The ashes of the Ferguson, Mo., uprising have given way to the ouster of a longstanding St. Louis County prosecuting attorney who not only led the investigation into the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson, but took a moment to chastise the public who demanded that Wilson be brought to justice.
Suggested Reading
In what many are calling an upsetโbut itโs only an upset if you havenโt been paying attentionโFerguson Councilman Wesley Bell trounced the seven-term, 67-year-old St. Louis County prosecutor, Bob McCulloch, 57 percent to 43 percent, in a Democratic primary. Since there is no Republican challenger, unless it comes out that Bell is actually a Russian bot working to take down the government from the inside, heโs all set to win in November.
โIโll never forget how smug Bob McCulloch was when he announced the non-indictment of Darren Wilson,โ activist DeRay Mckesson tweeted. โWe all needed Tonightโs win. #ByeBob.โ
Bell, 43, has worked as an attorney and is a former municipal judge and prosecutor, the Associated Press reports. Bellโs win is not only a push for African Americans, itโs a win for criminal justice reform.
โWhile Wesley Bellโs victory may come as a shock to many around the country, itโs no surprise to the Color of Change PAC or to many in the black community,โ said Rashad Robinson, the networkโs spokesman, the New York Times reports. โThis ousting of a 27-year incumbent shows the country what black voters have demonstrated for decades โ that we demand to be heard and that we will make criminal justice reform a ballot-box issue in 2018 and beyond.โ
After Brownโs death in 2014, many in Ferguson argued that McCulloch couldnโt run a fair investigation because of his close relationship with the police force. Bell, McCullochโs first challenger since Brownโs death, ran on a platform of unity, vowing that if he were elected, he would โfundamentally change the cultureโ of the prosecutorโs office, AP reports. Bellโs first commitment to the people of St. Louis County was to assign โspecial prosecutors to review allegations of police misconduct,โ something McCulloch refused to do in Brownโs death.
Bell shared his message of togetherness during a raucous victory party Tuesday.
โThereโs too much divisiveness, too much division in this county, in this region,โ Bell said in a video posted on Facebook. โWeโve got to start bringing people together.โ
Straight From
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.