CBC calls for changes in wake of Ferguson report

by Ben Kamisar - 03/04/15 5:24 PM ET

The Congressional Black Caucus portrayed Wednesday’s finding by the Department of Justice that the Ferguson Police Department regularly violated the rights of black residents as more proof of a “well-founded mistrust” between the black community and officers.

{mosads}“For years, the Congressional Black Caucus has asserted that black Americans are treated unfairly and disproportionately in the criminal justice system,” Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), the group’s chairman, said during a news conference hours after the report’s release.

“The world now knows the truth about Ferguson and the criminal justice system.”

The report found that black residents made up a starkly disproportionate majority of those stopped by police and those who were involved in what police call use-of-force incidents. It also uncovered a number of racist jokes circulated through the department by email.

Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.), whose district includes Ferguson, reacted with a mixture of hope the report would help the community heal and dismay at its findings.

“The far-reaching report announced today represents an important path forward towards achieving equal justice under the law in Ferguson and repairing some of the deep divisions, the very real disparities, in local law enforcement,” he said.

“The disturbing findings in this report demand urgent remedies which must be swiftly implemented without obstruction nor delay and without denials of the painful and undeniable facts.”

The Justice Department also officially announced Wednesday that it would not pursue civil rights charges against former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown in an altercation. Brown’s death sparked national outcry and protests over how police officers treat minorities.

When asked to respond to the Justice Department’s decision regarding Wilson, CBC members audibly sighed and Butterfield told reporters that they wanted to focus on the broader impacts of the report.

Tags Congressional Black Caucus Ferguson Police Department G.K. Butterfield Missouri