Dispatches From Ferguson: Three Organizers Share Their Progress

Since the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the small municipality has been ground zero in a national conversation about police practices, the use of force, and the disparate treatment of communities of color. A scathing report recently issued from the Department of Justice detailed a variety of unconstitutional law enforcement practices in Ferguson, including its pattern of stops, racial bias, and the excessive use of court fines and fees to generate income for the city.

Montague Simmons, executive director of Organization for Black Struggle, and Jeff Ordower from Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment are on the front lines in Ferguson, working to improve recruiting, training, and civilian oversight of the police; reform the municipal fine system; and boost civic participation. Simmons, Ordower, and Janai Nelson, associate director-counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, came together at a recent event to talk about their work.

Listen to the full discussion, along with selected excerpts, above.