1 00:00:02,033 --> 00:00:04,366 NICK SCHIFRIN: Tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of the day Michael Brown Jr. was shot and 2 00:00:04,366 --> 00:00:07,733 killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. 3 00:00:07,733 --> 00:00:12,366 His death touched off months of protests and raised questions about the police's use of 4 00:00:12,366 --> 00:00:16,433 force, race relations and criminal justice in the U.S.. 5 00:00:16,433 --> 00:00:21,166 Political correspondent Yamiche Alcindor traveled back to Ferguson to see what progress has 6 00:00:21,166 --> 00:00:23,266 and hasn't been made. 7 00:00:23,266 --> 00:00:28,100 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: A typical summer barbecue near what some see as hallowed ground. 8 00:00:30,033 --> 00:00:33,766 It was here five years ago that officer Darren Wilson shot and killed 18-year-old Michael 9 00:00:33,766 --> 00:00:35,933 Brown. 10 00:00:35,933 --> 00:00:36,900 FRAN GRIFFIN, Ferguson City Council: To me, that just -- little patch just reminds me 11 00:00:36,900 --> 00:00:38,900 of exactly where it happened at. 12 00:00:38,900 --> 00:00:41,166 I can't drive over it. 13 00:00:41,166 --> 00:00:42,666 I don't know what that is. 14 00:00:42,666 --> 00:00:44,766 I don't know how to explain it or why, but I can't. 15 00:00:44,766 --> 00:00:46,933 I drive around it. 16 00:00:46,933 --> 00:00:50,033 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Fran Griffin helped organize this event as part of the Southeast Ferguson 17 00:00:50,033 --> 00:00:52,133 Community Association. 18 00:00:52,133 --> 00:00:56,000 The group was formed in the wake of Brown's death to provide community services. 19 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,466 Like many others, Griffin was spurred to protest after Brown was killed. 20 00:00:59,466 --> 00:01:04,033 And, earlier this year, she won a seat on Ferguson's City Council, becoming the first 21 00:01:04,033 --> 00:01:06,066 black woman to represent her ward. 22 00:01:06,066 --> 00:01:10,800 FRAN GRIFFIN: When Michael Brown Jr. was killed, it changed the lives of so many people, not 23 00:01:12,233 --> 00:01:14,600 just here in Ferguson, but throughout the entire world. 24 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:16,700 It changed my life. 25 00:01:16,700 --> 00:01:21,400 I never, ever would have thought that I would have been a politician, but I found something 26 00:01:22,533 --> 00:01:25,333 that I could do that would help my community. 27 00:01:25,333 --> 00:01:30,333 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Brown's death thrust Ferguson, a city of 22,000, into the national spotlight. 28 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:37,033 Images of police in armored vehicles firing tear gas at protesters and demonstrators setting 29 00:01:38,166 --> 00:01:40,300 fire to businesses fueled intense debate. 30 00:01:40,300 --> 00:01:44,833 Now, as another anniversary approaches, many are taking stock of what has changed. 31 00:01:44,833 --> 00:01:47,533 JAMES KNOWLES III, Mayor of Ferguson, Missouri: We have a lot of new staff members around 32 00:01:47,533 --> 00:01:49,566 City Hall. 33 00:01:49,566 --> 00:01:51,133 We have a lot of new staff people especially in the police department. 34 00:01:51,133 --> 00:01:52,900 We have a lot of new council members. 35 00:01:52,900 --> 00:01:55,600 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: James Knowles is mayor of Ferguson. 36 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,000 He's one of the few remaining city officials from 2014. 37 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:03,533 He remains the target of intense criticism but insists the city has made meaningful strides. 38 00:02:03,533 --> 00:02:07,400 JAMES KNOWLES III: We have a tremendous amount of new officers in our police department, 39 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,533 a much more diverse police department than we had in the past. 40 00:02:10,533 --> 00:02:15,533 Our courts are much more focused on working with people to not get caught in that trap 41 00:02:17,500 --> 00:02:21,466 of that kind of cycle of being in the court system through traffic tickets or housing 42 00:02:22,833 --> 00:02:24,800 fines. 43 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,000 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Of course, many of those reforms were mandated by a Justice Department 44 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,466 consent decree. 