Missouri Rep. Lacy Clay, Calls For Police Diversity Amid Ferguson Unrest

After another night of clashes between protesters and police in Ferguson, Missouri, over the shooting death of Michael Brown, Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) is calling for greater diversity in the police force.

"A bigger problem here in Ferguson, and across this region and across America, are police forces who, in African-American communities, are not diverse enough," Clay said Sunday during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union." "They do not have enough diversity within their force, and they do not have a healthy relationship with the African-American community that they are supposed to police."

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Clay said the violent clashes between protesters and police were "totally unacceptable" and criticized police for a "heavy-handed" approach toward peaceful demonstrations.

"We have to have a national conversation about how police forces should interact with the African-American community," Clay said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/17/lacy-clay-ferguson_n_5685812.html?utm_hp_ref=politics


his vote
Lacy Clay Voted Against Amendment to Limit Military Surplus Transfers to Local Cops, Just Two Months Ago
http://reason.com/blog/2014/08/14/fergusons-rep-lacy-clay-voted-against-am