Ferguson Chief Reflects on Michael Brown’s Death

Ten years after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the city’s new police chief, Troy Doyle, reflects on the incident and the changes that have taken place since.

Why it matters: The shooting of Michael Brown sparked nationwide protests and put a spotlight on issues of racial bias and excessive force in policing.

The details:

• Doyle, who was a lieutenant colonel with the St. Louis County Police Department in 2014, was shocked by the intensity of the protests but familiar with the underlying issues of racial profiling and mistrust between the African American community and law enforcement.
• Since taking over as Ferguson’s police chief last year, Doyle has implemented several changes, including updating uniforms and badges, providing implicit bias and de-escalation training for officers, and increasing diversity within the department.
• Ferguson entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department two years after Brown’s death, requiring the city to make changes to its policing practices. Doyle says this work is still ongoing.
• Despite the federal investigation not supporting the initial narrative that Brown was shot with his hands up, Doyle believes many in the African American community still harbor doubts about the official findings.

The challenges: Balancing public safety and community trust remains a challenge for the department, as Ferguson continues to face issues with crime.

The bottom line: A decade after Michael Brown’s death, Chief Troy Doyle is navigating the complex landscape of reform and community relations in Ferguson, striving to restore trust while ensuring public safety.

Ten years after Michael Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer, his mother, Lezley McSpadden, continues her fight for justice.

Why it matters: Despite the outrage and protests that followed Brown’s death, no one has been criminally charged in the case.

The details:

• McSpadden says promises made by officials, including St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell, to file charges have gone unfulfilled.
• Brown’s death ignited weeks of protests and unrest in Ferguson, putting the town in the national spotlight and leading to demonstrations around the country.
• The officer who shot Brown, Darren Wilson, claimed Brown had attacked him and tried to take his service weapon. A grand jury declined to press charges, and the U.S. Justice Department chose not to indict Wilson, citing witness accounts and evidence supporting his claim of self-defense.
• McSpadden has honored her son’s memory through the Michael O.D. Brown Foundation, which has awarded thousands of dollars to college-bound students.

“Everybody in that Black neighborhood said that Michael had his hands up, which is the universal symbol of surrender. Once he puts his hands up, you don’t kill him.” – Civil rights attorney Ben Crump

The other side: The U.S. Justice Department stated that accounts of Brown putting his hands up were “inaccurate because they are inconsistent with the physical and forensic evidence.”

What’s next: McSpadden continues to seek justice for her son and keep his memory alive through her foundation’s work.

Ten years after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown set Ferguson ablaze and ignited nationwide protests, the region remains starkly divided by race and economic disparity.

Why it matters: The shooting of Michael Brown highlighted systemic issues of racial inequities and concentrated poverty in the St. Louis area.

The details:

• Ferguson became a symbol of a municipality desperate for revenue and mired in racial tensions, with Officer Darren Wilson epitomizing the frustrations of those trying to protect declining neighborhoods or a racist, oppressive police force, depending on perspective.
• Federal mandates aimed at reforming Ferguson’s policing and court systems have been costly and ongoing, while a detailed study from 2015 highlighted severe disparities in income, education, and health within St. Louis County.
• Today, those disparities remain glaring, with stark differences in life experiences between affluent areas like Wildwood and impoverished ones like Kinloch.
• Despite the challenges, community leaders and residents work tirelessly to build a better future, fueled by unwavering hope.

“I see the bigger things.” – Damille Dixson, Kinloch resident, emphasizing the beauty of her community despite its visible flaws.

The big picture: The lessons from Ferguson’s unrest continue to echo throughout the region, as the journey towards equity and justice remains fraught with obstacles.

What’s next: As community leaders and residents work to build a better future, the fight for justice and equality in the St. Louis area continues.

Full story

Ten years after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, a black teenager in Ferguson, Mo., the city’s new police chief Troy Doyle reflects on the incident and its aftermath. Doyle, who has been on the job for a year, was a lieutenant colonel with the St. Louis County Police Department in 2014.

Doyle says he was shocked by the intensity of the protests that followed Brown’s death, but he was familiar with the underlying issues. “There was always an underlying current that was going on, especially with African Americans that lived in St. Louis city or St.

Louis County,” he says. “You had to make sure that your tail lights worked, your headlights worked, your plates were registered correctly, you didn’t speed because you were going to be a target.”

Doyle himself had encounters with the police as a teenager that pushed him to become an officer. “I grew up in North County, and believe it or not, I was one of those young African American teenagers that were stopped, harassed by law enforcement quite frequently,” he says.

Since taking over the Ferguson Police Department last year, Doyle has made several changes. Only about four officers remain from the time of the 2014 protests, and Doyle has changed the look of the uniforms and badges because “even the old uniforms triggered some people.”

The city entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department two years after Brown’s death to make changes, and that work is still underway.

Changes in Ferguson police department

Doyle says it put pressure on police departments in the region. “I think it scared them because Ferguson just happened to be the department that got hit with it. Any number of agencies at that time could have been hit with this consent decree,” he says.

The Justice Department investigation found that many of the department’s practices were unconstitutional, racially biased, and driven by the need to generate revenue for the city. Doyle says that has changed. The department now has roughly 50% African American representation and about 23% female representation.

Officers have been through implicit bias training, de-escalation training, and use-of-force training. Doyle says the community is seeing the changes in the police department, but some still view them as cosmetic. Balancing public safety and community trust remains a challenge.

“One of the things I emphasized to my officers when I came here is that we are going to be the police, meaning that we’re going to do our best to serve and protect,” he says. A decade after Michael Brown’s death, Chief Troy Doyle continues to navigate the complex landscape of reform and community relations in Ferguson, striving for a balance between public safety and restoring trust.