St. Louis Post-Dispatch Ferguson coverage - Aug. 16

T H E N O . 1 S T. L O U I S W E B S I T E A N D N E W S P A P E R

Saturday • 08.16.2014 • $1.50

storm after calm Quiet night erupts as police, protesters square off

Brown identified in video as shoplifting suspect • Officer in fatal shooting named

Robert Cohen • rcohen@post-dispatch.com

Concussion grenades and pepper spray were used to disburse protesters on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson early Saturday. Streaks are from the fogged camera due to rain.

streets again turn tense

By Koran Addo and Paul Hampel Post-Dispatch

For most of Friday night, a festive atmosphere reigned in Ferguson as hundreds of people lined a two-block stretch of West Florissant Avenue, waving at honking cars slowly passing by, but shortly after midnight, the situation turned volatile as police showed up in riot gear.

The several hundred protesters who had remained had been fairly peaceful but stood in a face-off with police at the corner of West Florissant and Ferguson avenues.

The groups stood about 20 feet away from one another, some police officers pointing guns at the crowd, some protesters pointing cameras at police. Police told the crowd over a loudspeaker to disperse

Officer is named, but few details emerge • A7 Nixon had leverage in security takeover • A4 New allegations could affect investigation • A4

Moments of kindness: a photo essay • A6 Faith leaders at center of activism • A10 Letters to the editor Full coverage Live updates STLtoday.com

According to the judge’s ruling:

• Pattonville, Ritenour and Francis Howell districts must immediately allow the children of four families back in their schools.

• The Missouri Board of Education did not have the authority to give Normandy a new accreditation status.

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Pages A3-A7, A10

Ruling allows Normandy students to transfer

Power struggle

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Prosecutor no stranger to controversy • A4

See TENSE • Page A7

TODAY

Release of information met with anger, shock

Police released images Friday from surveillance cameras in the Ferguson Market and Liquor.

A St. Louis County Circuit Court judge ruled Friday in favor of Normandy school transfer parents who sued the state and three area school districts for not re-enrolling their children this fall.

The decision by Judge Michael Burton says that the Pattonville, Ritenour and Francis Howell districts must immediately allow the children of four families back in their schools. It potentially could allow 500 Normandy students

See Transfer • Page A3

Bradford returns

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is indicted

QB says he’s ready to test injured knee.

Shop ’n Save suffers data breach

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Lynn leads Cards over Padres, 4-2

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Sports • B1

See bROWN • Page A5

who have been denied back into their schools to return. The ruling invalidates decisions made by the Missouri Board of Education in June intended to get the Normandy Schools Collaborative out from under the school transfer law.

“It is in the public interest for the plaintiffs to prevail,” Burton wrote. “Every child in this community has a right to a decent education.”

The transfer law gave about 1,000 transfer students from the troubled north St. Louis County school district the opportunity to attend

By Elisa Crouch And Jessica Bock Post-Dispatch

Russia denies crossing border

FERGUSON • It was a day when the police released information both longdemanded and unexpected.

Here are Friday’s main developments in a week of internationally riveting strife, some of it violent and choked by tear gas, over the fatal shooting Aug. 9 of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, by a Ferguson police officer: • After days of demands that authorities release the officer’s name, Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson identified him as Darren Wilson, 28, who has been on the municipal force for four years. Jackson called Wilson a “gentle, quiet man, a distinguished officer” who

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M 2 • Saturday • 08.16.2014

Ferguson Police Shooting

Documents identify Michael Brown as a suspect in a robbery at a convenience store a short time before he was fatally shot by police on Aug. 9. Police released images Friday from surveillance cameras in the Ferguson Market and Liquor on West Florissant Avenue.

New allegations could affect investigation

By Robert Patrick rpatrick@post-dispatch.com 314-621-5154

ST. LOUIS • News that Michael Brown

was wanted as a robbery suspect could put a fresh light on his killing by a Ferguson police officer, a use-of-force expert said Friday.

“A police officer making a stop of just a couple of guys walking down the street is very different from an officer stopping a couple of guys who just committed a robbery,” said David Klinger, a criminal justice professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The circumstances faced by Officer Darren Wilson contained both elements, according to a description Friday by Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson.

