WEBVTT 00:02.033 --> 00:04.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% NICK SCHIFRIN: Tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of the day Michael Brown Jr. was shot and 00:04.366 --> 00:07.733 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. 00:07.733 --> 00:12.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% His death touched off months of protests and raised questions about the police's use of 00:12.366 --> 00:16.433 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% force, race relations and criminal justice in the U.S.. 00:16.433 --> 00:21.166 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Political correspondent Yamiche Alcindor traveled back to Ferguson to see what progress has 00:21.166 --> 00:23.266 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and hasn't been made. 00:23.266 --> 00:28.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: A typical summer barbecue near what some see as hallowed ground. 00:30.033 --> 00:33.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It was here five years ago that officer Darren Wilson shot and killed 18-year-old Michael 00:33.766 --> 00:35.933 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% Brown. 00:35.933 --> 00:36.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% FRAN GRIFFIN, Ferguson City Council: To me, that just -- little patch just reminds me 00:36.900 --> 00:38.900 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of exactly where it happened at. 00:38.900 --> 00:41.166 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% I can't drive over it. 00:41.166 --> 00:42.666 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% I don't know what that is. 00:42.666 --> 00:44.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I don't know how to explain it or why, but I can't. 00:44.766 --> 00:46.933 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% I drive around it. 00:46.933 --> 00:50.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Fran Griffin helped organize this event as part of the Southeast Ferguson 00:50.033 --> 00:52.133 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Community Association. 00:52.133 --> 00:56.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The group was formed in the wake of Brown's death to provide community services. 00:56.000 --> 00:59.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Like many others, Griffin was spurred to protest after Brown was killed. 00:59.466 --> 01:04.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And, earlier this year, she won a seat on Ferguson's City Council, becoming the first 01:04.033 --> 01:06.066 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% black woman to represent her ward. 01:06.066 --> 01:10.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% FRAN GRIFFIN: When Michael Brown Jr. was killed, it changed the lives of so many people, not 01:12.233 --> 01:14.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% just here in Ferguson, but throughout the entire world. 01:14.600 --> 01:16.700 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% It changed my life. 01:16.700 --> 01:21.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% I never, ever would have thought that I would have been a politician, but I found something 01:22.533 --> 01:25.333 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that I could do that would help my community. 01:25.333 --> 01:30.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Brown's death thrust Ferguson, a city of 22,000, into the national spotlight. 01:32.800 --> 01:37.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Images of police in armored vehicles firing tear gas at protesters and demonstrators setting 01:38.166 --> 01:40.300 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% fire to businesses fueled intense debate. 01:40.300 --> 01:44.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Now, as another anniversary approaches, many are taking stock of what has changed. 01:44.833 --> 01:47.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JAMES KNOWLES III, Mayor of Ferguson, Missouri: We have a lot of new staff members around 01:47.533 --> 01:49.566 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% City Hall. 01:49.566 --> 01:51.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We have a lot of new staff people especially in the police department. 01:51.133 --> 01:52.900 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We have a lot of new council members. 01:52.900 --> 01:55.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: James Knowles is mayor of Ferguson. 01:55.600 --> 01:59.000 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% He's one of the few remaining city officials from 2014. 01:59.000 --> 02:03.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% He remains the target of intense criticism but insists the city has made meaningful strides. 02:03.533 --> 02:07.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% JAMES KNOWLES III: We have a tremendous amount of new officers in our police department, 02:07.400 --> 02:10.533 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% a much more diverse police department than we had in the past. 02:10.533 --> 02:15.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Our courts are much more focused on working with people to not get caught in that trap 02:17.500 --> 02:21.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of that kind of cycle of being in the court system through traffic tickets or housing 02:22.833 --> 02:24.800 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% fines. 02:24.800 --> 02:27.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Of course, many of those reforms were mandated by a Justice Department 02:27.000 --> 02:29.466 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% consent decree. 02:29.466 --> 02:33.266 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% In 2015, the DOJ concluded law enforcement practices in Ferguson were -- quote -- "shaped 02:34.900 --> 02:37.