Reform Moves

Ferguson Announces City Review Board

And major reform in its court system.

The City Council in Ferguson said it will establish a citizen review board to provide guidance for the police department, and announced it also will make sweeping changes in the court system. That system has been accused of unfairly targeting low-income blacks, leaving many mired in arrests warrants and unpaid tickets. Those and other issues came under the spotlight following the August 9 slaying of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black, by white police officer Darren Wilson. Young black men in the Missouri city often are passed from jail to jail as they are picked up on warrants for unpaid fines. The changes announced by the council are the first sign of change in the city since Brown was shot to death.