45 00:02:29,466 --> 00:02:33,266 In 2015, the DOJ concluded law enforcement practices in Ferguson were -- quote -- "shaped 46 00:02:34,900 --> 00:02:37,833 by the city's focus on revenue, rather than public safety needs." 47 00:02:37,833 --> 00:02:42,066 It also determined that African-Americans were arrested at disproportionate rates, and 48 00:02:42,066 --> 00:02:44,200 some without probable cause. 49 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:49,200 Statewide, black drivers are still nearly twice as likely as others to be stopped. 50 00:02:51,233 --> 00:02:54,266 In Ferguson, the disparity in traffic stops of black drivers has also increased by 5 percent 51 00:02:54,900 --> 00:02:56,200 since 2013. 52 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:58,900 Yet Ferguson has reduced its ticketing. 53 00:02:58,900 --> 00:03:02,933 In 2014, the city issued nearly 12,000 tickets. 54 00:03:02,933 --> 00:03:05,033 Most were for minor municipal code violations. 55 00:03:05,033 --> 00:03:09,400 In 2017, that number was under 2,000. 56 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:14,400 Now revenue has fallen from nearly $2 million in 2014 to just under $400,000 in 2017. 57 00:03:16,833 --> 00:03:20,633 The municipal court has also vacated nearly 10,000 arrest warrants. 58 00:03:20,633 --> 00:03:22,800 There have also been broader changes. 59 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,633 WESLEY BELL, Saint Louis County Prosecutor: We know this issue isn't limited to the borders 60 00:03:25,633 --> 00:03:27,633 of Ferguson. 61 00:03:27,633 --> 00:03:30,633 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Last year, Wesley Bell was elected Saint Louis County prosecutor. 62 00:03:30,633 --> 00:03:35,500 The former Ferguson city councilman defeated longtime Republican Bob McCulloch, who declined 63 00:03:35,500 --> 00:03:37,600 to indict Officer Wilson. 64 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:41,900 WESLEY BELL: It was more of the typical incarcerate your way out of every problem. 65 00:03:45,166 --> 00:03:50,166 Someone is struggling to pay child support, put him on probation or lock them up. 66 00:03:51,966 --> 00:03:55,533 Someone has a drug issue, put him on probation or lock them up. 67 00:03:55,533 --> 00:03:57,600 And that exacerbates the problem. 68 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:01,433 Any of you who work the streets know you're seeing the same people over and over who just 69 00:04:01,433 --> 00:04:03,500 need treatment. 70 00:04:03,500 --> 00:04:06,500 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Instead, he is prioritizing pre-trial diversion programs, cash bail reform, 71 00:04:06,500 --> 00:04:08,666 and decriminalizing low-level drug charges. 72 00:04:08,666 --> 00:04:13,666 WESLEY BELL: We want to make sure that people who are incarcerated need to be incarcerated, 73 00:04:15,266 --> 00:04:18,966 and those that do not need to be shouldn't see the inside of a jail. 74 00:04:18,966 --> 00:04:23,433 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Since Bell has been in office, Saint Louis County's jail population has dropped 75 00:04:23,433 --> 00:04:25,500 by 20 percent. 76 00:04:25,500 --> 00:04:29,266 There are still serious questions over just how much change has come to Ferguson. 77 00:04:29,266 --> 00:04:32,966 Storefronts like these remain shuttered and development is slow. 78 00:04:32,966 --> 00:04:37,166 And there are still stark racial divisions and deep tensions between the community and 79 00:04:37,166 --> 00:04:39,233 police. 80 00:04:39,233 --> 00:04:42,166 Councilwoman Griffin worries the Third Ward, which has the highest percentage of black 81 00:04:42,166 --> 00:04:45,900 residents and the lowest income levels, is not getting enough resources. 82 00:04:45,900 --> 00:04:50,866 FRAN GRIFFIN: In terms of just the little small mom-and-pop stores, like, those aren't 83 00:04:50,866 --> 00:04:52,066 existing. 84 00:04:52,066 --> 00:04:53,533 You have got a few beauty supply houses. 85 00:04:53,533 --> 00:04:56,666 You have got a few beauty salons and nail shops. 86 00:04:56,666 --> 00:05:01,233 But in terms of actually providing resources to people where they can get -- in walking 87 00:05:01,233 --> 00:05:04,733 distance where they can go and shop, I would say no. 88 00:05:04,733 --> 00:05:09,633 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Last week, a Missouri nonprofit announced plans for a new development project. 89 00:05:09,633 --> 00:05:13,033 It will include a health care center and possibly a grocery store. 90 00:05:13,033 --> 00:05:18,033 Still, some in the city remain deeply worried about interactions with the police and racial 91 00:05:18,633 --> 00:05:20,166 profiling. 