The Archbishop of St Louis celebrated a Mass for peace and justice this week after police shot dead an unarmed black teenager in the suburb of Ferguson. The death of Michael Brown and the heavy-handed police response to street protests is a reminder of America’s stark racial divide Soon after 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead on 9 August by a white policeman, people took to the streets of Ferguson to protest. True to form, the local authorities used excessive force, deploying police in mine-resistant, ambush-protected armoured vehicles. Officers wore military-issue uniforms, and carried loaded semi-automatic rifles. Rioting and looting ensued. Americans were shocked to see images of a suburb that looked more like Fallujah, Iraq, than Ferguson, Missouri. Missouri Governor Jay