Officials say that a Justice Department's probe into the practices of the Ferguson Police Department has determined that their actions were the root of racial tensions in the St. Louis suburb for years. The investigation was spurred by Michael Brown's death at the hands of former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. What's more, their findings reportedly include a racist joke shared by city officials in Ferguson.
According to the New York Times, the DOJ determined that Ferguson police subjected African-Americans to an abnormal number of arrests, and issued them tickets at a greater rate. The report is expected to be released early this week:
According to several officials who have been briefed on the report’s conclusions, the report criticizes the city for disproportionately ticketing and arresting African-Americans and relying on the fines to balance the city’s budget. The report, which is expected to be released as early as this week, will force Ferguson officials to either negotiate a settlement with the Justice Department or face being sued by it on civil rights charges. Either way, the result is likely to be significant changes inside the Ferguson Police Department, which is at the center of a national debate over race and policing.
Furthermore, the Times adds that the report will reveal a racist joke exchanged by city officials via email:
Investigators do not need to prove that Ferguson’s policies are racially motivated or that the police intentionally singled out minorities. They need to show only that police tactics had a “disparate impact” on African-Americans and that this was avoidable. Nevertheless, the Justice Department’s report is expected to include a reference to a racist joke that was circulated by email among city officials, according to several law enforcement officials.
The Times notes that Ferguson Mayor James Knowles lll was critical of the Justice Department's initiative, questioning its validity. "How come they haven’t told us there is something that needs to be changed as they found it?" he asked.
[via New York Times]
