Absolutely. Eric Holder spoke very well on the topic during the press conference for the release of the DoJ report. He defended the actions of Darren Wilson as justified though tragic, but moved to ask why were so many people willing to immediately trust that the Ferguson PD was a bunch of rabid dogs out to shoot their citizens.

“Seen in this context, amid a highly toxic environment, defined by mistrust and resentment, stoked by years of bad feelings and spurred by illegal and misguided practices, it is not difficult to imagine how a single tragic incident set off the city of Ferguson like a powder keg,” Holder said.

There are serious issues at play here, and they need to be fixed. I was hugely disappointed when the political field around here didn't change in any meaningful way. The mayor is still in place, and having spoken with some people who work with the prosecutor's office in the city, he wanted to keep the police chief in place until a week before the new guy was put in. The new guy is talking about community policing etc. which is the same thing they do every time, but without trust to back it up, I'm not optimistic. It really doesn't have anything to do with the cops driving by, or checking in on your store. It's more to do with whether or not they shoot you to death instead of de-escalating the situation. For his part, I believe I just heard something about Governor Nixon wanting funding from the state to go to de-escalation training.