The Spirit of Protest is Back in Ferguson! This is Democracy.

[bigtree]

Last edited Sat Aug 23, 2014, 09:44 AM - Edit history (1)

Willis Arnold @WillisRArnold
Currently in #Ferguson, quite calm tonight.


W. Florissant Ave in Ferguson, Missouri. 6:27 PM - 22 Aug 2014.
Photo by Alex Seitz-Wald




Willis Arnold @WillisRArnold · 31m
Legal observers plan stations for the night, which remains calm so far . #Ferguson




Willis Arnold @WillisRArnold · 40m
One cop and one protestor have been discussing fear, racism, and community relations for 15 minutes. Both listening and talking. #Ferguson


Wesley Lowery @WesleyLowery · 50m
Smaller group of marchers tonight




John Kelly @JohnKellyKSDK · 12m
#Ferguson




John Kelly @JohnKellyKSDK · Aug 21
Peaceful protests continue in #ferguson




Kevin Gosztola ?@kgosztola 1m
Holy train. It has choir playing gospel music and is rolling down street. #Ferguson




Joe Holleman @STLsherpa · 2h
Cpt. Ron Johnson makes one of his walks. "Its been peaceful. We're focusing on that. We're not thinking 'what if' ."




Kevin Gosztola ?@kgosztola 23m
About 50 people come marching across bridge. "Hands Up, Don't Shoot!" #Ferguson




Kevin Gosztola ?@kgosztola 7m
March took off down West Florissant Ave & are walking through neighborhood. Decided walking in circle not worth it anymore #Ferguson


Kevin Gosztola ?@kgosztola 13m
March was in blocked off W. Florissant Ave but police put vehicles in way, forced march onto sidewalk #Ferguson




Kevin Gosztola ?@kgosztola 5m
Cops were not prepared for this. They are tailing this late night march that has taken off.




Kevin Gosztola ?@kgosztola 3m
March turned down Chambers & police stopped tailing so intensely. #Ferguson




Ryan Devereaux @rdevro · 21m
"I got my hands on my head, please don't shoot me dead"




Kevin Gosztola @kgosztola · 37s
Getting my car & heading to find march which headed to police station #Ferguson


STLtoday ?@stltoday 3m
Protesters march down West Florissant, turn back when police cars block street http://bit.ly/1v7zVAa


The BearMaiden ?@thebearmaiden 8m
“@persicapit: 100 protesters marching PEACEFULLY towards the #ferguson police station




deray mckesson ?@deray
New route. Down chambers! #ferguson http://ift.tt/1q4EDeB




ANIMALNewYork @ANIMALNewYork · 1h
Crowd on the march towards #ferguson police department.




ANIMALNewYork @ANIMALNewYork · 3h
Protests are placid this evening, with maybe 50 demonstrators total on West Florissant. #ferguson




deray mckesson @deray · 1m
Okay, these 3 people have decided to stop us because they don't want us to march. This isn't helpful. #Ferguson


deray mckesson @deray · 46s
The peacekeepers are being incredibly unproductive tonight. There was no chaos until they arrived. None. #Ferguson


deray mckesson @deray · 1m
I now see why people think the "peacekeepers" work for the police. They don't appear to be allies of the movement. #Ferguson


deray mckesson @deray
Again, we are all peaceful. Every. Single. Person. We march




deray mckesson @deray
The collective group has ignored the "Peacekeepers". We march. That was a weird moment. I lost respect for them. #Ferguson




KSDK NewsChannel 5 ?@ksdknews 2m
#Ferguson press conference starting right now


KSDK NewsChannel 5 ?@ksdknews 1m
Captain Johnson: Good things happen when people calmly interact


deray mckesson @deray · 21m
The police now ride beside us. We march. #Ferguson




deray mckesson @deray
We are now at the police station. We have arrived. #Ferguson


deray mckesson ?@deray
"No justice, no peace, prosecute the police." - new chant


deray mckesson @deray ·
Police parked on sidewalks watching, waiting. #ferguson http://ift.tt/1poAyC4




deray mckesson @deray ·
Only the reporters are worried about the police right now. We are jamming. #Ferguson




Ryan Devereaux ?@rdevro
Youngsters in the crowd, protesting across from the police station




