While thousands, including many celebrities, rallied for unity and justice last week at Greater Grace Church to support the family of Michael Brown and the widespread public outcry that ensued a week after the unarmed teenager was gunned down by a Ferguson, Missouri police officer, the St. Louis County NAACP assembled a small but impactful group of organizations and individuals. They began the work toward civic and political engagement that will last beyond protests, rallies and demonstrations.
“We at the NAACP have to have a call to action,” said John Gaskin III, a member of the NAACP national board of directors. “We have to do something about this.”
The St. Louis County branch of the nation’s oldest civil rights organization called for:
ˉ A formal apology from the City of Ferguson to the family of Michael Brown
ˉ The U.S. Department of Justice take over the entire death investigation to ensure a probe that is impartial, transparent and uncompromised
ˉ Establishment of citizen review boards for every municipal police department in St. Louis County to ensure transparency of police operations
ˉ A state investigation of every municipal police department in the county that has a history of police brutality and racial profiling
ˉ Mandatory training for all police officers in St. Louis County to prevent racial profiling as part of law enforcement training.
Some of those points are partly being addressed, independent of the demands. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice is investigating the case, in addition to the state criminal process, in which a grand jury is reviewing evidence to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against the shooter, Darren Wilson, who is currently on paid administrative leave.
On August 21, Missouri U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill announced she will lead a hearing in September to examine the militarization of local police departments.
In its call for an end to police brutality and the demilitarization of police forces, the NAACP plans to meet with police chiefs and mayors for open discussions about the proper protocol for documenting reports or concerns of police brutality and to encourage community policing.
The group working with the NAACP included leadership from Latinos en Axion STL, the Anti-Defamation League of Missouri/Southern Illinois, Ferguson-Florissant School District, the Urban League, UAW, Mound City Bar Association, Pan Hellenic Council, Regional Human Relations Commission, as well as representatives from higher education, diversity and cultural competency training, school board members, retired educators and St. Louis County residents.
Attendees were asked to help the organization execute an aggressive voter registration and mobilization campaign and to call for greater civic engagement and attendance at city council and fire protection district meetings in all municipalities in St. Louis County. In education, the group is asking parents to becoming active in PTA/PTO groups and district-wide committees and school board meetings.
Kimberly Norwood, a law professor at Washington University, talked about a recent meeting with a group of 13-year-old males as they discussed the Michael Brown killing.
“Lots of them hadn’t really heard of the Constitution before, lots of them didn’t know what the First Amendment is about,” Norwood said. “None of them knew ‘know your rights’ stuff or what to do when you are stopped by a police officer. None of them knew any of these kinds of things that we need to get out there.”
The American Civil Liberties Union website provides a history of the Bill of Rights https://www.aclu.org/racial-justice_prisoners-rights_drug-law-reform_immigrants-rights/bill-rights-brief-history; and the right to protest https://www.aclu.org/free-speech/know-your-rights-demonstrations-and-protests and about racial justice https://www.aclu.org/racial-justice, among other issues.
Perhaps the most controversial proposal by the organization is the County NAACP’s call to dissolve small municipal police departments, which they say lack accountability and the resources to properly train officers. They propose direct oversight by the St. Louis County Police Department and St. Louis County government.
“Although many smaller townships rely on traffic stops for city income, this is at the expense of citizen’s safety and overall transparency and accountability,” the organization stated.
The St. Louis County NAACP is recruiting youth to become peer leaders to teach other youth about their rights and civic engagement for the betterment of their communities.
For more information, call 314-389-1552 or visit www.stlcountynaacp.org.
