Congressional Black Caucus Works to Find Positive Aspects of AG’s Ferguson Report

RedTackArts/iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Members of the Congressional Black Caucus decried the Department of Justice’s decision not to charge Darren Wilson with a crime related to the death of Michael Brown last summer in Ferguson, Missouri, but praised the overall assessment of the Attorney General’s report, which found a pattern and practice of discriminatory policing.

“The far-reaching report announced today represents an important path forward towards achieving equal justice under the law in Ferguson, Missouri and repairing some of the deep divisions and very real disparity in local law enforcement, which that community has endured for far too long,” Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., the chairman of the CBC, said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Rep. William Lacy Clay, the Democratic congressman who represents Ferguson, also tried to highlight the positive aspects of the report, but added his disappointment over the DOJ’s decision not to charge Wilson.

“While I’m extremely disappointed that Mike Brown’s killer will not face criminal charges, his death has forced our nation to begin a long-overdue conversation on race and the disparities it continues to perpetuate for too many Americans,” Clay, D-Missouri, said.

“We know that there was a miscarriage of justice at the local level on the part of the St. Louis County prosecutor,” Clay added. “The way the case was presented to the grand jury, the fault of the grand jury system. All of that came into play in this case, and it’s unfortunate.”

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