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% by the city's focus on revenue, rather than public safety needs." 02:37.833 --> 02:42.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It also determined that African-Americans were arrested at disproportionate rates, and 02:42.066 --> 02:44.200 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% some without probable cause. 02:44.200 --> 02:49.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Statewide, black drivers are still nearly twice as likely as others to be stopped. 02:51.233 --> 02:54.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% In Ferguson, the disparity in traffic stops of black drivers has also increased by 5 percent 02:54.900 --> 02:56.200 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% since 2013. 02:56.200 --> 02:58.900 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Yet Ferguson has reduced its ticketing. 02:58.900 --> 03:02.933 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% In 2014, the city issued nearly 12,000 tickets. 03:02.933 --> 03:05.033 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Most were for minor municipal code violations. 03:05.033 --> 03:09.400 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% In 2017, that number was under 2,000. 03:09.400 --> 03:14.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Now revenue has fallen from nearly $2 million in 2014 to just under $400,000 in 2017. 03:16.833 --> 03:20.633 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% The municipal court has also vacated nearly 10,000 arrest warrants. 03:20.633 --> 03:22.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% There have also been broader changes. 03:22.800 --> 03:25.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% WESLEY BELL, Saint Louis County Prosecutor: We know this issue isn't limited to the borders 03:25.633 --> 03:27.633 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% of Ferguson. 03:27.633 --> 03:30.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Last year, Wesley Bell was elected Saint Louis County prosecutor. 03:30.633 --> 03:35.500 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% The former Ferguson city councilman defeated longtime Republican Bob McCulloch, who declined 03:35.500 --> 03:37.600 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to indict Officer Wilson. 03:37.600 --> 03:41.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% WESLEY BELL: It was more of the typical incarcerate your way out of every problem. 03:45.166 --> 03:50.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Someone is struggling to pay child support, put him on probation or lock them up. 03:51.966 --> 03:55.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Someone has a drug issue, put him on probation or lock them up. 03:55.533 --> 03:57.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And that exacerbates the problem. 03:57.600 --> 04:01.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Any of you who work the streets know you're seeing the same people over and over who just 04:01.433 --> 04:03.500 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% need treatment. 04:03.500 --> 04:06.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Instead, he is prioritizing pre-trial diversion programs, cash bail reform, 04:06.500 --> 04:08.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and decriminalizing low-level drug charges. 04:08.666 --> 04:13.666 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% WESLEY BELL: We want to make sure that people who are incarcerated need to be incarcerated, 04:15.266 --> 04:18.966 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% and those that do not need to be shouldn't see the inside of a jail. 04:18.966 --> 04:23.433 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Since Bell has been in office, Saint Louis County's jail population has dropped 04:23.433 --> 04:25.500 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% by 20 percent. 04:25.500 --> 04:29.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% There are still serious questions over just how much change has come to Ferguson. 04:29.266 --> 04:32.966 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Storefronts like these remain shuttered and development is slow. 04:32.966 --> 04:37.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And there are still stark racial divisions and deep tensions between the community and 04:37.166 --> 04:39.233 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% police. 04:39.233 --> 04:42.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Councilwoman Griffin worries the Third Ward, which has the highest percentage of black 04:42.166 --> 04:45.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% residents and the lowest income levels, is not getting enough resources. 04:45.900 --> 04:50.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% FRAN GRIFFIN: In terms of just the little small mom-and-pop stores, like, those aren't 04:50.866 --> 04:52.066 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% existing. 04:52.066 --> 04:53.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% You have got a few beauty supply houses. 04:53.533 --> 04:56.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% You have got a few beauty salons and nail shops. 04:56.666 --> 05:01.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But in terms of actually providing resources to people where they can get -- in walking 05:01.233 --> 05:04.733 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% distance where they can go and shop, I would say no. 05:04.733 --> 05:09.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Last week, a Missouri nonprofit announced plans for a new development project. 05:09.633 --> 05:13.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It will include a health care center and possibly a grocery store. 