JEFFERSON CITY — State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, today (1-24) sent a statement to the media regarding the acquittal of Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson to her constituents in the 5th District and all citizens of St. Louis.

“I have long been on the opposing side of prosecutor Bob McCulloch on the Michael Brown grand jury case. I even started a petition, which received approximately 117,000 signatures, calling for his removal from the case. The prosecutor has a history with the African-American community in this city, leading me and many of my colleagues to believe he would not be able to remain unbiased on this case, even though it has been made clear that the outcome of this case could very possibly lead to further unrest and public suspicion of our local law enforcement.

I won’t stand by and say that I’m not frustrated or disappointed with today’s actions. It is okay to be angry and hurt by, or even protest because of, what has happened here today. However, it is not okay to destroy our communities or hold our neighbors hostage in their homes.

With this decision comes the opportunity to begin the healing process. We must come together as citizens of this diverse community and we must raise our voices for peace. Let us now continue down the path to a healing place for the St. Louis region. There are no more words to describe this tragic situation that have not already been said. My very heart goes out to Michael Brown’s family. But what we need to recognize on this day is that, no matter the outcome of this grand jury indictment, we, those who have stood for justice since the beginning, will continue to reshape our communities by our positive actions and our strength.

As a legislator, one of my roles is to restructure our city through policy. As we get closer to the beginning of the next legislative session, I will continue to work on bills that will help our city heal. I will be sponsoring a few pieces of legislation that will work toward that goal. One would dissolve all the villages that exist currently in St. Louis County and place the governance of those villages under the authority of unincorporated St. Louis County. The second would tighten current statute regarding the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer. Yet another, calls for a special prosecutor to be named in the event of a law-enforcement-officer-involved shooting.

We stand at a turning point in history. How we move forward is up to us. United we stand, divided we fall. Let’s work together to make our future a better and brighter place.”