Ryan Devereaux ?@rdevro
Easily the biggest, baddest protester out here




ANIMALNewYork ?@ANIMALNewYork
Crowd across from police department has swelled to about 100 people. #ferguson (photos: @aymanndotcom)




deray mckesson @deray ·
"We want justice..." #ferguson
https://t.co/CHxfe94922




deray mckesson @deray ·
Just had a prayer circle. It was beautiful. This is community. #Ferguson




deray mckesson @deray · 43m
The drummer. So great. #Ferguson




deray mckesson @deray · 1h
Y'all, this is love . . . #ferguson




deray mckesson @deray · 1h
So. Much. Joy. Don't Shoot. #ferguson


ANIMALNewYork @ANIMALNewYork · 1h
Protesters peacefully assembled in parking lot across the street from the #Ferguson Police Department.




deray mckesson @deray ·
Indict that cop, the new chant. #ferguson
https://t.co/CHxfe94922




deray mckesson @deray ·
Not surrounded by police, we jam. All peaceful. One community. #Ferguson




deray mckesson @deray ·
We are black. We are American. Justice. #ferguson http://ift.tt/1poAylA




deray mckesson @deray
We march. Pure joy. Love. #ferguson




deray mckesson @deray
The spirit of the protest is back! This is democracy. #Ferguson

[VanGoghRocks]

1. Thanks for posting. I would give anything to be there in support. Your

threads are the next-best thing and will have to do for now!

[bigtree]

2. always my pleasure to share, VanGoghRocks

. . . always.

[jillan]

35. [phone]

[littlemissmartypants]

3. I love you, bigtree.

~ Lmsp

[littlemissmartypants]

4. "When love walks in the room everybody stand up..."

MESSAGE OF LOVE

NOW THE REASON WE'RE HERE 
AS MAN AND WOMAN 
IS TO LOVE EACH OTHER 
TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER 
WHEN LOVE WALKS IN THE ROOM 
EVERYBODY STAND UP 
OH IT'S GOOD, GOOD, GOOD 
LIKE BRIGITTE BARDOT

NOW LOOK AT THE PEOPLE 
IN THE STREETS, IN THE BARS 
WE ARE ALL OF US IN THE GUTTER 
BUT SOME OF US ARE LOOKING AT THE STARS 
LOOK ROUND THE ROOM 
LIFE IS UNKIND 
WE FALL BUT WE KEEP GETTIN' UP 
OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER

ME AND YOU, EVERY NIGHT, EVERY DAY 
WE'LL BE TOGETHER ALWAYS THIS WAY 
YOUR EYES ARE BLUE LIKE THE HEAVENS ABOVE 
TALK TO ME DARLIN' WITH A MESSAGE OF LOVE

NOW THE REASON WE'RE HERE 
EVERY MAN, EVERY WOMAN 
IS TO HELP EACH OTHER 
STAND BY EACH OTHER 
WHEN LOVE WALKS IN THE ROOM 
EVERYBODY STAND UP 
OH IT'S GOOD, GOOD GOOD 
SAY I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU

TALK TO ME DARLIN'

Lyrics: Message of Love

www.pretenders.org/lymes.htm


Love, Peace and the Righteous Fight.
~ Lmsp

[bigtree]

20. Bring on the revolution

(Keep the pressure on)
Bring on the revolution
I don't wanna die for nothing

When we watch the children play
Remember, how the privileged classes grew
And from this day we set out
To undo what won't undo

Looking for the grand in the minute
Every breath justifies, every step that we take
To remove what the powers that be can't prove
And the children will understand why


Pretenders - Revolution

[Enthusiast]

5. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch!

Way to go, bigtree! This is inspirational.

[tblue37]

6. K&R. nt

[B Calm]

7. The heat wave has arrived and will be here for the next week. I look

for the protesting crowd to get smaller.

[bigtree]

9. that's likely, I think perhaps inevitable

. . .however, the effort there, led by folks like Antonio French, a St. Louis alderman, and pols like Claire McKaskill, will be moving into an action phase where they will not only be helping keep the focus on justice in this particular case of Mike Brown, but accountability for the police department through direct actions, as well as an intense voter registration drive to empower the citizens of Ferguson and the surrounding area to force through the demands and changes they want to see in their community. That's still going to involve activism, albeit, maybe not staying out until midnight marching, but I wouldn't count these young folks and others out of the protest scene as easily as some are predicting.

