ST. LOUIS (AP) — The mayor of St. Louis says the city is “on edge” as it awaits a ruling in the first-degree murder trial of former police officer Jason Stockley, in part because of a troubled history of justice in St. Louis and nationwide.

Stockley is accused of fatally shooting Anthony Lamar Smith in 2011. The case was heard last month but it’s unclear when Judge Timothy Wilson will rule.

Activists have threatened civil disobedience if Stockley, who is white, is acquitted in the death of the black suspect.

In a statement and video released Tuesday, Mayor Lyda Krewson says part of the reason for the uneasiness is that legal decisions in the St. Louis region and elsewhere have often left families and even entire communities with a sense that justice wasn’t served.