He said Wilson was aware there had been a robbery involving cigars but did not realize when he ordered two young men to stop walking in the street that they were

suspects. Wilson made the connection when he noticed cigars in Brown’s hand, Jackson said.

The chief released some police reports and surveillance pictures Friday in revealing that Brown, 18, had been involved in the store robbery and roughed up a clerk.

Police said Wilson shot Brown, who was unarmed, after Brown had a struggle at another location. The shooting remains under investigation by the St. Louis County police and the FBI. The shooting spurred nights of protests — some violent — and cries for justice from Brown’s family and others who have accused police of murdering a man who posed no threat.

Dorian Johnson, 22, has claimed to reporters that he and Brown were walking together in the middle of a street when the officer pulled up and ordered them to get on the sidewalk. Johnson said Brown did not attack the officer or struggle for the officer’s gun, and was shot with his hands

up, surrendering.

In news interviews, Johnson did not mention the robbery. But after the release of the police reports, his lawyer, Freeman R. Bosley Jr., said Johnson did tell federal and local investigators that both men had been in the store and that Brown “did take cigarillos.”

Jackson said Johnson would not be charged because police believe “he didn’t steal anything or use force.”

Lethal force is guided by a 1985 U.S. Supreme Court case that says police may kill a violent felon who poses a risk to an officer or other people, Klinger explained this week. He said lessons from that case are taught to police around the country.

Klinger said not enough information has been revealed to judge whether the shooting was justified, but he said the known information could explain Wilson’s heightened alert.

An officer dealing with a potential felon, he said, is “allowed to use a different ap-

Nixon had leverage in takeover

By Virginia Young vyoung@post-dispatch.com 573-556-6181

Mcculloch is not one to shrink from controversy

By Nicholas J.C. Pistor npistor@post-dispatch.com > 314-436-2239 and Joe Holleman jholleman@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8254

JEFFERSON CITY • After photos

of tear-gassed protesters rocketed through social media Wednesday night, state officials say the need for a change in command in Ferguson was clear: It was just a matter of how to do it.

Behind-the-scenes talks that night and the next morning culminated in what Gov. Jay Nixon’s office called a “nonwritten agreement” reached Thursday morning with St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley.

Without so much as a signature, the Missouri Highway Patrol assumed control of security in the St. Louis County suburb.

Nixon was responding to a chorus of cries for elected officials to change what had become a military-style operation. County police in body armor, some with weapons pointed at civilians, had lined the streets during nightly protests over the fatal shooting Saturday of an unarmed teenager, Michael Brown, by Ferguson police.

Before the patrol took over, state Rep. Clem Smith, D-Velda Village Hills, said he had “seen officers actually provoking people to do things. I would think that the highway patrol would be more professional in that sense, and maybe have more training than some of the officers that have been on hand.”

But the takeover wasn’t universally applauded. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said Nixon lacked the authority to take charge and should have talked to law enforcement agencies first.

The St. Louis County Police Association also criticized Nixon in a statement Friday, saying the governor’s decision was “motivated by local and national political pressure.”

When he decided to take charge, Nixon had plenty of leverage. If the county had objected, the governor could have declared a state of emergency, which would have triggered broad state powers to protect the safety and welfare of residents.

“The governor does have extraordinary civil defense powers,” said Brad Ketcher, a St. Louis attorney who worked as chief of staff in the administration of Gov. Mel Carnahan. “The constitution calls him the conservator of the peace, which is what you kind of need in a situation like this.”

In fact, Nixon told a reporter after a Friday morning news conference that his actions were allowed “under the authority to declare a state of emergency. We’re working on a cooperative agreement now.”

Nixon’s office said later that the agreement with Dooley was spoken rather than written, and that it simply allowed the Missouri Highway Patrol “to take the lead on security responsibilities in Ferguson.”

The governor’s office did not respond to requests to interview top officials with knowledge of the agreement.

The man Nixon put in charge in Ferguson, Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, said at a news conference on Friday that he had been on the

proach. I know I have probable cause to detain that individual,” he said, and can use the force necessary.

Klinger has firsthand experience. In 1981, when he was a Los Angeles police officer, he killed a man who attacked his partner.

