Attorney General Eric Holder told residents of Ferguson, Missouri — the scene of heated protests since the death of an unarmed teen — that he understands their mistrust of law enforcement, saying as a black man, he too has been confronted by police. 
 
 “I understand that mistrust. I am the attorney general of the United States. But I am also a black man,” Holder said at a meeting Wednesday with community leaders and students at the Florissant Valley Campus of St. Louis Community College, according to excerpts of his speech. 
 
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 reset Holder spoke to Brown family 'as a father' Holder meets Police Chief Ron Johnson 
 
 Holder recounted to the group of 50 how he was stopped in New Jersey twice, accused of speeding as officers searched his car. 
 
 “I remember how humiliating that was and how angry I was and the impact it had on me,” he said. 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: Why Obama can’t go there) 
 
 Holder also recalled how he and his cousin were stopped in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., while heading to a movie, and his cousin started “mouthing off.” 
 
 “I’m like, ‘This is not where we want to go. Keep quiet.’ I’m angry and upset. We negotiate the whole thing and we walk to our movie,” the attorney general said. “At the time that he stopped me, I was a federal prosecutor. I wasn’t a kid. I was a federal prosecutor. I worked at the United States Department of Justice. So I’ve confronted this myself.” 
 
 Of the events in Ferguson, Holder said there is a history to it, adding that the “history simmers beneath the surface in more communities than just Ferguson.” 
 
 The town has been rocked by tensions and unrest for nearly two weeks following the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was shot Aug. 9 by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Holder, emphasizing the federal investigation into Brown’s death, said dialogue is not enough. 
 
 “We are starting here a good dialogue. But the reality is the dialogue is not enough. We need concrete action to change things in this country,” Holder said, pointing to the federal inquiry. 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: Pols on Ferguson: Sound of silence) 
 
 Holder arrived in the St. Louis suburb Wednesday morning where met with community leaders as well as FBI investigators and prosecutors from both the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. During his time in Ferguson, Holder did not hold a news conference. 
 
 Holder met with Brown’s parents later in the day; he previously called them last week to expressed his condolences. They met privately for 20 minutes and asked Holder about the federal investigation, to which Holder pledged it would be “fair and independent. Brown’s mother also viewed her son’s body at a local morgue for the first time since the shooting. 
 
 The attorney general also met with Missouri lawmakers including Gov. Jay Nixon, Reps. Emanuel Cleaver and Lacy Clay and Sens. Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt. 
 
 While meeting with local residents, Holder, who hoped his presence will have a calming influence, also promised change. 
 
 “We can make it better,” Holder, responding to a local mayor, said while meeting diners at a local restaurant. 
 
 The Holder’s meeting at the community college was closed to the press, but the Justice Department said Holder spoke to the group for 15 minutes before taking questions. He told the group he wished they were meeting under better circumstances and that he assigned the department’s “most experienced agents and prosecutors” to the investigation into Brown’s death. 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: Holder's big test: Ferguson) 
 
 It’s not the first time Holder has spoken about his experience in Georgetown and New Jersey. The attorney general spoke of the incidents last year at the NAACP convention in Orlando, Florida, where he also addressed the shooting of Trayvon Martin. 
 
 Holder “promised things were going to change,” said one student who attended the meeting, according to a pool report. 
 
 Holder also asked the group to work together to improve the relationship between protesters and local law enforcement. The meeting was arranged by the department’s Community Relations Service, an agency created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The service has held numerous meetings in Ferguson since protests began. 
 
 Afterward at a local restaurant, Holder met Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, telling the officer to “get some rest,” according to a pool report. 
 
 Johnson was asked whether Holder’s visit gave him reassurance regarding the local investigation. 
 
 “Holder, by being here, is a guarantee on that,” Johnson said, according to a pool report. 
 
 The attorney general was joined Wednesday by officials from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. 
 
 Later in the day at the local FBI headquarters, Holder spoke before an investigative briefing. 
 
 “Our investigation is different,” Holder said in a meeting room filled with local federal officials. “We’re looking for possible violations of federal civil rights statutes.” 
 
 Holder’s visit to Ferguson was announced earlier this week by President Barack Obama, who in his own remarks Monday, called for a reduction in tensions and for people “to seek some understanding.” 
 
 Ahead of his arrival, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an op-ed by Holder, who wrote that the Justice Department’s investigation into Brown’s death will be full, fair and independent. Holder added that it will be coordinated by the agency’s Civil Rights Division as well as the FBI and will bring some “measure of calm.” He said the additional autopsy he called for earlier this week was conducted on Monday. Holder called Brown’s parents last week to express his condolences. 
 
 After heated protests last week, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced the Missouri Highway Patrol would take over security in Ferguson, led by Johnson. However, by Monday, Nixon announced a state of emergency, bringing in the National Guard after earlier imposing a temporary curfew. But protests escalated yet again by Monday evening, with dozens of people arrested and a handful shot. 
 
 Regarding the handling of the local investigation, including the release of security footage of Brown prior to the shooting, Holder in a statement earlier this week said the “selective release of sensitive information that we have seen in this case so far is troubling to me.” ||||| ST. LOUIS (AP) — To reassure the people of Ferguson, Attorney General Eric Holder reached into his own past, recalling the times he had been stopped by police officers who seemed to target him because of his race. 
 
