, policies and practices, as recommended for Ferguson
   * That a  national, one-stop, agency be established to receive complaints of blacks unreasonably stopped by  police, fined and sentenced by the courts. Perhaps the NAACP could be funded by the Federal Government to collet this data.

Copyright 2015 by Uriah J. Fields.

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