October 2, 2014
Current Events
Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson apologized last week to the hundreds of peaceful protesters who feel he didn’t do “enough to protect their constitutional right to protest.” He then issued a formal apology to the parents of Michael Brown, particularly for the fact that it took investigating officers 4 hours to remove Brown’s body from the street after Officer Darren Wilson fatally shot him last month.
“I’m truly sorry for the loss of your son. I’m also sorry that it took so long to remove Michael from the street,” he said during the video statement. Although investigators were doing “important work” trying to uncover the truth and collect evidence during those 4 hours, “it was just too long, and I’m truly sorry for that,” Jackson said.
“Please know that the investigating officers meant no disrespect to the Brown family, to the African-American community or the people (in the neighborhood where Brown was shot). They were simply trying to do their jobs,” Jackson added.
Jackson also acknowledged that most of the protesters who took to the streets of Ferguson following the shooting did so peacefully, but there were others among them “who had a different agenda,” singling out those peaceful protesters.
Current Events
“The right of the people to peacefully assemble is what the police are here to protect. If anyone who was peacefully exercising that right is upset and angry, I feel responsible and I’m sorry,” he said. He also acknowledged that the incident has sparked a larger conversation about societal issues, and he expressed interest in being part of the discussion.
“Overnight I went from being a small-town police chief to being part of a conversation about racism, equality and the role of policing in that conversation. As chief of police, I want to be part of that conversation. I also want to be part of the solution,” he said. Jackson emphasized that “the city belongs to all of us” and conceded that Ferguson and the surrounding areas have “much work to do.”
“For any mistakes I’ve made, I take full responsibility. It’s an honor to serve the city of Ferguson and the people who live there. I look forward to working with you in the future to solve our problems, and once again, I deeply apologize to the Brown family.”
Michael Brown’s family rejected the apology, saying it was too little too late, as they sought federal help to get Officer Darren Wilson arrested for shooting Brown. Ferguson residents took to the streets in protest of Jackson’s apology, believing it was a scripted PR move instead of a legitimate act of contrition.
This um…fella's apology means absolutely Nothing as far as I'm concerned. It's pretty clear to me that the Black residents of Ferguson have had to endure all kinds of modern-day Jim Crow harassment and brutality at the hands of the "the Law" for generations. And on a related sickening note, the following news is being reported this morning: CNN: Investigation follows tweet claiming lack of evidence to prosecute in Ferguson. Prosecutors in St. Louis County, Missouri, are investigating a Twitter post claiming the grand jury hearing evidence in the Ferguson shooting hasn't heard enough to warrant charging the police officer who shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown. "The matter has been referred to the prosecuting attorney for investigation," said a statement from the St. Louis County court administrator. "The court will hear the matter and take appropriate action, if the prosecutor finds cause to believe misconduct has occurred." The… Read more »