Ferguson activist turned lawmaker to officially resign

ST. LOUIS -- Ferguson activist Bruce Franks Jr. will officially resign from Missouri's largely conservative Legislature at the end of July.

The Democrat submitted his letter of resignation from the state House on Tuesday.

Franks first announced plans to leave office in May, in part citing struggles with anxiety and depression. He also recently lost his best friend and godson to gun violence.

Franks was first elected in 2016, two years after he led protests in Ferguson in response to the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown. Franks was also a leader of 2017 protests in St. Louis after a white former police officer was acquitted of killing a black suspect.

In his resignation letter, Franks wrote he hopes to create positive change outside the Legislature.