From today's Post-Dispatch, a small item:
House speaker calls for special prosecutor during low-key stop in Ferguson
Missouri House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, visited the spot where Brown was killed and spoke to Ferguson residents and reporters on Wednesday. Jones backed the call for replacing St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert P. McCulloch and criticized Gov. Jay Nixon for having been “all over the map” in the 11 days since Brown was killed.
“When you have that many people asking (for a special prosecutor), the best thing to me is to avoid the appearance of impropriety ... and appoint a special prosecutor,” Jones told reporters.
A regular critic of Nixon in Jefferson City, Jones said the governor should have gotten involved in the case sooner than he did. “This is the first time an incident of this kind has occurred in this state,” Jones said. In the early days, Jones said, “He himself was not very engaged at all.”
Jones said he listened to residents’ concerns. “A lot of people still have a lot of raw emotions and are concerned,” he said. “They are concerned about justice being truly served.”
- Lisa Brown, 7 p.m. Wednesday
I grew up in St. Louis County, my aunt and uncle had a weekend place in Eureka & my Webster Groves school district sent many kids once a year to the Rockwoods (?) camp there (sorry- it's been too long for my memory to be very clear on details). Eureka is, IMHO, an exurban haven for folks who used to live farther in towards the city. So I think it's significant that a political leader from the Republican side & living here takes this kind of public stand. Is it a hopeful sign? I sure hope so, and would like to hear from others who are closer to the scene than I am, now living in California….