Ferguson Elects Its First Black Mayor

The Missouri city where the death of Michael Brown set off weeks of nationwide protests and outrage in 2014 elected its first woman and first black mayor Tuesday night, according to CNN affiliate KMOV.

Returns from the St. Louis County Board of Elections show Ella Jones took 54% of the vote in the race for mayor of Ferguson versus Heather Robinett with 46%.

Jones is both the city's first black mayor and the first woman in that office, according to KMOV. Jones has worked as a chemist and church pastor, according to her campaign biography. She has served on the Ferguson city council since 2015, when she was elected as its first African-American member.

[SOURCES: CNN]

Wesley Bell wins primary, will be next St. Louis County Prosector

Wesley Bell, who cast himself as a reformer committed to changing a local criminal justice system widely criticized following the 2014 killing of black and unarmed teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer, won St. Louis County’s Democratic primary for top prosecutor on Tuesday in a major upset.

Bell, a city council member in Ferguson, Missouri, where Brown was killed, defeated Robert McCulloch, who had served in the prosecutor’s post since 1991. McCulloch was harshly criticized by many for failing to file charges against the officer who shot Brown, and Tuesday’s vote was widely seen as a referendum by local residents on his handling of the case.

Bell’s primary victory effectively means he is set to become St. Louis County’s next prosecuting attorney, given that he faces no Republican challenger in November’s general election.

Bell, 43, campaigned on pledges to never seek the death penalty, eliminate cash bail for nonviolent offenses, publicly oppose legislation that would create new mandatory minimum sentences for some crimes and adopt other policies that advocates for criminal justice reform favor.

He won the endorsements of numerous progressive groups, including influential political action committees such as activist Shaun King’s Real Justice and Color of Change, both of which focus on electing reform-minded prosecutors.

[SORCE: YAHOO NEWS]

Michael Brown's mother may run for Ferguson city council

Lezley McSpadden says she is considering a run for a City Council seat in Ferguson, the city where her son Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer.

McSpadden was among four people who took part in a panel discussion about issues raised by Brown's death on Monday night at Harvard University.

She was prompted to mention her potential candidacy by Benjamin Crump, another panelist who is an attorney for the family. Crump urged McSpadden to discuss what she was considering.

"What I'm contemplating is running for City Council of Ferguson," she said, drawing applause and a call of "Run, Lezley, Run" from the audience of several dozen.

"There are several people back home that are willing to help me get that going and make sure that I'm treated right," McSpadden said.

Crump chimed in with encouragement. "What a legacy that would be — elected to the City Council and supervising the same police department that killed Michael Brown," he said.

[SOURCE: Saint Louis Times Dispatch]

Ferguson settles wrongful death lawsuit with the family of Michael Brown

The parents of black teenager Michael Brown and the city of Ferguson, Missouri, have settled a lawsuit over his fatal shooting by a white city police officer in 2014, according to a court document filed on Monday.

Brown's death triggered sometimes violent protests in Ferguson and around the United States, fueled by later police killings of unarmed black men in other cities. It also helped spark debate about racial bias in the U.S. justice system.

Terms of the wrongful death settlement between Ferguson and Brown's parents, Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden, were not disclosed. U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber approved the settlement and ordered it sealed.

"The gross settlement amount is fair and reasonable compensation for this wrongful death claim and is in the best interests of each plaintiff," Webber wrote.

[SOURCE]

Ferguson city attorney resigns

Ferguson's city attorney has resigned from her post.

Stephanie Karr sent her letter of resignation to the city on Monday. She had served as Ferguson's city attorney since 2004 — and until recently was also the city's prosecutor.

Karr faced criticism for how she prosecuted people who were arrested during protests over Michael Brown's shooting death. Since Brown's death, Ferguson's city manager, police chief and municipal judge have all resigned — and been replaced.

A 2015 U.S. Department of Justice report highlighted issues around Karr's employment, finding that her additional work as a city prosecutor was a conflict.

