Ferguson has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
Ferguson has a lot of people who ride the bus to and from work. In fact, for its size, Ferguson has quite a high level of public transit users. Ferguson’s need for inexpensive transportation options for its citizens is quite high.
Ferguson has a lot of people who ride the bus to and from work. In fact, for its size, Ferguson has quite a high level of public transit users. Ferguson’s need for inexpensive transportation options for its citizens is quite high.
The citizens of Ferguson are slightly better educated than the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns, with 22.81% of adults in Ferguson having a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Ferguson in 2010 was $20,617, which is upper middle income relative to Missouri, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $82,468 for a family of four. However, Ferguson contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Ferguson is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Ferguson home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ferguson residents report their race to be Black or African-American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Ferguson include German, Irish, English, Italian and African.
The most common language spoken in Ferguson is English.
The per capita income may be skewed because the incomes in Ferguson range from very wealthy to very poor. If the very wealthy are in six figure categories the averages for Ferguson would provide a different picture than actually exists.
August 14, 2014
By Howard Koplowitz
...About 14,000 blacks live in Ferguson, (click here) compared with more than 6,500 whites, according to U.S. Census data for the Missouri city. From January to April of this year, there were 27 whites arrested in the city compared with 217 blacks, or about 8.1 times as many black arrests as white arrests.
The Missouri Uniform Crime Reporting Program lists 36 offenses in its data, including murder and runaways under 18 years old. Most black people were arrested under a category called "all other offenses." In all, that represented 79 of the 217 arrests involving black people. At least 65 black suspects were arrested for larceny, the second largest category. In contrast, 13 whites were arrested for the same crime, meaning five times as many blacks were arrested for larceny as whites. Seventeen blacks were arrested on marijuana possession charges, the third-highest arrest total among African-Americans; only two whites were arrested on that offense....
The census data (click here) reflects more of a lower middle class city in comparison to all of Missouri.
The city obviously has no sense of community between it's city and county administration and the people. All that needs to change. These folks should be doing better than they are today and they should be living in fear of being killed either.
The percentages of income beginning with $75,000 per household per year falls off from that of Missouri.
For households earning less than $10,000 per year (which I can't imagine) the percentage is 11.6 for Ferguson as opposed to 7.8 for Missouri.
The city government and the police force doesn't reflect the community. There is no sincere understanding of each other.
$50 thousand to $74,999 household percentages is the only category where Ferguson is in the same proportion to Missouri. This city is primarily lower middle class.
A fifth of the population of Ferguson doesn't have health coverage compared to 10% of Missouri. That is nearly the same percentage reported to be below poverty level.
Some of the ratings for crime in Ferguson are higher than average. But, if Michael Brown, Jr. is any indication to the types of crimes in Ferguson, there is a lot wrong even in the statistics.
I want to put the blame on the City Council and it's inability or unwillingness to be a part of the community and to work to improve the quality of life of citizens of Ferguson, but there is THAT racial barrier. It is a profound barrier between city government and the people.
The largest percentage of people are 18-54, single women with children. Single women with children comprise 2/3 of the population.
Michael Brown, Jr. was reflective of the average teenager in Ferguson on his way to college to prepare for life. If he is the average in demeanor and activities there is a complete breakdown in city govern and the needs of the community.
Michael's problems were not that big. Arresting everyone that commits petty crimes is not the answer to improving the quality of life of these people and drives the crime rate up when it shouldn't be that high. There is a complete breakdown of government in relation to the population, to say it is adversarial is an understatement. The relationship of the people to the city and county government was problematic and needs to be changed in a very big way. Taking Cigarellos is a hideous reason for a dead teenager. And to think the police had dispatched two cars to the store and then two responded to Michael's sighting is ridiculous. The cops don't have anything else to do, except, chase down petty criminals?
THE REACTION by police is completely out of balance to the crime. The idea the county prosecutor doesn't see it, is even more troubling.
If they whittled down the number of police officers in town, the people would be safer and the crime statistics better. There is a lot wrong here and no one is addressing the real issue and now a young black man is dead for a lousy $12. I am confident his parents would have paid for the product and taken it up with him at home.
I read an article about a career criminal that was sent back to prison for stealing $12 worth of Cigarellos. No lie. He had served his time, was out and he stole $12 worth of cigars. He was returned to prison with a lengthy sentence. Yes, he was black.
I don't believe Ferguson is unusual in the USA. I don't know why this is happening to black men and especially young black men, but, if Ferguson's prosecutor is a reflection of THE SYSTEM it is profoundly broken. No one cares about THE PERSON, THE HUMAN BEING and the magnitude of the law to result in adverse outcomes.
