ST. LOUIS (AP) — Some of Missouri's top leaders tried unsuccessfully to pressure Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson to resign after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, interviews with several elected officials and records released Friday show.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III told The Associated Press that top state officials had several meetings where they applied pressure on the city to force Jackson to resign. Missouri House Speaker John Diehl and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill confirmed they both attended a fall meeting to discuss whether Jackson should be forced out.
Also, records provided to AP under an open records request include a Nov. 10 email from St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar to an assistant that describes an apparent meeting of state and local officials. It references the potential timing of Jackson's "separation" and identifies a potential successor.
Brown, 18 and unarmed, was shot by officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, and the shooting of a black suspect by a white officer led to significant unrest in St. Louis County.
Jackson's leadership drew wide criticism from the outset, both for the aggressive police response to protesters and for his agency's erratic and infrequent releases of key information. He refused to publicly identify Wilson as the shooter for nearly a week after Brown's death, then simultaneously released the name with store security video that police said showed Brown stealing a box of cigars and shoving a clerk a short time before his death.
The unrest in St. Louis County escalated Nov. 24 after the announcement that a grand jury declined to indict Wilson, who later resigned.
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A protester takes shelter from smoke billowing around him Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014, in Freguson, Mo. …
Knowles on Friday refused to name any of the officials who urged Jackson's removal.
"I was at a lot of meetings where that was brought up," Knowles said. "There were different people advocating for the chief to be fired or quit or whatever. I want to make it clear: We never considered that."
A message left with Jackson was not returned.
McCaskill confirmed in a written statement that she attended such a meeting — one of many involving community leaders, elected officials and members of law enforcement, the statement said.
"And a variety of issues were discussed to help ease tension in the St. Louis region, and address systemic issues highlighted in Ferguson-issues including personnel changes at the Ferguson police department," the statement said.
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A police officer runs from a burning squad car after it was set on fire by demonstrators during a pr …
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and his chief of staff, Jeff Rainford, attended several such meetings, Rainford said.
Diehl said he participated in two meetings — one in Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster's office in St. Louis — in which officials discussed efforts to try to get both Jackson and Wilson to resign. Diehl said the meetings occurred around the time of the Nov. 4 elections and he disagreed with the attempts to seek their resignations, because the grand jury process was ongoing.
"A substantial part of the conversation centered around trying to get Darren Wilson to resign prior to the decision of the grand jury and to get Chief Jackson to resign, and I didn't have any interest in participating in that," Diehl, a Republican from the St. Louis suburb of Town and Country, said.
Diehl said Jackson's resignation would have left "a leadership vacuum" on the police force and "I didn't think it was proper for someone in my position to get involved in."
The email from Belmar has the subject line, "Ferguson Chief Jackson Meeting," and the text of the email is written in note form. At one point it indicates that a St. Louis County police lieutenant colonel named Doyle "will become the ranking officer of the FPD." Doyle's first name isn't given,
The email lists several names of apparent attendees: McCaskill, Koster, Slay, Rainford, Diehl, Doyle, then-St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley and U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay.
Spokespeople for Clay and Koster declined immediate comment, and messages seeking comment from Dooley and St. Louis County police were not returned.
The email also made reference to a request to Gov. Jay Nixon to place the National Guard in front of Ferguson police headquarters on the date of the grand jury announcement. "Apparently the guard will not move to the FPD per the governor," the email said.
Knowles and others were critical of the decision not to have the Guard in place in Ferguson at the time of the announcement, after a dozen area businesses were destroyed in fires during protests.
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Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.
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When is Americans going to wake up and say enough is enough? From our President, Attorney General and the rest of our government leaders you are the blame for this matter! You were elected to serve the American Public not just a few! If the Government Leaders would STOP their racist actions and start doing what we elected them to do maybe our country would start a recovery! Let a White Law Enforcement Office doing his job have to shoot an kill a Black Criminal and they want his Head! But let a Black Law Enforcement Officer shoot an kill a White Criminal an nothing is said about it! Our countries Leaders should step down from office as they are not fixing the problems they are the ones supporting the criminals. What is being done to those Blacks who Burned, Riot, Assaulted, Stole and Burglarized those store? NOTHING as they supported these actions. But let a White group of citizens try it and they would fill the jails with them. DOUBLE STANDARDS in America; the only way to STOP RACISM IS TO ACCEPT THE LORD AS YOUR SAVIOR; we are all brothers and sisters in HIM....SO LETS START ACTING LIKE IT! We need to stop the Media like Fox News and NewsOne from continuing the push for hands up don't shoot; as this was not the case and the true facts were told but the Media Killed the Truth as they make NO MONEY being honest.
MY THOUGHTS ONLY YOU HAVE TO DECIDE FOR YOURSELF IF YOU WANT TO LIVE WITH RACISM OR NOT!
Chief, Stand up to all of them, especially the Governor, they all left you high and dry and not get you the help they were suppose to. They are all cowards and never showed up when you were face to face with all the rioters, shame on all of them trying to force you out. Now they want a SCAPE GOAT and don't back down, most of us know the real truth of how you and your men were left alone. If they force you out, then they might as well go after everyone in the Police Department and that is probably their next move will be if given the chance. The rioting was not your fault, we can blame Obama, Holder and especially Al Sharpton for inciting the rioters.