For Anything to Change, Missouri Should Consolidate St. Louis

"We're in a fight for our lives on the world stage," said St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley during a recent gathering of leaders. He wasn't talking about the situation in Ferguson, which hadn't yet happened. Although he didn't know it then, Dooley was talking about the steps that Missouri leaders might have taken months, years, even decades ago to prevent the crisis in Ferguson today.

Dooley uttered those words back in February, at an annual symposium convened at Saint Louis University. The subject of the conference was reunification: the municipal consolidation of St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The division between the two municipalities has emerged as an unlikely subject of scrutiny following the tragic death of Michael Brown. The unarmed black 18-year-old was shot to death by white Ferguson police officer on Aug. 9, and police and demonstrators have been locked in conflict ever since.