re: #543 Bulworth

Ferguson PD is still appropriate for crowd control; it was the county police that turned things into a fiasco with their heavy handed tactics. Yes, the Ferguson PD is under a microscope for their handling of the Brown case to date, but they need to be part of the solution too (and reform of the agency is a must). They need to see what their own actions have wrought.

Hiding behind the county cops that are armored and armed to the teeth isn’t how to change a culture within the departments at the heart of the crisis in Ferguson. They mayor and police chief must be a whole lot more open about what’s going on, and must reveal the name of the officer involved. There’s no good reason to shield the officer from further scrutiny.

And in fact, the events following Brown’s death highlight problems with the county police force as well. It’s an agency that looks to be spoiling for a fight - and to use all the gear given to them over the years through DHS grants in the name of counter-terrorism, but which is now being used to intimidate and silence the black community by a predominantly white police force.

Racism is still alive and well.