Every fringe group is heading to Ferguson because of the media attention; what’s lost in all this: Ferguson PD killed unarmed black man 1/2

— lawhawk (@lawhawk) August 19, 2014

Police in Ferguson using more force against civil protesters and journalists than law enforcement did in confronting armed Bundy ranch gang

— lawhawk (@lawhawk) August 19, 2014

If that doesn’t highlight the disconnect between law enforcement and community, the black/white racial divide, and tensions that continue to be intensified due to heavy handed police tactics, you haven’t been paying attention.

When former NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly calls you out for heavy handed tactics, you’ve gone too far. Kelly initiated stop and frisk, oversaw a department that had more than its share of officer-involved shootings, including Sean Bell, and yet the city isn’t a powder-keg of racial violence ready to go off at any moment. Part of that is because the Department is more proactive in getting information out to the public, is more responsive than it has been to these incidents, and has been held accountable by courts and prosecutors. It isn’t perfect, but it’s a whole lot better than the system in place in Missouri.

Right now, the best bet for a prosecution is a civil rights action against Wilson and the Ferguson PD for violating the rights of Mike Brown. And that’s not a sure thing either. It’s a whole lot tougher than trying to prove homicide (murder 2, manslaughter, etc.) by a cop because of the leniency cops have in carrying out their duties and responsibilities. Add to that a local prosecutor who all but looks the other way when police are accused of wrong doing, and you’ve got a stacked deck against Ferguson getting the justice they seek and deserve.