05:13.033 --> 05:18.033 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% Still, some in the city remain deeply worried about interactions with the police and racial 05:18.633 --> 05:20.166 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% profiling. 05:20.166 --> 05:21.433 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% MARCUS HICKS, Ferguson Resident: If anything, it feels the same. 05:21.433 --> 05:22.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I don't feel like nothing different. 05:22.800 --> 05:24.633 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I don't feel like it's enhanced or anything like that. 05:24.633 --> 05:27.266 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I don't even feel like I can call the police to save myself. 05:27.266 --> 05:32.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Marcus Hicks and Travis Bowl, both 22, live in Ferguson and saw the 05:32.000 --> 05:34.000 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% protests here in 2014. 05:34.000 --> 05:38.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% TRAVIS BOWL, Ferguson Resident: Like, being a black male, it's just -- like, I feel like 05:38.166 --> 05:41.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% it's -- it's just like it's never going to change. 05:41.766 --> 05:46.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Like, they're going to forever think we're on some type of B.S. or some type of gangbanger 05:48.933 --> 05:50.833 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% stuff and stuff like that. 05:50.833 --> 05:53.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Yet some wrongly believe black residents deserve extra scrutiny. 05:53.966 --> 05:57.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY MCCARTY, Ferguson Resident: If you watch how some of these people drive, you know what 05:57.100 --> 06:00.766 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - - you know what color they are. 06:00.766 --> 06:05.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I'm not prejudiced, but we can tell by the way they drive. 06:05.566 --> 06:10.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Judy McCarty has lived in Ferguson since she was 2 and lives just blocks 06:10.466 --> 06:12.333 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% from where Brown was killed. 06:12.333 --> 06:15.466 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And while her husband William says some court reforms were needed: 06:15.466 --> 06:18.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% WILLIAM MCCARTY, Ferguson Resident: When you come in to pay a ticket, and you have got 06:18.233 --> 06:23.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% four other outstanding warrants, and they put you in jail, you can't pay your fine if 06:23.833 --> 06:24.766 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% you're in jail. 06:24.766 --> 06:26.266 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% You're not going to be working. 06:26.266 --> 06:28.366 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Still, they worry things have gone too far. 06:28.366 --> 06:31.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY MCCARTY: Let's not go the opposite way, where the -- the way there seemed to be going 06:31.833 --> 06:35.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% now, and there's no punishment for abusing the law. 06:35.600 --> 06:37.633 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% WILLIAM MCCARTY: Right. 06:37.633 --> 06:41.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: At the same time, Ferguson's independent monitor testified the city needs 06:41.400 --> 06:46.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to do more to actually implement policy changes, including new police training. 06:48.400 --> 06:50.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But Mayor Knowles says the costs are too high, which has rankled many activists. 06:50.533 --> 06:55.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JAMES KNOWLES III: There is no police department in Missouri, very few in this country, that 06:56.833 --> 07:00.366 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% do all of the things that are required by our consent decree. 07:00.366 --> 07:03.166 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We have to go through more hoops. 07:03.166 --> 07:05.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We have to endure more training, more scrutiny. 07:05.500 --> 07:10.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% FRAN GRIFFIN: To them, the mind-set is, it's not fair that we're being penalized because 07:11.933 --> 07:16.466 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% of what happened here, because everybody else was doing it. 07:16.466 --> 07:18.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% That's the wrong mind-set to have. 07:18.533 --> 07:21.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Griffin says it's that kind of sentiment that makes her concerned the 07:21.633 --> 07:24.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% city may revert to its old practices. 07:24.566 --> 07:27.433 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% But she's also confident in the momentum of the last five years. 07:27.433 --> 07:32.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% FRAN GRIFFIN: Whenever I pass up the space, like, it's a constant reminder of the -- what 07:33.166 --> 07:34.800 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% my responsibilities are. 07:34.800 --> 07:39.733 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% It's a constant reminder of the pain that an entire community felt. 07:41.200 --> 07:43.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And it's just a constant that we have got to keep fighting. 07:43.166 --> 07:48.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Yamiche Alcindor in Ferguson, Missouri.