Since the Rev. Starsky Wilson, co-chair of the Ferguson Commission, was last in Jefferson City, the U.S. Department of Justice filed its Ferguson report, detailing disparities between the police force in the suburban St. Louis city and its citizens.
He gave an update on the progress of the commission's efforts Wednesday night inside Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church to more than 50 sitting in its pews. Faith Voices of Jefferson City, a regional group of Missouri Faith Voices that make connections between social justice and faith, brought Wilson again to the Capitol City.
"Ever since I met (Wilson), his feet have been on the ground," Cassandra Gould, Quinn Chapel pastor and recently-named executive director of Missouri Faith Voices, said.
Both participated in protests in Ferguson after the death of Micheal Brown, 18, in August 2014.
Gov. Jay Nixon later appointed Wilson to the Ferguson Commission, which set out to analyze and address racial inequities in St. Louis and the state. At the center of the commission's work, he said, is having what is oftentimes an uncomfortable conversation about race and racism.
"We have to have a conversation to confront our reality," he said.
In addition to the DOJ report, the commission developed its own titled, "Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity," which Wilson presented in part Wednesday night. The report documents the commission's suggestions for changes in the youth development, economic opportunities for all, racial equity and the justice system, including reforms to policing. More than 30,000 volunteer hours, 75 public meetings and 100 regional leaders charged the effort.
He quoted a University of Missouri-St. Louis study that found an 18-year life difference between people living in north St. Louis, where there is a high black population and poverty level, compared to the affluent white areas in the southern part.
Racial inequality in terms of the economy, he added, costs St. Louis $13.56 billion annually.
The formula for change, Wilson said, consists a combination of community involvement, infrastructure and policy. Actions for policy change are necessary, he said, in order to provide stability. Senate Bill 5, which the General Assembly passed in last session, accomplished some of the commission's goals - including capping the dollars a municipality can receive from traffic violations and giving clarity to the consequences if a municipality was in violation of the cap amount.
However, lawmakers did not expand Medicaid - one of Wilson's policy wishes. He also advocated for a minimum wage increase, noting two bills filed this year that accomplish that. One bill comes out of the Senate and calls for a $15 minimum wage, and the other is from the House and seeks a $10.25 minimum wage.
Other bills Wilson supports include changes to police body cameras, use of force statute, citizen review boards to investigate civilian deaths by police and a judge's power to appoint a special prosecutor in a case like that of Darren Wilson, the Ferguson Police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown.
To view the commission report, go to forwardthroughferguson.org.