He described the reactions of an officer confronting a robbery suspect. “We spot this individual. Basically, what police doctrine holds is that we’re going to exit our vehicle with guns drawn,” he said.

He noted that the level of force the officer presents increases with the seriousness of the crime.

“Now you don’t get to shoot the person, but you enter into it at a much more severe, shall we say, posture of force.”

“And also, if you’re fighting with someone you suspect might have been involved in a robbery, your concern about what they may do is much greater than someone you suspect of jaywalking.”

ST. LOUIS • Robert McCulloch isn’t known to back

Robert Cohen • rcohen@post-dispatch.com

County Police Chief Jon Belmar (left), prosecutor Bob McCulloch and Rita Valenciano, of the Justice Department, listen at a forum Friday in Florissant.

phone with the governor about the situation for “the past four days. It’s not something that just popped up yesterday.”

Dooley said he welcomed the state’s role.

“As the county executive said, this is not a turf war for us,” said Pat Washington, spokeswoman for Dooley. “This is not a contest of what agency should be in charge. It’s what should be done to restore order.”

But McCulloch, who frequently jousted with Nixon when Nixon was attorney general, was outspoken in his criticism of the governor.

“It’s shameful what he did today, he had no legal authority to do that,” McCulloch said Thursday. “To denigrate the men and women of the county police department is shameful.”

McCulloch noted that no one was seriously injured in the effort led by County Police Chief Jon Belmar before Nixon handed control of Ferguson security over to the state agency on Thursday.

“For Nixon to never talk to the commanders in the field and come in here and take this action is disgraceful,” McCulloch said.

WHO WILL PROSECUTE? Dooley, meanwhile, said he will lead an effort to try to remove McCulloch as the prosecutor in the case that could determine whether the officer who shot Brown faces criminal charges.

“The county executive believes Bob McCulloch is biased and shouldn’t handle this case,” said Washington, Dooley’s spokeswoman.

Attorney General Chris Koster said Friday that he had received a request from Dooley to assume responsibility for the Ferguson case. But, Koster said, “state law provides no authority for the attorney general or the governor to remove or transfer a criminal case from an elected county prosecutor.”

By law, a court can appoint a special prosecutor when the county prosecutor is related to the defendant or has another conflict of interest, such as by having represented someone involved in the case.

A prosecutor also can ask the state for help handling the case. The governor then could appoint the attorney general to provide investigative and prosecutorial assistance. But the local prosecutor would retain decision-making authority over the case, Koster said.

When Nixon was attorney general, he sought more authority for the attorney general to bring criminal charges. However, the Legislature rejected his attempts.

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said in an interview that he saw no way that McCulloch could be bumped from the case without his consent.

“Primarily, it’s up to the prosecutor to determine whether there’s a reason that he or she could not be fair,” Zahnd said. “I am not aware of any authority that would allow a court to remove a prosecutor based on petitions from the public or others.”

Zahnd, who is immediate past president of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, added that in the Ferguson situation, “the prosecutor’s not going to be the decisionmaker. The grand jury’s going to make the decision.”

Dooley and McCulloch have been at odds for some time. McCulloch pulled his support for Dooley’s re-election effort last year and campaigned heavily for his opponent, Steve Stenger. For most of this summer, Stenger ran television ads prominently featuring McCulloch criticizing Dooley’s leadership and alleging corruption in the county.

Stenger defeated Dooley by nearly a 36-point margin.

Backing Nixon’s move in Ferguson was St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, who heavily supported Dooley in the recent election.

“For the record,” Slay tweeted after McCulloch’s remarks were reported, “I believe that the county prosecutor’s remarks were ill-timed and wrong.”

Elisa Crouch, Nicholas J.C. Pistor, Paul Hampel and Joel Currier of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

down.

For decades, the St. Louis County prosecutor has been in the spotlight for everything ranging from his prosecution of Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose to questions about his deep police roots. And for decades county voters have kept him in office.

On Friday, McCulloch faced calls from political foes to step aside in the investigation of the fatal shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown at the hand of a white police officer. State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed wrote a letter to McCulloch saying prior prosecutorial decisions and his heavy support of Steve Stenger in his defeat of St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley in this month’s Democratic primary scarred the black community.

