A Light at the End of the Ferguson Tunnel

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     Ferguson. It’s a name we all have come to know too well. The shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown was a turning point in the way our nation viewed the relationship between police and minorities.  Police corruption and brutality is an everyday occurrence in this St. Louis suburb. The predominately black community has suffered a tremendous amount from the people who have sworn to protect them. Now, I’m not saying every cop in Ferguson is crooked, but it seems to me that this particular orchard has a few too many bad apples. The cities officers had a history of abusing and wrongfully enforcing power long before Brown’s death.

     After the Grand Jury chose not to criminally charge Officer Wilson in the death of Brown, the residence of the city felt there was no hope to end the ongoing wrong doings Ferguson law enforcement continued to bring upon its citizens. However, after a thorough, 18-month long investigation into the practices of the Ferguson Police Department and municipal courts, the Justice Department has chosen to take action and sue the City of Ferguson for multiple violations of Civil Rights. The investigation was opened shortly after the shooting of Brown and is an effort to "force police reform."
      An article from The Washington Post says the DOJ found that the Ferguson Police Department and courts continuously “engage in unconstitutional patterns and practices of using force without legal justification and engaging in racially discriminatory law enforcement conduct.”
     This article is definitely worth the read. Racial inequality and discrimination has become a huge topic of late. There is a terrible rift that has developed in our society. I feel that this law suit from the DOJ is a huge win for equality. It shows that our government isn’t choosing to sit idly by and watch the country divide itself and allow our constitutional rights to be trampled on. For once, we can view an example of the government having our backs. They’re setting a precedence that needs to be set; law enforcement and city officials are suppose to protect us, not harm us. We forget that there are systems and people in place to defend us from wrong doers who try to deny us of our civil rights. We just have to remember that they sometimes work at a snail’s pace.