This wasn't about a young man with a gun that killed a store owner while taking $12 worth of cigars. The store owner wasn't even the person that called the police. Ferguson's police are unnecessary in a city of 21 thousand people of which the households are 2/3 single females with children. The police aren't that necessary, BUT, because they have a high crime rate they get plenty of money from the federal government. The federal programs are missing the mark. They are missing the mark and causing deaths. THE CRIME RATE is the goal to receive money, not the level of improved quality of life by city government.
The little town of Ferguson is estimated to have a crime rate with only 6% of ALL OTHER AMERICAN cities worse. That is not reflective of the city I am witnessing. The Ferguson police are chasing every little crime and turning into a capital crime. The crime rate statistics needs to be investigated in Ferguson. They may or may not be accurate, but, they are elevated because the policing is completely wrong. There was only one murder that I saw in those statistics. That is not a high crime city but according to the STATS it is.
It's the money. And it's killing people. There needs to be new government for Ferguson and it needs to reflect the racial balance of the city. Things will change then.
Total court revenues are expected to reach $2,029,000 in FY 2013-2014. (click here) In the fall of 2011, the City implemented camera enforcement in three high traffic accident incidence intersections. Fines resulting from this implementation represent a portion of the increased revenues over the period, however, it should be noted that additional manned traffic enforcement also contributed to the increase.
The city has cameras in their streets. The camera from the shop where the cigars were stolen was all the police needed. The pursuit of a young black man to the NTH degree is gross malpractice and over policing.
The city is anticipating a deficit of more than $7 million.
The City’s Police Department provides police protection throughout the corporate limits of the City. Services are provided by 52 full-time officers including the Chief. The Police Department sponsors several community service programs including: Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E), Directed Bike Patrol (which provides vacation checks, patrol of closed or under construction streets and various activities inside parks), Operation Ident (to identify stolen property), School Resource Officers (who coordinate activities in one secondary and five elementary schools), Neighborhood Watch (a citizen involvement and crime prevention program), and Business Liaison Program (outreach police program to the business community).
I was working in New Jersey one summer in conservation. The initiative was to return native species to the forests of interest. They had been over grazed by deer. It became obvious the only way to end the over grazing was to cull the deer herd. The deer would end up dying because of lack of nutrition eventually anyway. A citizen of the town involved heard the report there are eight police officers currently that could be marshaled to cull the herd if the city didn't want to hire qualified people to do it. All of a sudden out of the middle of the fairly occupied room comes this shout, "How the heck did we get eight police officers for this town?"
The growth of law enforcement happens. Why? Because the city council believes adding one more will bring about a better outcome to the city. Adding police can be such a good political issue.
I really do believe Ferguson is over policed and policed incorrectly. There is one police officer for about every 400 residents, including children. It needs a change in government. It needs it desperately. Michael Brown, Jr. should be alive today and he isn't. There was no valid reason for his death.
There should have never been a police chase at all. The store's video and the videos around the city would have provided all the information the police needed. The parents could have been approached about the incident, shown the evidence and ask to pay the store owner and/or have their son pay the store owner. A fine for the MISDEMEANOR could have been imposed to make the city feel as though their treasury was rightly served.
There is no excuse for that young man's death and the county prosecutor is as incompetent as any I've ever witnessed.
Why it isn't completely obvious to the police, city council and county government that there is a wrongful death in this case is beyond anything I can imagine. This was NOT a policing issue, it was a parent conference issue.
This is over policing at it's worse and if this is what is going on in other cities and towns in the USA it has to end!
The city obviously has no sense of community between it's city and county administration and the people. All that needs to change. These folks should be doing better than they are today and they should be living in fear of being killed either.
The percentages of income beginning with $75,000 per household per year falls off from that of Missouri.
For households earning less than $10,000 per year (which I can't imagine) the percentage is 11.6 for Ferguson as opposed to 7.8 for Missouri.
The city government and the police force doesn't reflect the community. There is no sincere understanding of each other.
$50 thousand to $74,999 household percentages is the only category where Ferguson is in the same proportion to Missouri. This city is primarily lower middle class.
A fifth of the population of Ferguson doesn't have health coverage compared to 10% of Missouri. That is nearly the same percentage reported to be below poverty level.
Some of the ratings for crime in Ferguson are higher than average. But, if Michael Brown, Jr. is any indication to the types of crimes in Ferguson, there is a lot wrong even in the statistics.
I want to put the blame on the City Council and it's inability or unwillingness to be a part of the community and to work to improve the quality of life of citizens of Ferguson, but there is THAT racial barrier. It is a profound barrier between city government and the people.
The largest percentage of people are 18-54, single women with children. Single women with children comprise 2/3 of the population.
Michael Brown, Jr. was reflective of the average teenager in Ferguson on his way to college to prepare for life. If he is the average in demeanor and activities there is a complete breakdown in city govern and the needs of the community.