And U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, assailed McCulloch on Friday night on a visit to Ferguson: “We don’t have any confidence in the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office.”

McCulloch, who as a teenager lost a leg to cancer, made it his career ambition to become a prosecutor.

“I couldn’t become a policeman, so being county prosecutor is the next best thing,” McCulloch once told the Post-Dispatch.

McCulloch took office in 1991. His first big test came a few months later with the infamous Riverport Riot when a Guns N’ Roses concert ended with injuries to 40 concertgoers and 25 police officers.

McCulloch charged Axl Rose, the rock band’s front man, with misdemeanor assault and property damage alleging that Rose hit a security guard, hurt three concertgoers and trashed a dressing room.

He then pursued Rose across the country seeking to enforce an arrest warrant on the charges, saying Rose “is easy to find …”

Rose ended up surrendering after a public uproar and entered a plea agreement.

In 2001, two undercover drug officers from Dellwood shot and killed two men on the parking lot of a Jack in the Box in north St. Louis County. The officers said the suspects, who had prior felony convictions for drug and assault offenses, tried to escape arrest and then drove toward the officers.

A subsequent federal investigation showed that the men were unarmed and that their car had not moved forward when the officers fired 21 shots and killed the suspects, Earl Murray and Ronald Beasley.

The probe, however, also concluded that because the officers feared for their safety, the shootings were justified.

McCulloch didn’t prosecute the officers. He specifically drew the ire of defense lawyers and protesters, when he said of Murray and Beasley, “These guys were bums.”

After being criticized, McCulloch refused to back down, saying, “The print media and self-anointed activists have been portraying the two gentlemen as folk heroes and have been vilifying the police.

I think it is important for the public to know that these two and others like them for years have spread destruction in the community dealing crack cocaine and heroin.”

Nasheed pointed to the Jack in the Box case in her letter: “Critically important, you must consider the potential consequences if you choose to not seek a special prosecutor. If you should decide to not indict this police officer, the rioting we witnessed this past week will seem like a picnic compared to the havoc that will likely occur, because the black community will never accept that there was an impartial investigation from your office.”

McCulloch’s opponents also point to his familial ties to law enforcement. McCulloch’s father, brother, nephew and cousin all served with St. Louis police; his mother was a clerk there.

Tim O’Neil of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

08.16.2014 • SATURDAY • M 2

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • A5

FERGUSON POLICE SHOOTING .com

See the surveillance video released by Ferguson police. stltoday.com/michaelbrown View an interactive timeline and flip through all the pages of Post-Dispatch coverage. stltoday.com/michaelbrown

LAURIE SKRIVAN • lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ronald S. Johnson (third from left) joins a group of demonstrators Friday. The patrol was put in charge of security Thursday.

ROBERT COHEN • rcohen@post-dispatch.com

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson is surrounded by his officers Friday as he leaves a news conference in Forestwood Park.

VIDEO SLURS BROWN IN DEATH, SAYS FAMILY BROWN

•

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ant

ss West Flori

was devastated by what happened.

• Jackson also released security video from a nearby convenience store that appears to show Brown stealing cigars shortly before he was killed. Lawyers for Brown’s family confirmed that the teen “appears” to be in the video but were furious by what they called a “character assassination.”

• Missouri Highway Patrol Capt.

Ronald S. Johnson, who was handed the main law enforcement task Thursday after four nights of unrest, was irritated that Jackson released the video.

“There was no need to release it,” Johnson said, calling the reported theft and the killing entirely different events.

• Johnson, who grew up in North County, continued his charm strategy on West Florissant, where his troopers were again barely in evidence Friday night — in stark contrast to the SWAT teams and armored cars of nights earlier in the week.

• The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced it will send agents to the neighborhood to interview witnesses of the shooting. The FBI is working with the Justice Department’s civil rights division and federal prosecutors.

J.B. FORBES • jforbes@post-dispatch.com “We ask for the public’s coopera- The Rev. Jesse Jackson gets a high five from a protester after addressing the media Friday near the burned out QuikTrip on West Florissant in tion and patience,” the FBI state- Ferguson. ment says.

