Justice
What the Shootings in Ferguson and North Charleston Do and Don't Have in Common
A new report shows Ferguson is an outlier among U.S. cities with its predatory court fees—but the racial disparities between its police force and the public are not so different.
The shooting death of Walter Scott at the hands of North Charleston police officer Michael Slager echoes the many incidents of lethal force used against unarmed black men that have led to nationwide protests in the last year. Something else about the tragic episode in South Carolina also resonates: Slager shot Scott after stopping him for a minor traffic arrest.
The U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Ferguson following the police-involved shooting death of Michael Brown uncovered a predatory model for the city's finances. The Ferguson Police Department and municipal court system put revenue before public safety, paying for government services by piling unjust court fees on the city's poor and black residents.