FERGUSON, August 21 (RIA Novosti) – Ferguson police need more checks and balances to ensure that episodes like the recent police killing of an unarmed African-American teenager do not happen again, protestor Damon Davis told RIA Novosti Thursday.
“This is just one in a long list of injustices against people of color; police running wild and doing whatever they want. There are no checks and balances on police. If we get justice, then maybe it’ll be a little retribution for all the other people who died and didn’t get justice for crimes committed against them,” said Davis, 29, a musician.
“This should lead to other legislation that will bring about stricter laws to police the police. Some officers are clearly not suitable to police other people. They should have four-year degrees in law enforcement and proper psychiatric evaluations to make sure they are suitable,” the protester added.
Ferguson, a predominantly African-American suburb of St. Louis of some 21,000 residents, has been rocked by protests since the police killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager, as he walked with a friend on a residential street on the afternoon of August 9.
Protests eased on Wednesday night thanks to the effects of rain and a visit by America’s top lawman, Attorney General Eric Holder, who promised a thorough federal probe to complement local investigations.
Missouri National Guard troops were deployed to staunch the violence. Law enforcers have been criticized for bringing military tactics to civilian protests, toting assault rifles and using tear gas, rubber bullets and other heavy-handed measures.
