|
 The protests are another matter.
A contingent of U.S. civil rights workers and community activists
from Georgia, Florida, Detroit and elsewhere have set up shop in
Ferguson and say they plan to remain in the mostly black St. Louis
suburb of 21,000 for the long haul.
The patchwork of groups, including the Dream Defenders and the
National Lawyers Guild, are holding training and strategy sessions
for local young people and others who want to continue to peacefully
protest 18-year-old Michael Brown's death. And they are instructing
teams of "legal observers" on how to document complaints of police
harassment and abuse.
Because part of the work is actively demonstrating in the streets,
the groups are fortified with tear gas masks, first aid kits and
other supplies.
They are largely taking refuge in a St. Louis church where workers
practice chants, make signs and strategize. The doors are kept
locked and alcohol, drugs and weapons are strictly banned,
organizers say.
Police have tried to clear them from the building, according to
church officials who are providing the building space. But St. Mark
Family Church Pastor Tommie Pierson said he will keep the building
open as long as the groups need it.
"This is just something we haven't seen before," said Montague
Simmons, chairman of the local Organization for Black Struggle,
which is trying to coordinate the groups' activities. "Usually we
have to really encourage people to get involved. But this is
different. It feels like we are organizing in a time of war."
FRESH SPARK
Organizers say the energy and outrage generated by the Aug. 9
shooting of Brown has ignited a fresh spark in a modern-day civil
rights movement. They say it presents an opportunity to build a new
generation of activists - trained in the tactics of protests - and a
chance to enact change in the community.
"This is tied to a broader problem," said 25-year-old Michael
Sampson, a Florida organizer with the Florida-based Dream Defenders,
an activist group that last year occupied the Florida state capitol
for 30 nights after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the
shooting death of Trayvon Martin, another racially charged case.
"Our youth need the freedom to live out their lives and their dreams
without fear of being killed by a police officer for simply walking
down the street, something Michael Brown wasn’t able to do because
of police brutality," Sampson said.
[to top of second column] |
Their success is far from guaranteed. The number of protesters has
decreased in recent days, due to a combination of changing police
tactics and fatigue among demonstrations. Violence could also flare
up again - from their ranks or others - and once more overshadow the
larger, more peaceful demonstrations.
Group leaders say they believe the events unfolding in Ferguson will
have a place in history alongside the Freedom Rider movement of the
1960s, sit-ins at lunch counters, and other famed U.S. civil rights
events. The killing has become a catalyst for a continuing civil
rights evolution needed in Missouri and throughout the United
States, they say.
A flier one group has been handing out states: "Today It's Ferguson,
Tomorrow It's You" and pictures white police officers with dogs
facing off against black youth with hands raised in the air.
The fateful encounter happened shortly after noon on Aug. 9 as Brown
and a friend walked through a residential neighborhood of low
apartment buildings. Wilson instructed the two to move out of the
road where they were walking and an altercation ensued that led
Wilson to leave his car and shoot Brown multiple times, including at
least twice in the head, according to authorities.
Brown's parents and supporters demanded the immediate arrest of
Wilson. But protest organizers say they have to be prepared for a
possible exoneration of the officer, and stay focused on a larger
outcome.
"The more you want to quiet us, the louder our voices will be," said
the Organization for Black Struggle's Simmons.
(Writing by Carey Gillam in Ferguson; Editing by Jim Loney)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
