The Officer Credited With Calming Ferguson

The crowds have thinned. And, the businesses are reopening. But, the outrage over the shooting death of unarmed teenager, Michael Brown, at the hands of a Ferguson, Missouri police officer is still a national conversation.

Captain Ron Johnson is the law enforcement authority credited with establishing calm which he readily shared.  “The clergy, the elders and the activists are part of the community. I think they have talked about this is our community, and we… should not destroy our community. Let’s have some calm.”

After 27 years in law enforcement, Johnson expressed concern about the lack of communication between police and the people they serve. He cited examples of that disconnect as a reason for the mistrust many African Americans feel. He added, “We remain in our vehicles. We don’t get out, and we don’t communicate probably in the proper way by just talking, getting to know our community. I’ve noticed when I’m just driving down the street, and I pull over and just start talking to somebody, the things I find out.”

A stunned nation watched as tanks and tear gas were used against some protesters in the first week after Brown’s death. Looters received attention for their destructive rampages, but by all reports, the peaceful protesters greatly outnumbered the vandals. Naming Johnson to handle security for the area communicated law enforcement’s effort to address increasing concern about the tactics being used.

“I think right no Ferguson is a model of what community policing can be. And, when we move on from his day…if that stays in Ferguson, then Ferguson will be okay. If we go back to the days before Michael Brown’s shooting, we will be back here again,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s leadership is earning his accolades at home and in Washington, D.C. Attorney General Eric Holder met with him when Holder visited St. Louis for a briefing on the federal investigation of Brown’s death. The task of keeping peace in place is ongoing for Johnson and his team of officers during the weeks ahead as a grand jury hears the evidence and decides whether charges will be filed against Officer Darren Wilson.

“I think what has to happen here is this process has to be fair. This process has to be transparent. And so, I think that is what this protest is about, and if you listen to the chants, they are asking for justice. And, justice is fairness.”