A new documentary called Ferguson Cover-Up is being produced to expose the multiple cover ups in Ferguson, Missouri, including the death of Michael Brown. Michael Brown was killed by Officer Darren Wilson August 9, 2014. He was shot a total of six times, reportedly twice in the head and four times in the arm and torso. What actually happened that day remains confusing and accounts are vague as to what was going on in the final moments of Brown’s life.
However, what can be agreed on is that Brown and a friend were walking down the street and Wilson ordered the pair to get out of the street and move to the sidewalk. There was a confrontation between Brown and Wilson, while Wilson remained in his vehicle. Wilson provided photo evidence of his injuries from the confrontation that happened prior to the fatal shooting, but the injuries appeared to be extremely minor.
At this point there is still debate and disagreements as to what really happened. There are witnesses that claim Brown had his hands up when he was fatally shot by the officer, while others believe they saw Brown running towards Wilson. While the grand jury did not indict Officer Wilson, he has since resigned from the Ferguson Police Department and there still isn’t complete agreement that Brown’s death was justified.
But Ferguson is more than what happened to Michael Brown. There are deeper issues at work in their flawed court and law enforcement systems. The death of Brown led to the Department of Justice investigating Ferguson’s criminal justice system. The results are unbelievable. The riots that occurred in Ferguson were not a direct result from the loss of Brown. They stemmed, instead, from years of having black citizen’s civil rights violated. Michael Brown was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The Department of Justice found several racist emails involving commanders, police officers and court officials. These emails included racist jokes toward President Barack Obama and the First Lady and led to the resignation of two police officers and the firing of a court clerk. One said that Obama couldn’t be president for long because, “what black man holds a steady job for four years.” Another told a story where they were grateful for a black woman’s abortion and implied that all black children are criminals. There were also emails concerning stereotypical and offensive remarks about Muslims. It is one thing, as disgusting as it is, to make racist and derogatory remarks in someone’s free time, but to mix the racism and prejudice with such important jobs is unacceptable and dangerous.
That’s only the beginning of the corrupt system that’s been operating in Ferguson. There have been many other reports of abuse and proof that charges and tickets are often forgotten or dropped for friends of police officers and other officials.
There have been multiple accounts of police brutality as well. One particularly disgusting account involves a 12-year-old boy. The young boy was checking his mailbox when two Ferguson officers approached him, while his mother was in the house. The boy was reportedly choked and shoved to the ground where he was hog-tied, for no legitimate reason. The officers tried to charge the boy with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer, but the prosecutors refused prosecute.
The Department of Justice also found what was described as a “pattern and practice” of discrimination against black citizens by the Ferguson police and municipal courts. Ferguson’s population is 67 percent African-American, yet 85 percent of people stopped in their vehicles are African-American. 90 percent of those arrested are African-American, but black citizens are 26 percent less likely to be in possession of contraband in Ferguson. Out of all the cases where Ferguson police reported using force, 88 percent of the citizens were black.
There is a pattern in Ferguson in need of serious reform. This documentary that’s being produced is trying to expose not only the death of Michael Brown, but through this, Ferguson as a whole. You can contribute to Ferguson Cover-Up here. Ferguson is not the only town guilty of this and in need of reform. There are so many brave and moral police in our country, but they don’t excuse the corrupt systems that are still here. The police brutality that makes it to the media is just the tip of the iceberg. The victims we see are only a few of the faces of a problem that lies much deeper. This must be remembered and investigated.
