lawhawk posted a link to this story the other day. I think it’s worth posting a little bit more to help show why Ferguson is Ferguson.

Cop Being Sued Over Beating Is Now a Ferguson City Councilwoman

In 2009, police in Ferguson, Missouri arrested Henry M. Davis on suspicion of driving under the influence and took him to jail. What followed is described in court documents as “physical contact between the officers and Mr. Davis.” One officer, Kim Tihen, allegedly “struck [Davis] in his head with a closed fist and hit [him] in the head with handcuffs.” Davis suffered a concussion and severe facial lacerations, while an officer was left with a broken nose. Afterwards, prosecutors charged Davis with four counts of destruction of property—because his blood had dirtied the officers’ uniforms.

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Officer Tihen, for her part, is no longer with the Ferguson police department. In 2012, after four years on the force, she won election to the city council, becoming one of the six-person body’s five white members. (The sixth is Latino.)

motherjones.com

It’s well worth your time to read the whole account. What’s happening now in Ferguson is no accident and no fluke. It’s how the city and police force do business.