The Ferguson Conspiracy

[ninja007]

nice commentary by a older black man. Leroy is a bodybuilding legend, a business owner and an example for all youth- black or white.

 

[Tom Sweetnam]

I think there are a lot of blacks in this country who look at Ferguson with a sense of embarrassment more than any other emotion.

 

[waltky]

Resignation results in no severance pay...

Ferguson mayor: No severance pay for Wilson
November 30, 2014 ~ The white police officer who resigned almost four months after fatally shooting a black teen, setting off months of sometimes violent protests in Ferguson, Mo., was not asked to leave — but "it's best that we continue to move on as a community," Mayor James Knowles said Sunday.

Knowles said Darren Wilson, who was earning about $45,000 a year, was given no severance when he resigned Saturday, effective immediately. Wilson, 28, had been on paid administrative leave since shooting Michael Brown, 18, following a brief confrontation on a Ferguson street Aug. 9. A St. Louis County grand jury declined Nov. 24 to indict Wilson on any charges in Brown's death, sparking more protests. Knowles said at a news conference Sunday that the city of 21,000 will take a series of steps aimed at increasing minority representation on its police force:

•Fund police academy scholarships. Recipients will be required to work on the Ferguson force for at least two years after graduation.

•Increase the stipend for officers living in the city to $300 per month, up from $100.

•Start a police explorer program in the schools to give students a chance to meet and interact with police officers in a friendly setting.

•Create a citizen review board, which will advise and review operations of the Ferguson Police Department. The board will be made up of citizens not involved in government currently.

All but a handful of the city's more than 50 police officers are white, though the city is predominantly black. "We are committed to rebuilding the city and to once again become a thriving community for economic development and residential stability," Knowles said. Wilson said threats directed at the department fueled concern that staying on the force might have "put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk, which is a circumstance that I cannot allow." "It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal. I would like to thank all of my supporters and fellow officers throughout this process," Wilson said in his resignation letter. "It was always believed that the police officer would do what was in his best interest, both personally and professionally," said Benjamin Crump, a lawyer representing Brown's family. "We didn't believe that he would be able to be effective for the Ferguson community nor the Ferguson Police Department."

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