[SOURCE]

Ferguson swears in first African American police chief

The city of Ferguson, Missouri, swore in Delrish Moss as its first African-American police chief on Monday.

U.S. Justice Dept. sue Ferguson to force police reform

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the city of Ferguson, Missouri after their city council rejected a consent decree seeking to reform their police and municipal court system. The city and the federal government reached an agreement.

Charges dropped against 6 Ferguson protesters

Charges have been dropped against six activists who were arrested during a protest in Ferguson, just as their trial was about to begin. The case was expected to include allegations of police brutality, claims of missing evidence and discussions about the shortcomings of body cameras.

The charges had included property damage, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and third-degree assault. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1nD9Isk ) reports that Ferguson prosecutor Stephanie Karr dismissed the charges Thursday without explanation.

Later Thursday, the defendants filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Ferguson destroyed evidence and violated the constitution.

Read more: Charges dropped against 6 Ferguson protesters

Ferguson is America: Roots of Rebellion

Check out this book by Jamala Rogers that takes a look at not only at the riots in Ferguson Missouri, but what led up to those tragic events.

One year after Mike Brown was brutally killed by police: How will we make sure that Black lives matter? On August 9, 2014, Ferguson, St. Louis County, MO became the epicenter of a major political earthquake, shaking the core of how we see Black America, police and policing-jolting us into a new political normal.

Jamala Rogers graduated from a Kansas City, MO high school in 1968, during a period of massive civil unrest -- hundreds of cities were engaged in open rebellion -- leading to significant political and cultural shifts nationwide. An activist since the 60's, Jamala has been called a radical and a revolutionary. In 1998, she, along with Angela Davis, Danny Glover and many others, hosted thousands at the founding convening of the Black Radical Congress (BRC) in Chicago, IL. Prior to the BRC Jamala co-founded the St. Louis-based Organization for Black Struggle (OBS) in 1980 and 35 years later continues to provide the organization leadership and mentoring.

BUY THE BOOK

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Attorney General Lynch speaks out on violence in Ferguson

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, made the following comments on the current unrest in Ferguson during an appearance at the national conference of the Fraternal Order of Police:

"Recent events in communities across the country have served as stark and tragic reminders of the tensions that exist in too many neighborhoods between law enforcement officers and the people we serve,'' Lynch told the police group Monday. "One year after the tragic events in Ferguson, Mo., we have yet again seen the consequences for officers and residents when those tensions erupt into violence and unrest.''

"We know that trust is not just a benefit of good police work,'' the attorney general said. "It is essential to its fulfillment. When officers and residents share a foundation of mutual trust and a reservoir of goodwill, residents are more likely to help with investigations: Victims and witnesses of crime are more likely to speak up; and all of us in law enforcement are better able to assist community members when they face difficult circumstances.''

State of emergency declared in Ferguson

St. Louis County authorities declared a state of emergency Monday as they prepared for a second night of protests marking a year since a police officer killed Ferguson, Missouri, teen Michael Brown.

Ferguson Businesses Struggle To Rebuild Post-Riots

Ferguson Missouri is still recovering from last year's riots over the death of Michael Brown. Along West Florissant Ave., there are some empty lots where once thriving businesses were located. Several building in the business districts were destroyed, nearly all have been demolished and most are being rebuilt. Listen to this story below.

Ferguson hires black interim police chief

Andre Anderson says his main task will be to restore trust between Ferguson's predominantly black populace and the Missouri city's mostly white police force.

Anderson, the city's first African-American head of police, believes he's the right man for the job.

Ferguson officials on Wednesday introduced Anderson as the city's latest interim police chief. He will take at least a six-month leave of absence from his commander post with police in Glendale, Arizona, to tackle a department put in the national spotlight by last August's shooting of teenager Michael Brown.

Anderson told reporters his first priority would be "simply to build trust" and enhance the city's recent efforts to get officers to develop positive relationships with people in the areas they patrol.

