What Is a Government For?

On June 14, 2026, a police officer in Senatobia, Mississippi fired into a car in a Walmart parking lot and killed one-year-old Kohen Wiley. His family is still waiting for a full account of what happened.Episode 1 of Toward Reconstitution begins there and asks a basic question: what is a government for? From Kohen’s death and the investigation that followed, Melissa Cosgrove introduces the framework that will guide this series: obligation, feedback, repair, and the relationships that make public power answerable to the people who live under it.Sources and further readingMississippi Today — reporting on Kohen Wiley’s death, the police response, the investigation, and the records released afterward.Mississippi Today — reporting on Senatobia Sgt. Hunter Foster, his prior civil-rights litigation, and an internal complaint concerning a racist remark made two days before Kohen’s death.Mississippi Free Press — reporting identifying Foster as one of the officers present during the June 14 shooting.Additional reporting and source materials are linked below:Family, community mourn Senatobia toddler — Mississippi TodayOfficer who shot baby Kohen Wiley was not in harm’s way, family attorney says — Mississippi TodaySenatobia police finally released internal reports — Mississippi TodaySenatobia officer involved in toddler shooting was accused of racial remark at work — Mississippi TodayDocuments identify one officer present at the shooting — Mississippi Free PressUpdate, September 2, 2026: After this episode was recorded, the Senatobia Board of Aldermen fired Police Chief Harold Vanderford amid separate reporting about racist messages attributed to him. The investigation into Kohen Wiley’s death remains ongoing.AP: Senatobia police chief fired amid controversy following Kohen Wiley shooting