<\/a>As many people around the country have recently learned, if you want a fair shake, don\u2019t get ensnared in the legal system of Ferguson, Missouri. The recent DOJ report laid bare not just the institutional racism of the Ferguson Police Department, as well as that municipality\u2019s \u201crevenue-by- cop\u201d scheme for financing city services; it also documented the unfair practices of its municipal court.<\/p>\n

This afternoon, the Missouri Supreme Court weighed in, calling for the immediate transfer of all Ferguson municipal court cases to St. Louis County.<\/p>\n

That move is a serious rebuke to Ferguson, where\u2014as anyone caught in the Ferguson judicial vortex can tell you\u2014warrants, traffic fines, and financial penalties for failure-to-appear routinely pile on top of one another and often result in what is, in effect, debtor\u2019s prison.<\/p>\n

The Missouri Supreme Court described its action as “.intended to help restore public trust and confidence in the Ferguson municipal court division.”<\/p>\n

Collection by cop<\/strong>
\nYou\u2019ve probably already read about many of the abuses. The New York Times described some of them this way:<\/p>\n

The [Ferguson] revenue-generating enterprise described in the [DOJ] report begins with the police, who, under pressure to \u201cfill the revenue pipeline,\u201d compete with one another to see how many citations they can issue in a single traffic stop. Those cited are then summoned before a court to face fines that city officials boast are among the highest in the region, with hundreds of dollars levied for such violations as \u201cpeace disturbance,\u201d \u201cfailure to comply\u201d and \u201cmanner of walking.\u201d For all three violations, more than nine out of 10 of those cited were black.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There goes the judge<\/strong><\/p>\n

There has also been a lot of publicity around here about the man who serves as Ferguson\u2019s municipal judge. Judge Ronald J. Brockmeyer is reported to owe as much as $170,000 in tax liens against his home\u2014at the same time that he has been sentencing others\u2014whose fines exceed their means\u2014to jail time for being in arrears.<\/p>\n

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,<\/p>\n

Brockmeyer was criticized in the DOJ report for acting as a revenue-generator for the court and the city, helping to bring in millions through “creative” use of fines and fees, while dismissing tickets for himself and friends. The report also rapped him for instilling fear in traffic defendants, even jailing one man for 10 days because the man refused to answer questions in court.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After the MO Supreme Court action, Brockmeyer immediately resigned his position in Ferguson, but he will continue as municipal court judge in neighboring Breckenridge Hills and as municipal court prosecutor in nearby Dellwood, Vinita Park and Florissant\u2014where he can presumably continue to do similar damage. Brockmeyer reportedly was paid $20,000 a year for his duties in Ferguson.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just Ferguson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arch City Defenders, a non-profit that provides pro bono legal services for people with cases in municipal courts in the St. Louis, recently released a report that reveals similar judicial abuses in other municipalities in North St. Louis County. Examples, in small communities near Ferguson, include:<\/p>\n

Statistics for Bel-Ridge, Missouri<\/em>
\n\u2022Bel-Ridge\u2019s 2014 budget estimates that it will collect $450,000 in fine revenue ($385,000 in 2013, a $65,000 increase)
\nOr, an average, an increase of about $450 per Bel-Ridge household\u2014making municipal court fines the largest single source of revenue in the budget<\/p>\n

Statistics for Beverly Hills, Missouri<\/em>
\n\u2022Population: 574 (92.68% African-American)
\n\u2022Size of town: .09 square miles
\n\u2022Police force: 14, which also provides services to neighboring Velda Village Hills
\n\u2022Cases filed in 2013: 3,250 traffic tickets, 1,085 ordinance violations
\n\u2022$221,164.63 in court fines and fees
\n\u202226.37% of Revenue from Fines and Fees<\/p>\n

Statistics for Calverton Park, Missouri<\/em>
\n\u2022Population: 1,293 (42.23% African-American)
\n\u2022Size of town: .41 square miles
\n\u2022Police force: 7
\n\u2022Cases filed in 2013: 5,039 traffic tickets, 2,436 ordinance violations
\n\u2022$484,066.56 in court fines and fees
\n\u202266.32% of general revenue from fines and fees<\/p>\n

The list goes on. You can read the complete Arch City report here.<\/a><\/p>\n

People who, for so many years, have been victimized by the unjust practices of these municipalities, are not surprised by these numbers. For the rest of us, it\u2019s time to wake up and push harder for change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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