As the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death nears, a Ferguson, Mo., city councilman says that the Justice Department’s proposal to overhaul policing and municipal courts in Ferguson could bankrupt the St. Louis suburb, The Washington Post reported yesterday. Councilman Brian Fletcher didn’t say exactly what parts of the plan he and others on the council find unacceptable but noted that the council unanimously agreed to request more time from the federal government to find an alternative that won’t “financially ruin the city.” Since Brown’s death and the racial unrest that followed, sales tax revenue and fines and fees collected in the predominantly black suburb have declined. Ferguson also has had to pay out large severances to its former police chief and city manager, who resigned in March after the Justice Department report was released. Mayor James Knowles III said that bargaining continues and no vote has been taken on the proposal.
