Ferguson, Mo., City manager out after Justice report

Associated Press

FERGUSON, Mo.

The Ferguson City Council on Tuesday evening unanimously approved a resolution to part ways with City Manager John Shaw after a scathing Justice Department report that alleged racial bias in the city police department and court system.

The St. Louis suburb has been beleaguered by unrest since a white police officer fatally shot black 18-year-old Michael Brown last summer.

A St. Louis County grand jury and the U.S. Justice Department both declined to bring charges against Officer Darren Wilson, who resigned from the department. The Justice Department report said Wilson acted in self- defense when he shot Brown. But the Justice Department said in its report last week that Ferguson’s police and court systems functioned as a money-making enterprise that heightened tensions among residents.

The DOJ report cited cases of racial profiling and bigotry by the predominantly white police force in the mostly black St. Louis suburb. Brown’s shooting prompted protests in the St. Louis area and across the nation.

The findings already have led to a Missouri appeals court judge being tapped to overhaul the local court system.

Also, racist emails included in the report led to the firing of the city clerk and resignation of two police officers last week.

A news release from the city said the council had reached a “mutual separation agreement” with Shaw, the city’s chief executive, effective immediately. The statement also said a nationwide search for Shaw’s replacement would begin immediately.

“I believe that the city of Ferguson has the resolve to overcome the challenges it faces in the coming months and emerge as a stronger community for it,” Shaw, 39, said in a statement included in the release.

Since Brown’s death seven months ago, Mayor James Knowles has been the public face and voice of Ferguson’s city government. But Shaw held the legal power to make personnel and policy changes in the police department — not Knowles, a part-time officeholder who earns less than $5,000 annually.