Ferguson Created 'Antagonistic Relationship' with Blacks

The Justice Department won't prosecute former police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of an unarmed black man, but a scathing report released Wednesday faults law enforcement in Ferguson, Missouri for racial bias and unconstitutional practices.

Federal officials concluded there was no evidence to disprove Wilson's testimony that he feared for his safety. They concluded there were also no reliable witness accounts to establish that Michael Brown, 18, had his hands up in surrender when he was shot.

But they also said in a lengthy report that the shooting occurred in an environment of systemic mistreatment of blacks.

"Black citizens of the region stated that they felt harassed by law enforcement in Ferguson and other suburban St. Louis communities," Bishop Harry Jackson told CBN News.

"It is clear that just as the DOJ has cited in the study, the laws and law enforcement officers have created an antagonistic relationship between the people and the police in the region," Jackson said.

The report is based on interviews with police leaders and residents, a review of more than 35,000 pages of police records and analysis of data on stops, searches, and arrests.

The report includes more than two dozen recommendations to improve the closely aligned police department and court system, including training officers to de-escalate confrontations and better oversight of its recruiting, hiring, and promotion procedures.

"Now that our investigation has reached its conclusion, it is time for Ferguson's leaders to take immediate, wholesale and structural corrective action," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement announcing the findings.

Attention is now on Ferguson and how the city might fix racial biases that the federal government says are rooted in the police department and court and jail systems.

"The race problem is complicated by generational poverty and a educational disparities. In recent years both Ferguson and St. Louis have maintained heavy high school drop out rates for Blacks and over 30 percent of black citizens are living at or below the poverty level," Jackson said.

"Further, default penalties that place poor people into the criminal justice system because of their inability to pay; seems like a system which creates a pyrrhic victory for law enforcement. Young black and Hispanic kids who create misdemeanors should not wind up in jail or develop a criminal record," he added.

Federal officials on Wednesday described Ferguson city leaders as cooperative and open to change and said there were already signs of improvement.

"It's quite evident that change is coming down the pike. This is encouraging," said John Gaskin III, a St. Louis community activist. "It's so unfortunate that Michael Brown had to be killed. But in spite of that, I feel justice is coming."

Bishop Jackson offered what he thinks should happen in Ferguson, Missouri.

"The long term answer to problem areas like Ferguson is at least three fold," he said. "One, thoughtful criminal justice reforms that keep young offenders out of jail. Two, educational reform that helps young minorities excel at school instead of dropping out. Three, development of job training programs that continue to create jobs in blighted communities."

"Unfortunately, the study may be used in a narrow minded, politically expedient way that would make community policing appear to be the only problem in the St. Louis area versus addressing longer term substantive solutions," Jackson said.