Read more: Ferguson hires black interim police chief

Feds: Police violated free-speech rights during Ferguson unrest

Police antagonized crowds gathered to protest in Ferguson, violated free-speech rights and made it difficult to hold officers accountable, according to a U.S. Department of Justice report summary obtained by CBS News.

The summary cited "vague and arbitrary" orders to keep protesters moving that violated their rights of assembly and free speech. It is part of a longer "after-action" report to be delivered this week to top police officials in Ferguson, St. Louis city and county and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The summary suggests that unrest that followed the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown was aggravated by the community's hostility toward Ferguson police and worsened when authorities didn't quickly divulge details of his death, the newspaper reported Tuesday.

"Had law enforcement released information on the officer-involved shooting in a timely manner and continued the information flow as it became available, community distrust and media skepticism would most likely have been lessened," according to the document.

Read more: Federal Report Faults Police Actions During Ferguson Unrest

Sen. Booker wants police departments to track shootings after Ferguson and Baltimore

Police departments would be required to report to the Justice Department any time law enforcement officers are involved in shootings or are the victims of an attack leading to serious injury or death under legislation introduced Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.

The legislation was introduced in response to a series of killings of unarmed black men by police officers in cities such as Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore, as well as a spate of attacks on police officers, such as the murders of Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu of New York City, who were shot and killed while sitting their patrol car in Brooklyn in December.

"Our legislation is vital to ensuring we have the data required to make good decisions and implement reform measures that are balanced, objective, and protect the lives of police officers and the public," said Booker (D-N.J.), who introduced the bill with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

Under the bill, states would be required to report the gender, race, ethnicity, and age of each person shot, injured, or killed; when the shooting occurred; the number of officers and civilians involved; whether the civilian was armed; and what force was used.

Read more: Booker wants police departments to track shootings after Ferguson and Baltimore

Permanent Michael Brown Memorial Planned at Shooting Site

The makeshift mid-street memorial that marked where Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer last summer was cleared out Wednesday — what would have been his 19th birthday — amid plans to install a permanent plaque in his memory nearby.

Read more: Permanent Michael Brown Memorial Planned at Shooting Site

Missouri National Guard's term for Ferguson protesters: 'Enemy forces'

As the Missouri National Guard prepared to deploy to help quell riots in Ferguson, Missouri, that raged sporadically last year, the guard used highly militarized words such as "enemy forces" and "adversaries" to refer to protesters, according to documents obtained by CNN.

Read more: Missouri National Guard's term for Ferguson protesters: 'Enemy forces'

Two African Americans win council seats in Ferguson

Residents in Ferguson, Mo. Tuesday elected two black city council members, transforming the political body's racial composition after months of protests over racial profiling and police brutality.

One sitting black member of the council was not up for re-election. When the two new African-American council members take their seats it will be the first time that blacks have controlled half of the council, despite the fact that two-thirds of the city's 21,000 residents are black.

Tuesday voters elected Wesley Bell and Ella Jones, who are both black.

Read more: Ferguson voters make history and increase turnout

Ferguson: A Report from Occupied Territory

In the Fusion documentary Ferguson: A Report from Occupied Territory, the directors turn to the residents of St. Louis County to tell us what it’s like to be racially profiled and under siege. Watch the full documentary below:

Suspect Arrested in Connection with Ferguson Cop Shooting

[SOURCE] Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting of two officers in Ferguson last week, St. Louis County Police announced Sunday afternoon. The suspect’s name is Jeffrey Williams, 20. Williams has admitted to firing the shots that struck the police officers, though authorities said it was unclear whether he was aiming for the officers. Prosecutor Robert McCulloch said that Williams had fired from a car, possibly as part of a dispute with other people, though he said that there was as of yet no confirmation of the existence of the separate dispute. Williams’ weapon was recovered and matched the shell casings found at the scene.