Michael's problems were not that big. Arresting everyone that commits petty crimes is not the answer to improving the quality of life of these people and drives the crime rate up when it shouldn't be that high. There is a complete breakdown of government in relation to the population, to say it is adversarial is an understatement. The relationship of the people to the city and county government was problematic and needs to be changed in a very big way. Taking Cigarellos is a hideous reason for a dead teenager. And to think the police had dispatched two cars to the store and then two responded to Michael's sighting is ridiculous. The cops don't have anything else to do, except, chase down petty criminals?
THE REACTION by police is completely out of balance to the crime. The idea the county prosecutor doesn't see it, is even more troubling.
If they whittled down the number of police officers in town, the people would be safer and the crime statistics better. There is a lot wrong here and no one is addressing the real issue and now a young black man is dead for a lousy $12. I am confident his parents would have paid for the product and taken it up with him at home.
I read an article about a career criminal that was sent back to prison for stealing $12 worth of Cigarellos. No lie. He had served his time, was out and he stole $12 worth of cigars. He was returned to prison with a lengthy sentence. Yes, he was black.
I don't believe Ferguson is unusual in the USA. I don't know why this is happening to black men and especially young black men, but, if Ferguson's prosecutor is a reflection of THE SYSTEM it is profoundly broken. No one cares about THE PERSON, THE HUMAN BEING and the magnitude of the law to result in adverse outcomes.
This wasn't about a young man with a gun that killed a store owner while taking $12 worth of cigars. The store owner wasn't even the person that called the police. Ferguson's police are unnecessary in a city of 21 thousand people of which the households are 2/3 single females with children. The police aren't that necessary, BUT, because they have a high crime rate they get plenty of money from the federal government. The federal programs are missing the mark. They are missing the mark and causing deaths. THE CRIME RATE is the goal to receive money, not the level of improved quality of life by city government.
The little town of Ferguson is estimated to have a crime rate with only 6% of ALL OTHER AMERICAN cities worse. That is not reflective of the city I am witnessing. The Ferguson police are chasing every little crime and turning into a capital crime. The crime rate statistics needs to be investigated in Ferguson. They may or may not be accurate, but, they are elevated because the policing is completely wrong. There was only one murder that I saw in those statistics. That is not a high crime city but according to the STATS it is.
It's the money. And it's killing people. There needs to be new government for Ferguson and it needs to reflect the racial balance of the city. Things will change then.
Total court revenues are expected to reach $2,029,000 in FY 2013-2014. (click here) In the fall of 2011, the City implemented camera enforcement in three high traffic accident incidence intersections. Fines resulting from this implementation represent a portion of the increased revenues over the period, however, it should be noted that additional manned traffic enforcement also contributed to the increase.
The city has cameras in their streets. The camera from the shop where the cigars were stolen was all the police needed. The pursuit of a young black man to the NTH degree is gross malpractice and over policing.
The city is anticipating a deficit of more than $7 million.
The City’s Police Department provides police protection throughout the corporate limits of the City. Services are provided by 52 full-time officers including the Chief. The Police Department sponsors several community service programs including: Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E), Directed Bike Patrol (which provides vacation checks, patrol of closed or under construction streets and various activities inside parks), Operation Ident (to identify stolen property), School Resource Officers (who coordinate activities in one secondary and five elementary schools), Neighborhood Watch (a citizen involvement and crime prevention program), and Business Liaison Program (outreach police program to the business community).
I was working in New Jersey one summer in conservation. The initiative was to return native species to the forests of interest. They had been over grazed by deer. It became obvious the only way to end the over grazing was to cull the deer herd. The deer would end up dying because of lack of nutrition eventually anyway. A citizen of the town involved heard the report there are eight police officers currently that could be marshaled to cull the herd if the city didn't want to hire qualified people to do it. All of a sudden out of the middle of the fairly occupied room comes this shout, "How the heck did we get eight police officers for this town?"
The growth of law enforcement happens. Why? Because the city council believes adding one more will bring about a better outcome to the city. Adding police can be such a good political issue.
I really do believe Ferguson is over policed and policed incorrectly. There is one police officer for about every 400 residents, including children. It needs a change in government. It needs it desperately. Michael Brown, Jr. should be alive today and he isn't. There was no valid reason for his death.
There should have never been a police chase at all. The store's video and the videos around the city would have provided all the information the police needed. The parents could have been approached about the incident, shown the evidence and ask to pay the store owner and/or have their son pay the store owner. A fine for the MISDEMEANOR could have been imposed to make the city feel as though their treasury was rightly served.
There is no excuse for that young man's death and the county prosecutor is as incompetent as any I've ever witnessed.
Why it isn't completely obvious to the police, city council and county government that there is a wrongful death in this case is beyond anything I can imagine. This was NOT a policing issue, it was a parent conference issue.
This is over policing at it's worse and if this is what is going on in other cities and towns in the USA it has to end!