 Attorney General Eric Holder speaks with Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol at Drake's Place Restaurant, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. Holder arrived in Missouri on Wednesday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Protesters stand in the street as lightning flashes in the night sky in Ferguson, Mo. on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014. A grand jury has begun hearing evidence as it weighs possible charges against the Ferguson... (Associated Press) 
 
 Protesters march in the street as lightning flashes in the distance in Ferguson, Mo. on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014. On Aug. 9, 2014, a white police officer fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year... (Associated Press) 
 
 Protesters march to the Buzz Westfall Justice Center Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014, in Clayton, Mo. A grand jury has begun hearing evidence as it weighs possible charges against the Ferguson police officer... (Associated Press) 
 
 Spiritual teacher Iyanla Vanzant, right, consoles Shirley Scale, a resident at the Canfield Apartments, at the shrine to Michael Brown where he was shot and killed on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014, in Ferguson,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Attorney General Eric Holder, left, listens during his meeting at the U.S. Attorney's office in St. Louis, Mo., Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014. Sitting with clockwise from the far left, Richard Callahan, US... (Associated Press) 
 
 People stand in prayer after marching about a mile to the police station to protest the shooting of Michael Brown Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. Brown's shooting in the middle of a street... (Associated Press) 
 
 Attorney General Eric Holder stops to shake hands with a patron at Drake's Place Restaurant, before his meeting with local community leaders, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014 in Ferguson, Mo. Holder arrived in... (Associated Press) 
 
 On a visit to the St. Louis suburb that has endured more than a week of unrest, Holder sought to build confidence in the investigation into the death of the black 18-year-old who was shot by a white officer. The trip also underscored the priority to the Obama administration of civil rights in general and the Michael Brown case in particular. 
 
 The attorney general said Wednesday that he understands why many black Americans do not trust police and that he has experienced many of the same frustrations. He described being stopped twice on the New Jersey Turnpike and accused of speeding. Police searched his car, looking through the trunk and under the seats. 
 
 "I remember how humiliating that was and how angry I was and the impact it had on me," Holder said during a meeting with about 50 community leaders at the Florissant campus of St. Louis Community College. 
 
 Once while living in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, Holder was running to catch a movie with his cousin when a squad car rolled up and flashed its lights at the pair. The officer yelled, "Where are you going? Hold it!" Holder recalled. 
 
 His cousin "started mouthing off," and Holder urged him to be quiet. 
 
 "We negotiate the whole thing, and we walk to our movie. At the time that he stopped me, I was a federal prosecutor. I wasn't a kid," he said. 
 
 Holder also met with federal officials investigating Brown's Aug. 9 death and with Brown's parents. Before getting briefed at the local FBI headquarters, he said he hoped the visit would "have a calming influence" on the area. 
 
 In addition, the attorney general met briefly with Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, who has been in charge of security in Ferguson for nearly a week. The National Guard is also helping to keep the peace. 
 
 Asked whether he had confidence in the local investigation of the police officer, Johnson said Holder's presence "is a guarantee on that." 
 
 In nearby Clayton, a grand jury began hearing evidence to determine whether the officer, Darren Wilson, should be charged in Brown's death. A spokesman for St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch said there was no timeline for the process, but it could take weeks. 
 
 Outside the St. Louis County Justice Center, where the grand jury convened, two dozen protesters gathered in a circle for a prayer, chanted and held signs urging McCulloch to step aside. 
 
 McCulloch's deep family connections to police have been cited by some black leaders who question his ability to be impartial in the case. McCulloch's father, mother, brother, uncle and cousin all worked for the St. Louis Police Department, and his father was killed while responding to a call involving a black suspect. 
 
 The prosecutor, who is white, has insisted his background will have no bearing on the handling of the Brown case, which has touched off days of protests that have sometimes turned violent at night, when authorities used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear the streets. 
 
 On Wednesday, police said an officer had been suspended for pointing a semi-automatic assault rifle at demonstrators, then cursing and threatening to kill one of them. A protester captured the exchange on video Tuesday and posted it to YouTube and other websites. 
 
 Some protesters returned to the streets Wednesday evening but in diminished numbers. They marched around a single block as a thunderstorm filled the sky with lightning and dumped rain. Police still stood guard, but many wore regular uniforms rather than riot gear. 
 
 Johnson said there were six arrests, compared to 47 the previous night, and called it "a very good night." Johnson also said the visit by Holder let people know their voices had been heard. 
 
 The Justice Department has mounted an unusually swift and aggressive response to Brown's death, conducting an independent autopsy and sending dozens of FBI agents to Ferguson in search of witnesses to the shooting. 
 
 Brown's funeral is set for Monday in St. Louis. His uncle, the Rev. Charles Ewing, will deliver the eulogy. The Rev. Al Sharpton will also speak. Brown will be buried at St. Peter's Cemetery in St. Louis County. 
 
 Holder said the Obama administration has been working to achieve change through the Justice Department's civil rights division. 
 
 "The same kid who got stopped on the New Jersey freeway is now the attorney general of the United States," he added. "This country is capable of change. But change doesn't happen by itself." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Jim Salter in St. Louis, David A. Lieb in Jefferson City and Nigel Duara in Ferguson contributed to this report.
– In his visit to Ferguson, Mo., yesterday, Eric Holder told residents that he understands their frustration about police. "I am the attorney general of the United States," he said. "But I am also a black man,” Holder recounted being stopped by police on a Washington street while he and his cousin ran to catch a movie, reports Politico. "I was a federal prosecutor," he said. "I wasn't a kid." He also recalled being pulled over twice in New Jersey and accused of speeding as cops searched his car, reports Fox News. "I remember how humiliating that was and how angry I was," he told the crowd, and later in the day said, "We can make it better." While he praised the "good dialogue" going on about race relations, he added that "dialogue is not enough. We need concrete action to change things in this country." Holder also met with Michael Brown's parents for about 20 minutes and promised a "fair and independent" investigation. Meanwhile, Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson said last night was "a very good night" in Ferguson, with just six arrests, reports the AP.