EVENTS LEADING UP TO MICHAEL BROWN SHOOTING ing through. We have given you son who was standing behind After Thursday night’s relaeverything that we have now … Brown. (Redacted) witnessed tive calm, Friday began outside This timeline is based on police reports of the morning of Aug. 9.

There is nothing else we have (redacted) tell Brown that he had the looted and burned QuikTrip s ind to pay for those cigars first. That got.” w at 9240 West Florissant, ground k e h e Cr rt s Jackson said Wilson was a po- is when Brown reached across No tate zero for protests. Jackson opened aline Copper M s E Creek lice officer in neighboring Jen- the counter and grabbed numera news conference where he was Canfield Green QuikTrip nings for two years before joining ous packs of Swisher Sweets and expected to release the name of Apartments turned to leave the store. (ReFerguson about four years ago. the officer who shot Brown by Jackson described events be- dacted) then calls ‘911.’ Meandiscussing the robbery at a conSite of Michael fore the Aug. 9 shooting, saying while (redacted) comes out from venience store on West FlorisBrown shooting Canfield Wilson was at a sick call from behind the counter and attempts sant. He released incident re11:48 a.m. to about noon. At to stop Brown from leaving. Acports and the video that appears 11:51 a.m., a 911 caller reported a cording to (redacted), (redacted) to show Brown stealing cigars 11:48 a.m. Officer Darren Wilson responds to sick call in strong-arm robbery at a conve- was trying to lock the door until and shoving a employee at the a nearby neighborhood. Ambulance also at scene. nience store, Jackson said, and a Brown returned the merchanstore, which was identified later 11:51 a.m. 911 caller reports a strong-arm robbery at a brief description went over the dise to him. That is when Brown as Ferguson Market and Liquor, convenience store, Ferguson Market & Liquor. grabbed (redacted) by the shirt radio a minute later. at 9101 West Florissant.

Another officer went to the and forcefully pushed him back The store is barely a block 11:54 a.m. A different officer arrives at the convenience convenience store and a more in to a display rack. (Redacted) from the apartment complex store and sends a more detailed description of robbery detailed description went out backed away and Brown and where Brown was killed. Police suspects, who were said to be heading north on West a short time later. The robbery Johnson exited the store with the said Dorian Johnson, 22, who was Florissant toward the QuikTrip. suspect was said to be heading cigars.”

Brown’s friend and a key witness Ferguson Noon Wilson leaves sick call.

Former St. Louis mayor Freetoward the QuikTrip. to the shooting, also was at the Market & 12:01 p.m. Wilson encounters Michael Brown and Dorian Liquor Wilson left the sick call and man Bosley Jr., who is representliquor store.

Johnson near the Canfield Green Apartments. encountered Brown and Dorian ing Dorian Johnson, said his cliJust north of the liquor store is Between 12:01 - 12:04 p.m. Wilson shoots and kills Brown.

Johnson at 12:01 p.m. in the 2900 ent did not dispute that Brown the QuikTrip, which was looted n so u rg Fe block of Canfield Drive. In a fol- had taken the cigars. Dorian and burned during the street riot 12:04 p.m. Second officer arrives at shooting scene. low-up interview, Jackson said Johnson told authorities about late Sunday.

12:05 p.m. Supervisor arrives at scene. Ambulance from he did not believe Wilson initially the theft this week, Bosley said.

The release of the officer’s nearby sick call arrives to assess Brown. knew Brown might be connected “He told them about the cigarilname — a major goal of police to the robbery. He said Wilson los and that Big Mike took cigacritics for days — almost became Post-Dispatch 400 FEET stopped Brown and Johnson be- rillos,” Bosley said. an afterthought with Jackson’s Jackson said his department cause they were walking in the release of the video. Protesters street, but then noticed Brown decided against charging Dorian and lawyers for Brown’s family responded angrily. Jackson fol- von Martin, who was shot to ter-assassinate Mike,” he said. had cigars, the items stolen in the Johnson in the incident. “We determined he didn’t steal anything “Don’t take that and begin to robbery. lowed with another news con- death in Sanford, Fla., in 2012.

Sometime between then and or use force,” Jackson said.

