Scott Heins NYC Police Protest Square
With its in-depth probe of the Ferguson, Missouri Police Department near conclusion, the United States Justice Department announced this week that it may be close to bringing a lawsuit to bear against the city's law enforcement on the grounds of racial discrimination. CNN reported the news earlier this week, in which sources told the website that "a pattern of racially discriminatory tactics used by officers" in Ferguson may soon motivate federal legal action.
Attorney General Eric Holder is in fact due to leave the office in the coming weeks, but he has made clear that the Justice Department's investigation into the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson will present its findings before his exit, and may engender charges of unbalanced, discriminatory policing. "The Justice Department is expected to announce it won't charge Wilson for the shooting," CNN reported, "but it's also expected to outline findings that allege a pattern of discriminatory tactics used by the Ferguson police."
"If they don't agree to review and revise those tactics, sources say, the Justice Department would sue to force changes in the department," the news channel outlined.
Beyond the Michael Brown tragedy, the Justice Department has also investigated claims of discriminatory enforcement of traffic fines and violations against the minority population of the midwestern city. In August the New York Times pointed out that only 5 percent of the Ferguson police department is black, compared to 69 percent of its total population. The Times also noted that blacks in Ferguson make up 86 percent of traffic stops by police. "What is not in dispute is the sense of permanent grievance held by many residents and shared in segregated urban areas around the country. Though nothing excuses violence and looting, it is clear that local governments have not dispensed justice equally," the editorial concluded. Stay tuned for more updates on the Ferguson investigation as it unfolds.
