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National Guard Called In As Unrest Continues In Ferguson

Ferguson, Missouri, August 19, 2014. (Photo by Joe Raedle)

In further fallout from the recently released Department of Justice report into the corrupt and racist court and police system of Ferguson (this verified by comprehensive data), the Missouri Supreme Court announced this evening that a state judge will take over municipal court cases in the St. Louis suburb.

SEE ALSO: Ferguson Mayor Says Race Not An Issue, Bill Introduced To Stop “Policing For Revenue”

The takeover directly speaks to the damning evidence that came from the DOJ report released on Monday, which fingered municipal courts and police who routinely targeted African Americans to increase revenue—often stopping them without probable cause, and then jailing and/or fining them disporportionately, thus violating their constitutional rights.

The New York Times reports

The report described a city that used its police and courts as moneymaking ventures, a place where officers stopped and handcuffed people without probable cause, hurled racial slurs, used stun guns without provocation and treated anyone as suspicious merely for questioning police actions.

Based on the report, the federal government says it’s prepared to sue the city if it doesn’t make drastic changes including revamping its approach to policing, retraining its employees and establishing new oversight.

Looks like they’re making it happen.

Ronald J. Brockmeyer, the current municipal judge, resigned his post effectively immediately, and Judge Roy L. Richter, who had been serving on a state appeals court, will move to the Circuit Court in St. Louis County and hear the Ferguson cases.

Ferguson, of course, is where 18-year-old Michael Brown lost his life in July when officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department killed him sparking protests that continue there to this day. Wilson was not charged with any crime—city, state or federal.

The Justice Department under Attorney General Eric Holder formally investigated the justice apparatus of Ferguson after Brown’s death, and found that it had engaged in so many constitutional violations that they could be corrected only by a total overhaul of the entire system.

SEE ALSO:

Ferguson Police Officer Fired, Two Suspended After Racist Emails Come Out In DOJ Report 

Even Damning DOJ Report Didn’t Stop Ferguson Police From Arresting Protesters

State Judge Takes Over Ferguson Municipal Courts — The Gravy Train Is Dead  was originally published on newsone.com