There are plenty of opportunities for that without keeping these people awake at all hours of the night (or in sweltering heat). As anyone can see, this is an energized and motivated group of citizens who have very specific demands, some of which I've posted, others which I'm sure will emerge and solidify as they transfer this energy into political action - and there are hosts of people there and help from outside to do just that.

So when people talk about these protests winding down, they may be referring to the clashes and other unproductive activity that marked the earlier protests which brought greater numbers out late into the night (and in the day), but had less actual political impetus than I think were seeing, even now from participants in these demonstrations and others.

Heat wave or not, there are needs and unmet expectations which won't be diverted by weather or other ephemeral obstacles, nor deterred by 'smaller crowds' willing to stand in the streets and make themselves heard. I look for that protest effort to produce something concrete, and that's what's going to ultimately make the difference in that community. Continued protests and other efforts will serve to keep that in the local and other spotlight as effectively, maybe more, than just marching and organizing in the streets.

If those demands aren't met, we're going to see these folks of Ferguson and elsewhere mobilize again and again until they are heard and their demands addressed.

[Louisiana1976]

30. A change is gonna come.....

[SammyWinstonJack]

8. rec!

[randome]

10. It will all be for nothing, however, if they don't organize at the voting booths.

They need to demand specific changes, something more than "The police need to behave better!"

Demand a police force more representative of the community.

Demand less harassment from the police for petty misdemeanors.

Demand specific training for police to not use deadly force.

And shouting these things from the midst of a crowd isn't enough, I'm afraid. They need community organizers on the level of Obama.

Of course that's just my conveniently distant view of the situation. I'm in St. Louis but not Ferguson.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Precision and concision. That's the game.[/center][/font][hr]

[bigtree]

11. If you tune in a bit more you can see that happening already

here is just one perspective of the next phase that you're referring to:

Antonio French ?@AntonioFrench 5m
Next Steps: Turning a Moment into a Movement http://on.msnbc.com/1sdfM6W via @maddow #HealSTL



Ferguson activists hope to turn moment into a movement
Antonio French, alderman for the City of St. Louis, talks with Rachel Maddow about the lack of information being released in the Michael Brown shooting and how activists hope to utilize the energy of the protests in Ferguson to bring political change.


Timothy McBride @mcbridetd · 11h
@AntonioFrench turning attention to voter registration--great idea! Get behind this: politics must change #Ferguson http://fox2now.com/2014/08/21/st-louis-alderman-not-going-away-after-protestors-leave-ferguson/ …

St. Louis alderman not going away after protestors leave Ferguson

“It`s been incredible, um scary, inspiring a whole range of emotions this week, but ultimately it`s unbelievable, you couldn`t have told me this was going to happen 2 or 3 weeks ago,” said Ald. French.

French plans on leading an effort to register African Americans to vote.

“You know a lot of the people over this week just learned what the makeup of their city is, didn`t know they weren`t represented as they should have been and so we`re going to open an office here and register every person we can find and try to get people active,” he stated.

French believes the shooting death of Michael Brown triggered so much attention because of what he calls a disconnect between African Americans and elected leaders and says even if violence leaves this street, race relations in St. Louis still have a long way to go.

“And so we need to get to the business of healing that involves a lot of uncomfortable conversations, but it has to be done,” he said.


Antonio French @AntonioFrench · 14h
As of today, I am officially a deputy registrar of the Board of Elections of St. Louis County. #HealSTL

KMOX St. Louis News @kmoxnews · 16h
@clairecmcaskill and @RoyBlunt asking for federal help for damaged #Ferguson businesses: http://cbsloc.al/1tAg6O0



Goldie Taylor @goldietaylor · Aug 21
It takes money and organization to unseat an incumbent. In STL that means reaching down to Ward-level.


Antonio French @AntonioFrench · Aug 21
I spent the morning at the Board of Elections getting maps/data to start registering every black person in #Ferguson.

