- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Ferguson Withholding Information on Michael Brown’s Killing: ACLU

Subscribe
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has declared that the Ferguson Police Department is deliberately withholding information on Michael Brown's killing, the organization said in a statement published on its website.

MOSCOW, September 15 (RIA Novosti) - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has declared that the Ferguson Police Department is deliberately withholding information on Michael Brown's killing, the organization said in a statement published on its website.

"Ferguson is still hiding information regarding the fatal shooting of Michael Brown," the statement said. "It is long past time for the Ferguson Police Department to begin building public trust and the first step is to release a complete copy of the incident report."

The ACLU asked the Ferguson Police Department on August 12 to publish the full incident report on Michael Brown's killing on August 9. The request was, however, denied, leading the ACLU to file a Missouri Sunshine Law suit on August 15.

The Sunshine Law stipulates openness in government and states that meetings, records, votes and other official actions be made available to the public for observation, participation as well as inspection.

Later, the ACLU received a report from the St. Louis County Police Department classifying the shooting as a homicide and failing to include any substantial information or description on what had happened. The report also revealed that 43 minutes passed before anyone would call the police and another 47 minutes before the police would arrive at the scene.

"It is deeply troubling and unacceptable that the two incident reports we've received completely lack any detailed information of what happened when Officer Darren Wilson encountered and then shot an unarmed Michael Brown. Two weeks after the shooting, this demonstrates a continued lack of transparency," reads the ACLU's statement.

According to the ACLU, the shooting of Michael Brown by a white police officer "is a grim reminder that there are two kinds of policing in America today: one to serve and protect the white community and one to criminalize and control the black community".

The ACLU also reported that the local and county-wide police force, predominantly white, employed force against peaceful protesters following the shooting, making people think they were living in an authoritarian country.

On a larger scale, the ACLU has said that more disproportionate raids are being used in the case of minority groups rather than white citizens, even though the use of drugs by white people is estimated to be at the same rate.

"Law enforcement officers and officials are public servants tasked with serving and protecting their communities, not erecting a blue wall of silence to insulate themselves from transparency and accountability," the statement continues.

According to the ACLU, police throughout the United States have killed six unarmed black men since April. The use of deadly force was deemed unjustified in the circumstances surrounding each of the six killings.

The 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 9, 2014.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала