Ferguson, MO. voters elected two new black members to the City Council this week. Braving stormy weather, Ferguson voters turned out in big numbers to cast their ballots in the first local election since black teen Michael Brown was shot and killed by a white police officer. The six-member body is now half white and half black. The lack of diversity in the ranks of local government and law enforcement was a major topic of discussion in the aftermath of the case. It is worth noting that voters did not elect several candidates directly supported by protestors. The Council will have key decisions ahead including hiring a new city manager, police chief and municipal judge - to replace those who resigned after the release of the Justice Dept. report documenting discriminatory and abusive police practices
In North Charleston, S.C., a white police officer was charged with murder in the wake of a video showing him shooting a reportedly unarmed black man in the back as the man ran away. Unlike in cases in Ferguson and New York City, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey announced the decision was made to prosecute. According to the NY Times, the officer "said he had feared for his life because the man had taken his stun gun in a scuffle after a traffic stop."