The city of Ferguson, Missouri announced this weekend that the spokesman for its police department had been suspended without pay after referring to a memorial to Michael Brown as a “pile of trash.”
Officer Timothy Zoll made the remark in a Friday interview with the Washington Post about reports that a car intentionally ran through the memorial to Brown, the unarmed black teenager who was fatally shot by a white police officer in August.
“I don’t know that a crime has occurred,” Zoll said, as quoted by the Post. “But a pile of trash in the middle of the street? The Washington Post is making a call over this?”
A statement from the city said that Zoll initially denied making the comment and later admitted that he misled his bosses, according to Reuters. The city said Zoll was put on unpaid leave and now faces “disciplinary proceedings.”
“The City of Ferguson wants to emphasize that negative remarks about the Michael Brown memorial do not reflect the feelings of the Ferguson Police Department,” the statement read, as quoted by Reuters. “and are in direct contradiction to the efforts of City officials to relocate the memorial to a more secure location.”
If only I knew what MrWon’tSTFU thought about this article.
If only…
jw1
“…Zoll initially denied making the comment…”
It isn’t about Michael Brown. It’s about the integrity of Ferguson police.
They lie to each other.
“…That blood on the hands starts on the steps of City Hall…”
Yes. It does.
Insensitive remarks cause more tension leading to potentially more protests, equals potentially more rioting, and the chance someone gets hurt. Including one of his fellow police officers. The guy must be an idiot for not knowing that. I would think that fact would be the foremost thing on his mind these days.
With the election of a black President the racists have now been let off their leashes.
Is it too much to ask Ferguson police to put their brains in gear before they open their mouths?