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Gov. Nixon to Create Commission on Issues Raised by Events in Ferguson
Independent commission will make specific recommendations
Gov. Jay Nixon on Tuesday announced that he will create an independent commission to study and make specific recommendations for how to make progress on the issues raised by events in Ferguson. The Governor said the effort must include a thorough and wide-ranging examination of the challenges that were exposed and exacerbated by the death of Michael Brown and its aftermath, and offer specific recommendations for overcoming them.
“Throughout the history of our nation, we have struggled to treat all our citizens as equals,” said Gov. Nixon at St. Louis Community College at Florissasnt Valley. “Too often we have fallen short of the guiding principles on which our great democracy was founded. For too many, the promise of unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, rings hollow.”
“Some people would tell you that the choice is one thing or the other: Trust or force. Speech or silence. Black or white. It is far more complicated than that. Legitimate issues are being expressed by thoughtful voices that must be heard. People yelling past one another will not move us to where we need to go…. We need to solve these problems ourselves, we need to solve them together, and we need to act now.”
Others parts of the Governor’s speech: “The protests set in motion by the events of Aug. 9 in Ferguson echo others within our lifetime.
Across the decades, those protests have been a cry from the heart, heard and felt around the nation and around the world. A cry for justice. A cry for change in the schoolhouse and the courthouse. A cry for change in the social and economic conditions that impede prosperity, equality, and safety for all of us.
When there has been a clear vision of a better future, and a well-marked path for progress, protests have yielded lasting change. When there is only rage and despair, anguish and chaos follow.
Recently, one of the young Ferguson protesters said to an older protester, this is not your parents’ civil rights demonstration. He wasn’t wrong.
The torch has been passed to the next generation to continue the unfinished work of creating a more just and equal society. The passion and energy of the young have been, and continue to be, a driving force in solving
The Governor said that the commission, through an executive order, will be charged with three main goals:
(1) Conduct a thorough, wide-ranging and unflinching study of the underlying social and economic conditions underscored by the unrest in the wake of the death of Michael Brown;
(2) Tap into expertise needed to address key concerns identified by the Commission — from poverty and education, to governance and law enforcement;
(3) Make specific recommendations for making the St. Louis region a stronger, fairer place for everyone to live.
The members of the commission will be announced early next month. Several community, business and civic leaders attended the event Tuesday. Missourians interested in serving on the commission should visit www.mo.gov.