92 00:05:20,166 --> 00:05:21,433 MARCUS HICKS, Ferguson Resident: If anything, it feels the same. 93 00:05:21,433 --> 00:05:22,800 I don't feel like nothing different. 94 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:24,633 I don't feel like it's enhanced or anything like that. 95 00:05:24,633 --> 00:05:27,266 I don't even feel like I can call the police to save myself. 96 00:05:27,266 --> 00:05:32,000 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Marcus Hicks and Travis Bowl, both 22, live in Ferguson and saw the 97 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,000 protests here in 2014. 98 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:38,166 TRAVIS BOWL, Ferguson Resident: Like, being a black male, it's just -- like, I feel like 99 00:05:38,166 --> 00:05:41,766 it's -- it's just like it's never going to change. 100 00:05:41,766 --> 00:05:46,766 Like, they're going to forever think we're on some type of B.S. or some type of gangbanger 101 00:05:48,933 --> 00:05:50,833 stuff and stuff like that. 102 00:05:50,833 --> 00:05:53,966 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Yet some wrongly believe black residents deserve extra scrutiny. 103 00:05:53,966 --> 00:05:57,100 JUDY MCCARTY, Ferguson Resident: If you watch how some of these people drive, you know what 104 00:05:57,100 --> 00:06:00,766 - - you know what color they are. 105 00:06:00,766 --> 00:06:05,566 I'm not prejudiced, but we can tell by the way they drive. 106 00:06:05,566 --> 00:06:10,466 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Judy McCarty has lived in Ferguson since she was 2 and lives just blocks 107 00:06:10,466 --> 00:06:12,333 from where Brown was killed. 108 00:06:12,333 --> 00:06:15,466 And while her husband William says some court reforms were needed: 109 00:06:15,466 --> 00:06:18,233 WILLIAM MCCARTY, Ferguson Resident: When you come in to pay a ticket, and you have got 110 00:06:18,233 --> 00:06:23,233 four other outstanding warrants, and they put you in jail, you can't pay your fine if 111 00:06:23,833 --> 00:06:24,766 you're in jail. 112 00:06:24,766 --> 00:06:26,266 You're not going to be working. 113 00:06:26,266 --> 00:06:28,366 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Still, they worry things have gone too far. 114 00:06:28,366 --> 00:06:31,833 JUDY MCCARTY: Let's not go the opposite way, where the -- the way there seemed to be going 115 00:06:31,833 --> 00:06:35,600 now, and there's no punishment for abusing the law. 116 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:37,633 WILLIAM MCCARTY: Right. 117 00:06:37,633 --> 00:06:41,400 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: At the same time, Ferguson's independent monitor testified the city needs 118 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:46,400 to do more to actually implement policy changes, including new police training. 119 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:50,533 But Mayor Knowles says the costs are too high, which has rankled many activists. 120 00:06:50,533 --> 00:06:55,400 JAMES KNOWLES III: There is no police department in Missouri, very few in this country, that 121 00:06:56,833 --> 00:07:00,366 do all of the things that are required by our consent decree. 122 00:07:00,366 --> 00:07:03,166 We have to go through more hoops. 123 00:07:03,166 --> 00:07:05,500 We have to endure more training, more scrutiny. 124 00:07:05,500 --> 00:07:10,500 FRAN GRIFFIN: To them, the mind-set is, it's not fair that we're being penalized because 125 00:07:11,933 --> 00:07:16,466 of what happened here, because everybody else was doing it. 126 00:07:16,466 --> 00:07:18,533 That's the wrong mind-set to have. 127 00:07:18,533 --> 00:07:21,633 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Griffin says it's that kind of sentiment that makes her concerned the 128 00:07:21,633 --> 00:07:24,566 city may revert to its old practices. 129 00:07:24,566 --> 00:07:27,433 But she's also confident in the momentum of the last five years. 130 00:07:27,433 --> 00:07:32,433 FRAN GRIFFIN: Whenever I pass up the space, like, it's a constant reminder of the -- what 131 00:07:33,166 --> 00:07:34,800 my responsibilities are. 132 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:39,733 It's a constant reminder of the pain that an entire community felt. 133 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:43,166 And it's just a constant that we have got to keep fighting. 134 00:07:43,166 --> 00:07:48,100 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Yamiche Alcindor in Ferguson, Missouri.