Anthony Gray, a local lawyer riot, don’t take that and begin to ference, followed by more public Store employees declined to for the family, added that Brown loot. The family has made this 12:04 p.m., when a second officer statements from the lawyers. arrived at the scene, Brown was talk with reporters Friday, but Family lawyers confirmed was killed while “displaying a clear.” fatally shot by Wilson on Can- company lawyer Jay Kanzler said Citizen response was quick. that Brown’s image was in the universal sign of surrender” — the owners “hope people un“I am incensed,” said Laura field. video but said it didn’t justify his hands up, which has become A supervisor arrived at derstand they have nothing to the shooting. Jackson further the main pose of street protest- Keys, 50, of St. Louis. “I can’t believe this is the tactic they are 12:05 p.m., and the ambulance do with the investigation. They complicated the dispute by say- ers.

“We don’t care what happened using, bringing up a robbery to that had been at the nearby sick want to remain part of the coming that Wilson, at least initially, stopped Brown and Dorian John- before that point,” Gray said. “It’s make the victim look like he call came to the scene “immedi- munity, just like everyone else.”

He said the market’s ownson because they were blocking a irrelevant ... Why did you shoot was the person who created this ately following the shooting,” to “assess Michael Brown,” Jackson ers will comply with a St. Louis this unarmed teenager who had whole mess.” street, not over the robbery.

County circuit court subpoena Jackson held a second news said.

Said Benjamin Crump, a law- his hands in the air, period?”

At Ferguson Market and Li- seeking the hard drive containing Gray said the family never conference in the afternoon, yer from Florida who is representing Brown’s family, “It’s bad called Brown “a perfect kid.” He justifying release of the video by quor, according to a police re- the video. Ferguson police had enough they assassinated him, warned protesters that, in view- saying that news organizations port that was released Friday, an obtained a copy earlier.

Kanzler said a customer, not a and now they’re trying to assas- ing the video, “you may see im- had been filing public-informa- employee had seen Brown tell a sinate his character.” Crump ac- ages or depictions that don’t tion requests for days for the in- clerk he wanted several boxes of store employee, summoned pocigars. The employees’ names lice during the alleged robbery. cused police of playing “the old paint him in the most compli- cident reports.

“I had to,” he said of the re- were blacked out in the released Koran Addo, Kim Bell, Jessica Bock, Joel mentary light.” game of smoke and mirrors.” report, which says in part: But he said the family was lease.

Daryl Parks, Crump’s law Currier, Stephen Deere, Steve Giegerich, Paul “As (redacted) was placing Hampel, Denise Hollinshed, Ken Leiser, Valerie Told of the family’s reacpartner, said Brown appears to pleading for people not to renew tion, Jackson said, “First, my the boxes on the counter, Brown Schremp Hahn, Tim O’Neil, all of the Postbe in the security video but said Sunday night’s violence.

“Don’t take the bait from any- heart goes out to the family. I grabbed a box of Swisher Sweets Dispatch staff, contributed to this report. it didn’t prove robbery. Crump represented the family of Tray- body who is trying to charac- can’t imagine what they are go- cigars and handed them to John-

A6 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

M 1 • Saturday • 08.16.2014

Ferguson Police Shooting

Laurie Skrivan • lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

A pastor comforts Joshua Wilson (center) of Ferguson at a peace rally Wednesday. Wilson, 18, and Michael Brown were friends.

Cristina Fletes-Boutte • cfletesboutte@post-dispatch.com

Vivian Peoples (left) is hugged by a stranger Friday.

Moments of

Kindness Community pulls together to provide comfort

Laurie Skrivan • lskrivan@post-dispatch.com Members of the Church of God in Christ choir sing Wednesday with protesters near the QuikTrip on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson.

David Carson • dcarson@post-dispatch.com

Post-Dispatch photographer David Carson (left) took shelter from tear gas Wednesday in a Ferguson home on Gage Drive. The family gave him shelter and water. He waited there until after midnight.

Laurie Skrivan • lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

The Diamond Hearts Cheer Squad (in front of QT sign) encourages protesters Wednesday with a dance and cheer, “J is for Justice,” at the QuikTrip on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson.

