Ferguson city manager leaves after Justice report

FERGUSON, Mo. – The Ferguson City Council on Tuesday evening unanimously approved a resolution to part ways with City Manager John Shaw following a scathing Justice Department report that alleged racial bias in the city police department and court system.

The St. Louis suburb has been beleaguered by unrest since a white police officer fatally shot an unarmed, black 18-year-old last summer.

Michael Brown’s death prompted protests in the St. Louis area and across the nation, including after a St. Louis County grand jury declined to bring charges against former Officer Darren Wilson.

The Justice Department in its report last week also cleared Wilson of civil rights charges in the shooting, saying the evidence supported his claim he was acting in self-defense. But the department outlined ways the Ferguson police and court systems functioned as a money-making enterprise that heightened tensions among the city’s black residents. The report repeatedly cited Shaw’s role, as the city’s chief executive, in encouraging the police force to aggressively ticket motorists as a means to generate revenue.

The findings also cited cases of racial profiling and bigotry by the predominantly white police force in the mostly black St. Louis suburb.

The report already has led to a Missouri appeals court judge being tapped to overhaul the local court system, and racist emails included in the investigation led to the firing of the city clerk and resignation of two police officers last week.

A news release from the city said the council had reached a “mutual separation agreement” with Shaw, effective immediately. The statement also said a nationwide search for Shaw’s replacement would begin right away.

“I believe that the city of Ferguson has the resolve to overcome the challenges it faces in the coming months and emerge as a stronger community for it,” Shaw, 39, said in a statement.