Institutional Inequalities Crime and Criminal Justice

On August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African-American male, was shot to death after an altercation with Darren Wilson, a 28-year-old white male Ferguson police officer. The disputed circumstances of the shooting, and the decision of a grand jury not to indict Officer Wilson for any criminal charges in relation to the incident led to widespread protest and civil unrest in Ferguson and other cities across the U.S.

Follow this link to The New York Times interactive time line of Michael Browns shooting and its immediate aftermath in Ferguson. The resultant protests and civil unrest sparked much media attention about law enforcement’s relationship with African Americans. This link is The New York Times video report of a standoff in Ferguson between law enforcement and the protestors. Now look at the findings from a Pew Research Center poll of blacks and whites regarding topics including confidence in the police to progress on racial equality.

Discussion Board Questions:

1. Why do you think that blacks and whites in the U.S. have very different views regarding the shooting of Michael Brown, the ensuing Ferguson investigations, and confidence in the police?

The Department of Justice (DOJ) report on the investigation of the Ferguson Police DepartmentOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader is a great read. It is a pretty lengthy document but you can look at the highlights of the DOJ report here (if it asks you to subscribe, just use this instead) The 12 key highlights from the DOJs scathing Ferguson report.docxOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader

2. Are you surprised by any of the findings of the DOJ report and has it changed your perception of what happened in Ferguson?