Antonio French @AntonioFrench · Aug 21
We've identified a storefront for rent in #Ferguson. We'll sign the lease by tomorrow and use it as our base of operations to #HealSTL.

HealSTL @HealSTL · 9h
Sign up to receive updates about #HealSTL at http://www.HealSTL.org #staytuned #jointhemovement @AntonioFrench


from NPR:

Ferguson Killing Inspires Young Black Activists

Malcolm London is a poet, activist and educator. He's the Chicago chapter co-chair of Black Youth Project 100, a national organization of young adults that says its mission is to work for economic freedom and justice for all black people. London was involved in organizing a National Moment of Silence (#NMOS14) in Chicago in response to events in Ferguson.



How have you focused your activism?

While the unjust murder of Michael Brown is a tragedy that has sparked a lot of conversation and media attention, this work has been going on a lot longer than the past couple weeks. As a member of the Black Youth Project 100, I have been doing local organizing in Chicago around racial profiling as a part of our national campaign to end the criminalization of black youth. It's important to realize that the people in Ferguson are angry because what happened to Michael Brown is not rare. None of this anger, none of the issues that have been brought up really started with Ferguson. For black people in America, this is every day, and we've been fighting this fight for a while.

Where do you see things in six months or a year from now?

I hope that a moment like this makes people start realizing that the current system of policing needs to change. We need less policing and a rethinking of what contributes to community safety. Is that the police? Or is it a community center and well-funded schools? I hope to see structures that establish greater police accountability like civilian-elected police accountability councils and cameras that film the police.

Beyond accountability, I hope to see a shift in narratives about violence. At the present moment, the dominant narrative points to black people as being the main sources of violence in black communities. But what our society needs to begin to recognize is that racialized targeting by the police, underfunding and closing schools, lack of access to social programs and so on are all forms of social, political and economic violence on black communities. This is the real violence.


Claire McCaskill @clairecmc · Aug 21
Inspiring and emotional. Listening and learning from our future. Thanks to 100 Black Men for hosting.




In Aftermath of Killing of Mike Brown . . . DEMANDS

Young black organizers, who have been working with members of the Ferguson community to formulate calls for action in response to the police shooting that killed Mike Brown, announced a set of demands they would like to see fulfilled in the aftermath. This set of demands represents what the community will be fighting for in the days and weeks after Brown is buried at his funeral on Monday.

The set of demands are all local to Ferguson. They were presented by Tef Poe, Tory Russell, and Jeffrey Hill—all people from the community who have held multiple meetings with residents and local groups over the past weeks.

This is the list of demands:

1. Swift and impartial investigation by the Department of Justice into the Michael Brown shooting and an expanded Department of Justice investigation into the patterns of civil rights violations by police across North St. Louis County.

2. Immediate arrest of Darren Wilson

3. County prosecutor Robert McCulloch stand down and allow a Special Prosecutor to be appointed.

4. Fire Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson

5. Accountability for police practices and policies, including effective civilian review regarding shootings and allegations of misconduct

6. “Immediate” de-escalation of militarized policing of protestors to protect constitutional rights

7. Immediate release of individuals who have participated in protests and exercised their right to assemble and protest.


read more: http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2014/08/22/in-aftermath-of-killing-of-mike-brown-organizers-announce-set-of-demands-for-justice-in-ferguson/

[randome]

13. Cool. That's specific, all right. I didn't know about that.

All the info in the OP, however, seemed to equate protesting with gathering in large groups and marching, which makes for good pictures but doesn't often translate into actual change.

Those seven demands seem, to me, to be specific and easy to understand even for those who think Ferguson is simply overblown dissatisfaction and want to preserve the status quo.


[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

[bigtree]

14. I don't think we'd be having this discussion if they weren't in the streets to begin with

. . .and, perhaps, there is still need for even more protest actions to raise awareness and organize attention around their plights and challenges. Heck, even here at political-centered DU, you can't get much attention to strictly policy-based posts and threads. There often needs to be a spark or obvious catalyst to attention and action.

I'm not sure if many people realize that moderation and complacency is what's brought that community to this point - even before the shooting(s) the strife and outright indifference to this community's concerns is what marked them for the type of conflict that's highlighted today. Many articles have spelled that out in detail, but the bottom line is that Ferguson's return to 'normal' is a return to a whole host of problems which have plagued that community for decades.

