(St. Louis Public Radio) – The city of Ferguson and the U.S. Department of Justice are approaching agreement on how to deal with the civil rights violations of the city’s police departments and municipal courts.
Ferguson officials on Tuesday released a draft version of a consent decree. The city will accept written comments through Feb. 9, and at three City Council meetings. It must still be approved by the City Council and a federal judge.
“As in all negotiations, neither side received everything that they requested, and both sides made concessions in order to reach an agreement,” the city said in a statement. “The City representatives worked very hard to reach an agreement with the Department of Justice, and this proposed agreement represents the best agreement that the City’s representatives were able to obtain for the citizens of Ferguson.”
The public meetings are scheduled for:
• Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m., Ferguson City Hall
• Saturday, Feb. 6, at 2 p.m., Ferguson Community Center
• Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m., Ferguson City Hall
In a letter to the city, Vanita Gupta, the head of the Civil Rights Division, expressed her appreciation to the Ferguson negotiating team, calling its members “thoughtful, creative and resolute in arguing for terms that it believed necessary to address the City’s interests, including its interests in effective policing, and ensuring fair and lawful treatment of all people living in, working in, or passing through Ferguson.”
Gupta said in the letter she remained hopeful that the City Council would approve the consent decree by Feb. 9th to avoid “contested litigation, given that this would delay implementation of much-needed police and court reform, and divert substantial resources away from the reform effort.”
U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, the Democrat whose district includes Ferguson, called the proposed settlement “a victory for thousands of innocents citizens who have been repeatedly victimized by racially biased, predatory and unconstitutional practices in Ferguson for decades.”
Republished with permission from St. Louis Public Radio: http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/ferguson-releases-draft-federal-consent-decree
