Within only days of information emerging that Michael Brown, the “gentle giant”, as his family and friends called him, was video filmed in behavior identical to that of a street thug, information has emerged that neither is Officer Darrel Wilson necessarily above reproach.
Officer Wilson previously served on the 45 member police force in nearby Jennings, a city of 14,000 people where nearly 9 in 10 people are Black. Many of Jennings’s residents are poor with full-time employment scarce. Despite the heavy Black population, 43 of the police officers were white.
Apparently, the police force was deeply unpopular with residents and claims of excessive police abuse were rampant. Complaints against the police department continued to rise and culminated in an incident where an officer tried to pull over a mother and her young child. She did not comply with his request and drove outside of the police force jurisdiction. The officer discharged his weapon at her car and what ensued was public outrage.
The city council took up a vote to disband the entire police force and approved the measure 6 votes to 1. This effectively fired all 45 officers including Officer Wilson. He then sought employment in the Ferguson police force. Detractors of Officer Wilson are insinuating guilt by association.
While he bears no prior record of police abuse, the department was accused of multiple instances. However, Officer Wilson’s record shows no offenses. While some may believe in a cover up, there is no proof he engaged in the activities that other officers committed.