It's never a clear line between where activism and action collide. It is clear though, this community needed to shout in the streets to finally be heard.

[U4ikLefty]

32. You will get nowhere in trying to convice that one.

[bigtree]

33. we'll can find satisfaction in providing answers for anyone with the same mindframe

. . .with appreciation for the opportunity given to provide an answer.

[U4ikLefty]

34. Good point & thanks for all the info on Ferguson.

I just wanted to state that cause I dealt with his shtick during Occupy...same old song & dance.

[jwirr]

16. Hopefully this move to register voters will move across the country. Too many people are left

without any say. Also we need to get ready to stand in line on election day because they are going to try to keep us from voting any way they can.

[bigtree]

19. amen

. . . thanks for your interest and dedication to that cause and others, jwirr. It's going to take the efforts of committed folks like you to get us there.

[daleanime]

27. +1

[bigtree]

12. more

Missouri lawmakers plan Ferguson committee

The top-ranking official in the Missouri House says he plans to appoint a bipartisan committee to look into the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown and the governor's response to it.
http://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article1278126.html


St. Louis Public Radio To Host Community Discussion, Hosted By NPR's Michel Martin

Join St. Louis Public Radio and community leaders for a conversation about race, law enforcement and more. WHO: A Panel of Local Community Leaders Daniel
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-public-radio-host-community-discussion-hosted-nprs-michel-martin


'Would Michael Brown still be here if we voted for the right people?'

Ferguson was a community ‘asleep at the wheel,’ with residents largely not bothering to vote, often because they did not believe elections would change anything. Michael Brown’s death has changed all that
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/22/michael-brown-ferguson-residents-vote?CMP=twt_gu

Our friends at the Nine Network had an hour long show devoted to Ferguson last night. Our own Tim Lloyd joined as well. You can watch it all here:
by Chris McDaniel, St. Louis... via YouTube 3:41 PM yesterday

[jwirr]

15. Thank you again for another update.

[Stellar]

17. Thank you for sharing!

It's the next best thing to being there.

[kath]

18. Thanks bigtree! another very informative update.

[littlemissmartypants]

21. kicketty. nt

[littlemissmartypants]

22. kick. nt

[KoKo]

23. Thanks, Big Tree....Recommend!

[Laelth]

24. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[BrotherIvan]

25. This is the best place to keep up with the news on Ferguson

Can't thank you enough, bigtree.

I hope their demands are met and pols and officials aren't just meeting with them while the cameras are on. I wish every community could get together this way and make a change. Hear each other out and realize we all need (I first wrote want) the same things.

[Uncle Joe]

26. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, bigtree.

[riversedge]

28. I like the 'spirit' of voter registration and healing that went on

today in Ferguson. ??still going on.
If anything is good to come out of his horrible mess--it is the voter registration that has been going on--and hopefully people going to the polls.


You have lovely posts BigTree---including this one.


PS: Antonio French has some good posts (here are a few of his tweets with photos)


Retweeted by Antonio French
AdamSerwer @AdamSerwer · 1h

Gov Nixon just showed up at the NAACP protest. Tells a resident he's "listening very carefully" to the community. pic.twitter.com/GvivzqT3F9
Embedded image permalink
View more photos and videos



Antonio French @AntonioFrench · 2h

Marching now in #Ferguson. #HealSTL pic.twitter.com/2bBxnoICy5
Embedded image permalink
View more photos and videos

Replied to 0 times

[riversedge]

29. Oops--sorry--I see

belatedly you have posted about Antonio French. I initially missed seeing it upstream.

...........
Star Member bigtree (54,136 posts)
11. If you tune in a bit more you can see that happening already

here is just one perspective of the next phase that you're referring to:

Antonio French ?@AntonioFrench 5m
Next Steps: Turning a Moment into a Movement http://on.msnbc.com/1sdfM6W via @maddow

[Louisiana1976]

31. Excellent post. K&R

[JEB]

36. K&R

I love seeing the photos and reading the discussion that follows. I am an old (62) white guy who supports the protesters completely. Solidarity.

[951-Riverside]

37. It would be great if we could embed tweets here. n/t