Holder and Clinton Address Ferguson at Law Enforcement Meeting

October in St. Louis is known for hosting an extended baseball season, but this year demonstrations related to the shooting death of an unarmed Black teenager by a white police officer have seized the autumnal calendar, marking it as Ferguson October. In the weeks since the August 9th shooting in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, protestors have made a household name of Michael Brown, who witnesses say sank to his knees, arms raised surrender while the officer fired more bullets into the teenager’s body. And, this week yet more protests…organized and populated by activist academic Dr. Cornel West who was arrested along with 47 others…prove that the outrage remains unabated.

On the heels of Brown’s death, conversations about police killings of Black men have dominated community gatherings, political discussions, and part of the agenda at a conference attended by the nation’s mayors and police chiefs. The U.S. Conference of Mayors sponsored “Making Cities Safe Through Community Policing: A meeting of Mayors and Police Chiefs” held at the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock.

Attorney General Eric Holder, who traveled to Ferguson in August, attended the conference. “When I traveled to Ferguson in the days after that incident, my pledge to the people of that community was that our nation’s Department of Justice would remain focused on the challenges that they faced…and the deep-seated issues and difficult conversations that the shooting brought to the surface…long after national headlines had faded,” Holder told the audience.

America’s first Black attorney general says the Justice department will continue working with major police associations to conduct a board review of policing tactics, techniques and training to swiftly confront emerging threats, better address persistent challenges and thoroughly examine the latest tools and technologies to enhance the safety and impact of law enforcement.

Although Holder is leaving his post as the attorney general, he is clearly still on the job. “Going forward,” he stated, “I will support not only continuing this timely review but expanding it to consider the profession in a truly comprehensive way and to provide strong national direction on a scale not seen since president Lyndon Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement nearly half a century ago.”

Former President Bill Clinton, who created Community-Oriented Policing Services or COPS during his administration, pointed to a shooting in Los Angeles the same day Michael Brown was shot as an example of an effective community relations strategy. Clinton said, “Look, if we all live long enough and have responsibilities, we’ll all make mistakes. Tragedies will happen. And, the question is how are we going to relate to each other?”

Dozens of police chiefs and mayors attended the conference including Little Rock’s police chief, Kenton Buckner. Buckner became the chief in early June and started community outreach efforts immediately. He explained, “One of the goals I have is the sharing of information and having the opportunity to see what other cities are doing that is working and look at how we can improve our historical programs or maybe, it’s a time we need to eliminate something that is not working.”

On the streets of Ferguson and other cities, there is a growing demand for police officers versed in community understanding. And, there appears to be a serious effort in the law enforcement ranks to address the issue.

Holder is leading the charge, saying “The events in Ferguson reminded us that we cannot and we must not allow tensions which are present in so many neighborhoods across America to go unresolved. With this gathering of leaders, thanks to the promise of community policing, we are declaring together that we will not.”

If he is successful, there will be little question about the legacy of America’s first Black attorney general.

announced his resignation from the post several weeks ago. Holder committed to remaining on the job until his successor is confirmed by the Senate, and it is clear he still plans to work for justice. At the conference, Holder stated, “Going forward I will not support not only continuing this timely review but expanding it to consider the profession in a truly comprehensive way and to provide strong national direction on a scale not seen since President Lyndon Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement nearly half a century ago.”

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Former President Bill Clinton also ?????