Capt. Johnson Envisions Racial Diversity in Ferguson Police Department and Beyond By Hazel Trice Edney

August 25, 2014
Capt. Johnson Envisions Racial Diversity in Ferguson Police Department and Beyond
By Hazel Trice Edney
 ferg-johnson
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Capt. Ron Johnson and the Rev. Freddy J. Clark at Shalom Church (City of Peace) on Sunday morning, Aug. 16.
PHOTO: Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American

FERGUSON, Mo. - (TriceEdneyWire.com) - Captain Ron Johnson, the Missouri Highway Patrol officer brought in to quell tensions between the vastly White Ferguson Police Department and protestors in the vastly Black city after the killing of Michael Brown, says he believes the end result of all that has happened will be greater racial equity in Ferguson and the St. Louis area in general.

“I think that when this is over I’m sure that there’ll be a lot of conversations here and across this nation. There are a lot of government programs that are out there that will look at how they can assist this government here, this police department here in creating change and reflection of diversity within this community in all aspects; not just in law enforcement, but in businesses, in home owners, I think that’s what has to happen. There has to be a reflection of diversity throughout the whole community,” Johnson said in an interview with the Trice Edney News Wire with protestors chanting in the background. “Diversity is the greatest thing in our country. It makes us all wiser, it makes us all more humble. It makes us all more tolerate.”

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Johnson to take charge of security in Ferguson days after police officers showed up in riot gear and military equipment as protestors expressed anger over the killing of the unarmed teen by the White officer, identified as Darren Wilson. Ferguson, with a more than 60 percent Black population, reportedly has more than 50 police officers and only three are Black.

The first night, Johnson was received and hailed as a hero as he greeted the crowd on foot with handshakes and hugs. Though tensions, arrests and clashes with police continued for a few days and nights, he quickly became viewed by residents as a symbol of peace and someone willing to listen and relate to both sides.

“We’re in this together,” he’d tell some who approached him.

But, being placed over the majority White officers in the racially charged atmosphere was not easy. He related to them with respect and aplomb, he said.

“I grew up with parents who taught me about being fair and equal, respecting everyone the same. I grew up during the time when we said yes sir and yes ma’am. So it’s all that I know. So really that part of it has been easy,” he said.

Laid to rest on Monday, the death of the unarmed Michael Brown, 18, will clearly spark more change than Ferguson or St. Louis residents – even America - ever thought possible. Even his funeral attracted more national civil rights, religious and racial leaders than any event in recent history.

On the ground, a protest leader describes the need for diversity.

“If they’re going to have a lot of White officers patrolling us, they need to understand us culturally. If they don’t understand that, then they’re going to do things like what they did,” said Tatinisha Wheeler, 30. “He got shot because [the officer] doesn’t understand Black people,” she said, discussing how it is common in Black neighborhoods to walk in the middle of small city streets.

“They can only know that if they talk to one of us. But, if they don’t talk to us how can they know? How can you even feel being in our communities and not understand us as people?” Wheeler said. “What they’re doing is looking at us off of music; looking at us off of videos; looking at us off of movies; and they’re saying to themselves, ‘They don’t have no home training. They’re ignorant.’”

Capt. Johnson envisions the task as daunting, but believes those misperceptions and misunderstandings can change despite the tensions that he has also faced. Asked if he’s received pushback from the officers, he avoided criticism, indicating that he understood the moment was difficult for them as well.

“Change is always a challenge, but I can tell you that each day we have a briefing and I talked a couple of days ago during that briefing,” he recalled. “And I told all of those officers that were there from St. Louis County, St. Louis City and the Highway Patrol and I said, ‘I look into your eyes. I don’t look at the color of your skin. I look into your eyes and I can stand here and see your heart, that you’re out here wanting change and willing to do whatever you can to be dedicated toward that change…They nodded their heads - men and women in that crowd. So that tells me there may have been some bumpy roads from the start, most certainly some opinions. But in the end we came together as one and we’re all committed to making this better.”