An attempt to calm tensions after the shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown backfired overnight, when the Police Chief of Ferguson, Missouri marched with protesters who were calling for his resignation.
Appearing in civilian clothes, Police Chief Thomas Jackson triggered scuffles and a standoff in the St. Louis suburb after joining the march late Thursday outside of his force's headquarters. Hours earlier he had released a video apology to the Brown family.
The troubles in Ferguson continue, and tonight on WGBH 2, there will be a special edition of WGBH's public affairs show Basic Black , titled "Race and Ferguson Beyond The Headlines", at 7:30pm. Following Basic Black, watch a town hall meeting held at the University of Missouri in St. Louis and moderated by PBS's Gwen Ifill.
I talked about the strife in Ferguson with Dr. Peniele Joseph , a Tufts University professor and a contributor to Basic Black.
One lesson Joseph says we can take away from the tragedy and protests in Ferguson is to examine the relationships between local police and poor communities.
"What you saw in Ferguson in the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting was a really militarized police response, where the police were looking at the residents of Ferguson as local enemy combatants instead of citizens who you're trying to proactively solve situations with," he said.
Hear the full conversation in the audio file above, and join the conversation on Twitter with #AfterFergusonPBS, beginning with the broadcast of Basic Black at 7:30 and continuing during the television broadcast of America After Ferguson , a town hall meeting hosted by PBS Newshour host, Gwen Ifill.
