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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 2014)
National News Ferguson continued from page 8 United Nations investiga- tors (called Special Rapporteurs) to launch their own investigations into the matter. “The UN rapporteurs are from the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights. They’re independ- ent investigators tasked with looking into human rights issues all across the world. Citizens often request their presence, and the Office has to agree to visit,” says Meena Jagan- nath, a human rights attor- ney and member of the Ferguson to Geneva delega- tion. The investigators are akin to the Justice Department lawyers who monitored civil rights marches and voter registration in the South in the 1960s. The del- egation is funneling their eyewitness accounts to the rapporteurs to encourage United Nations involve- ment. “One [rapporteur] wrote us a long letter talking about how he has sympathy for us. Another one, we have a meeting with him in New York in early December,” says Justin Hansford, human rights law professor at Saint Louis University and lead organizer for Fer- guson to Geneva. “We have countries around the world speaking out about Fergu- son. We tried the local level, the state, and federal gov- ernment. We have to take this to the court of global opinion now.” Jagannath adds, “Michael Brown’s killing really cat- ple of color. Moving for- ward, people are not looking at this thing like naïve, they know that the structure is the problem.” Those who are unwilling ‘We have countries around the world speaking out about Ferguson. We tried the local level, the state, and federal government. We have to take this to the court of global opinion now’ alyzed a movement to change how police interact with people, especially peo- let’s switch out the police chief or let’s switch out the governor. People are not or unable to join the protests also have a forum to impact the ongoing movement. Six publications, led by U.K.- based The Guardian, have collaborated to call for solu- tions from the public via FergusonNext.com. The project has collected thou- sands of citizen suggestions so far, ranging from police body cameras to better inner-city schools. While the state of Mis- souri will not indict Darren Wilson for any crime in connection to the shooting, Gov. Jay Nixon has created an independent 16-member commission to study the “underlying social and eco- nomic conditions” fueling the community’s response. The committee is scheduled to release its findings next year. The U.S. Department of Justice has two investiga- tions underway, one into whether Wilson violated Brown’s civil rights and a second one into the larger practices of the Ferguson Police Department. Brown’s parents are also considering bringing a civil action against Wilson. “The end game…has to be accountability,” Justin Hansford says. “Michael Brown’s killing was a flash- point, but the end goal is not just a resolution of this case. We’re tying to make sure future Mike Browns don’t happen again.” Enjoy quick & easy classified ad and announcement ordering at www.theskanner.com Page 10 The Portland and Seattle Skanner December 3, 2014
