ST. LOUIS (AP) — One of the people accused of damaging a Ferguson Police Department fence moments before a police officer was critically injured is a member of the Civilian Oversight Board for the St. Louis Police Department and an uncommitted Missouri alternate delegate for next week’s Democratic National Convention.
Keith Rose was charged with felony first-degree property damage. He is free on $500 bond and faces another court hearing Aug. 22. Rose does not have a listed attorney, but told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he will fight the charge.
“I am highly confident that the charge against me will be dropped once the prosecution reviews all of the evidence, but if not, I am prepared to defend myself against this accusation,” Rose said.
Hundreds of people gathered in Ferguson Friday to mark the 10th anniversary of Michael Brown’s death. As midnight approached, only a few dozen remained, and some of those protesters began shaking and damaging a fence outside the police station.
Officer Travis Brown was among the officers who went out to make arrests. Police on Tuesday released body camera footage showing one suspect, identified as 28-year-old Elijah Gantt of East St. Louis, Illinois, charging Travis Brown on a sidewalk and knocking him backward. The video shows Brown landing hard, his head striking the pavement.
Brown is hospitalized in critical condition with what police describe as a life-threatening brain injury. Gantt faces several charges, including assault. Rose was among four other protesters charged with property damage.
Rose was appointed to the city police oversight board in early 2024. The board reviews complaints against St. Louis police officers.
“As a result of the charges filed against Mr. Rose in this matter, we no longer feel that Mr. Rose can be seen as neutral and unbiased on matters relating to the oversight of the St. Louis City Police Department,” the letter signed by several St. Louis aldermanic board members read.
A statement from the Missouri Democratic Party said it “condemns the violence” that resulted in the injury to Travis Brown.
“Upon learning of the charges against uncommitted alternate Keith Rose, the Missouri Democratic Party began to investigate the matter and is in discussions regarding the appropriate next steps,” the statement read.
Ferguson became synonymous with the national Black Lives Matter movement after Michael Brown, a Black 18-year-old, was killed by Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson Aug. 9, 2014, in the St. Louis suburb. Travis Brown, who is Black, is not related to Michael Brown.
Three separate investigations found no grounds to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November 2014. But Michael Brown’s death led to months of often violent protests. It also spurred a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that required anti-discrimination changes to Ferguson policing and the courts.
Travis Brown, 36, is the son of a retired St. Louis city police officer and the father of two young daughters. He worked for the St. Louis County Police Department for 11 years before joining the Ferguson department in January.
The attack on Travis Brown outraged residents of Ferguson, a community of about 18,000 where roughly two-thirds of residents are Black. Many wondered what protesters were so angry about given the changes in Ferguson over the past decade.
In 2014, the Ferguson department had around 50 white officers and only three Black officers. Today, 22 of the 41 officers are Black. Officers today also undergo frequent training on crisis intervention, avoiding bias and other areas, and wear body cameras.
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