Injured Ferguson police officer wanted to improve department 'from the inside,' ex-supervisor says

FERGUSON, Mo. -- A Black police officer who was critically injured during a protest marking the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson 10 years ago wanted to make “a difference from inside” the department and follow in the footsteps of his father, who was also a police officer, a former supervisor said Monday.

Officer Travis Brown remained in critical condition Monday at a St. Louis-area hospital, three days after he was attacked when an otherwise peaceful demonstration turned violent.

“His family is with him every day, every hour," Ferguson police spokeswoman Patricia Washington said in an email. "We are hopeful that every day he gets a little stronger.”

Protesters were destroying a fence outside the police department late Friday, so Police Chief Troy Doyle said he sent officers to make arrests. One of the protesters tackled Travis Brown, knocking him backward, and he struck his head and suffered a severe brain injury, Doyle said.

Travis Brown is not related to Michael Brown, a Black 18-year-old who was shot and killed by a white officer, Darren Wilson, during a scuffle on Aug. 9, 2014. Three separate investigations found no grounds to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November 2014. But Michael Brown's death was a pivotal moment for the Black Lives Matter movement and 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, joined the Ferguson police force at the start of this year, after working for 11 years with the St. Louis County Police. While on the county police force, he worked for a time on its Special Response Unit under Lt. Ray Rice.

“Everybody says, ‘Where are all of the good police officers?’" Rice said. "Travis is one of those people.”

Brown is the father of two young daughters. He's also the son of a retired St. Louis city police officer, but despite having a father on the force, he had negative encounters with police growing up, Rice said.

“Every Black officer I know has a story about being the subject of police abuse of power,” Rice said. “For most of us, those encounters are what inspired us to join the force in the first place — to make a difference from inside.”

In addition to his regular job duties, Rice is a vice president for the Ethical Society of Police, an association that advocates for racial and gender equity in the St. Louis and St. Louis County police departments. This year, he led led implicit bias training for officers in Ferguson, and he said every department needs people like Travis Brown.

“The pure motivation for his being in the job was not wanting to arrest people or the excitement of cops and robbers,” Rice said. “It was really to be of service. He’s the type that goes to read to kids at elementary school, and actually gets out and interacts with the public."

The protester accused in the attack, 28-year-old Elijah Gantt of East St. Louis, Illinois, is charged with assault of a special victim, resisting arrest and property damage. A judge on Monday set a bond hearing for Aug. 19 and and a preliminary hearing for Sept. 11. Gantt is jailed on $500,000 cash-only bond. He does not yet have an attorney.

Protesters gathered in Ferguson throughout Friday to remember Michael Brown. Police accommodated them — even blocking the street outside the police station to protect demonstrators from vehicle traffic.

Police didn’t intervene when the protesters began shaking the fence outside the station. But Doyle said that when they broke a section of fencing, he sent out the arrest team.

Authorities allege that Gantt ran after he attacked Travis Brown, and then kicked two other officers who tried to arrest him, leaving them with scratches and bruises.

Travis Brown's severe injury drew an angry response from Doyle, and from several people in Ferguson, a community of about 18,000 people 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 department had around 50 white officers and only three Black officers. Today, 22 of the 41 officers are Black, including Travis Brown.

Officers today also undergo frequent training on crisis intervention, avoiding bias and other areas. Officers now wear body cameras. Doyle even changed the look of uniforms, patches and badges after residents said the old look was “triggering.”

“What are we doing?” an emotional Doyle asked Saturday. “Ten years later, I’ve got an officer fighting for his life. It’s enough and I’m done with it. We’re not doing it here in Ferguson.”

Many residents echoed those sentiments in social media posts.

“What did the officer or his family do to anyone to deserve this!???” one woman posted on the police department's Facebook page. “This really disgusts me! Praying for that officer and his family.”