According to the survey that was conducted by the magazine, nine out of 10 mayors surveyed expressed concern about the state of race relations and police in their city, with nearly a third describing themselves as “deeply concerned” about race and policing in their cities.
The large majority of respondents were Democrats, 77 percent, as well as three independents and four Republicans—the survey represented a diverse range of cities from across the nation showing clear trends across cities of varying sizes, political traditions and geographic regions.
The majority of the mayors surveyed—56 percent—said that their police departments did not accurately reflect the racial makeup of their cities, and 13 percent said their force was “extremely” different than the racial makeup of their cities.
Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed on Aug. 9, 2014 by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in Ferguson, Missouri.
The shooting prompted protests that went on for weeks. On Nov. 24 last year the St. Louis County prosecutor announced that a grand jury decided not to indict Mr. Wilson. The announcement set off another wave of protests.
