[NY Post] 15 minutes are up, hon
ST. LOUIS ‐ The Missouri governor’s office said Friday it doesn’t have the authority to appoint a special prosecutor reinvestigate the 2014 fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, despite pressure from Brown’s mother to do so.
Lezley McSpadden said earlier in the day that she’d launched an online petition seeking a new investigation into her 18-year-old son’s death, a case that sparked months of protests and helped fuel the Black Lives Matter movement nationally. McSpadden also announced that she planned to run for a seat on the Ferguson City Council in April.
A spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Mike. Parson said his office "has no legal authority to appoint a special prosecutor in any case." In Missouri, judges can appoint special prosecutors, often at the request of prosecutors who seek to avoid conflicts of interest.
McSpadden has been an activist since her son’s death but has never held public office. On Friday, she said had been surrounded by people who provided her with support and motivation, and they "knew what happened was wrong and didn’t give up the fight."
"I learned to walk again," she said. "And this is one of my first steps: running for Ferguson City Council." |