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Ferguson city manager resigns

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles packs up following a city council meeting.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles packs up following a city council meeting.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles packs up following a city council meeting.
Scott Olson / Getty Images News
  1. Ferguson, Missouri, city manager John Shaw resigned on Tuesday night, following the previous week’s release of a scathing report from the US Department of Justice that found a pattern of racial bias in local law enforcement.
  2. The Justice Department report criticized Ferguson police and courts for disproportionately targeting black residents in stops to raise money through fines and court fees for the city budget.
  3. The report named Shaw as one of the many officials responsible for driving the city’s attempts to use police and the court system as a fundraising operation.
  4. In several instances outlined in the report, Shaw praised the courts and police for raising more money through fines and fees. When the police chief wrote that February 2011 court revenue would “beat our next biggest month in the last four years by over $17,000,” Shaw responded, “Wonderful!”
  5. On Monday, the Missouri Supreme Court appointed a state judge to take over Ferguson municipal court cases after Ronald Brockmeyer, the municipal judge, resigned.
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