J.B. Forbes • jforbes@post-dispatch.com

People drive down West Florissant Avenue, honking horns, raising their arms and holding signs Thursday.

08.16.2014 • Saturday • M 2

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • A7

Ferguson Police Shooting Riverview Gardens students go to school

unrest invades, but students remain a priority

By Jessica Bock jbock@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8228​

Five minutes before he opened the doors at Koch Elementary on Monday to begin the new school year, Howard Fields gathered his teachers in a huddle.

They’d been following the turmoil since it began Saturday afternoon, just around the corner from their school. A police officer shot and killed 18-yearold Michael Brown outside of the Canfield Green apartments, where many of their students live.

To get to the Riverview Gardens school, their students passed the scene and the memorial to Brown every day.

Sometimes they saw protesters, voicing their distrust of police. On some days, there were remnants of unrest from the night before: the charred remains of a gas station, empty tear gas canisters.

“Our community needs us right now,” Fields told the teachers. “We need to be the most consistent thing for them right now.”

So, with increased security, they had school all week.

Another district that borders the shooting scene, Ferguson-Florissant, was supposed to start the new year on Thursday, but has postponed class until Monday. Jennings canceled its first day as well.

Throughout north St. Louis County school districts, teachers, parents, politicians, counselors and community members were trying to find ways to make kids feel safe this week, even as violence broke out in their backyards.

Many of the Koch students stayed

home Monday, but by Friday, attendance was back up, said Fields, in his first year as principal at the school. Going to school got the kids back into a routine, moving forward and learning, he said.

The Ferguson-Florissant School District has received a lot of attention because students had their new year delayed until next week. One family started a social media campaign that took off Wednesday night with hundreds of people joining the group “Parents for Peace.” Many were making signs to welcome the students back on Monday and let them know they are safe and loved.

And a “Feed the Students of Ferguson” crowdfunding effort on fundly. com had garnered more than $40,000

by Friday night.

School districts made crisis counselors available for teachers this week.

Extra teams paid for by the Children’s Service Fund are headed to FergusonFlorissant schools on Monday.

Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald Johnson, a graduate of Riverview Gardens High School, met with students there on Thursday morning to talk with them about police response in the days of protest since Brown’s death. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster was with him. Some of Brown’s relatives attend Riverview Gardens schools.

Brown’s death and the militant response to those gathered to protest has left senior Gregory Moore feeling unsafe, he said in an interview. He and other students talked with Johnson and Koster about why Brown’s death was furthering distrust of police.

“Especially being around the same age, I felt that if he could be a target, I could be a target,” Moore said. He said he was treated roughly by an officer who handcuffed him and threw him into the back of a squad car once for loitering.

Moore and other high school students, some who have protested and others who live in the area of the shooting, led the discussion with Johnson and Koster.

“It has been a trying time for everyone, and our students, the youth in this community want and need to be heard,” said Melanie Powell-Robinson, district spokesman.

They talked about the attention on protesters and their constitutional right to gather. One student said an officer called them animals. Another told them he still has a tear gas canister in his backyard.

For more than an hour, Riverview Gardens students recalled their experiences starting with the Saturday afternoon gathering on Canfield Drive and ending with the violence Wednesday night.

They asked Johnson why a body would remain in the street, whether police are trained to wound instead of kill.

Johnson answered them, and told them he understood why they were asking. He, too, was disturbed by what he was seeing from police. He wanted change.

It felt like that change was coming, Moore said.

Hours later, it did.

Name, few details released by chief

By Stephen Deere and By Leah Thorsen Post-Dispatch

Finally, there was a name: Darren Wilson.

He is a police officer, 28, recently divorced and now the focus of national outrage.

At a press conference early Friday, Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson succumbed to multiple pleas to identify Wilson as Michael Brown’s shooter, saying public records law required him to do so.

But he offered few other details, except to say he was a “gentle, quiet man” and a “distinguished officer.”

Wilson worked as a police officer in neighboring Jennings for two years before joining Ferguson about four years ago, Jackson said.

Public records show Wilson was divorced last year in St. Charles County after two years of marriage. There were no children.

According to public records, Wilson now shares a Crestwood home with Barbara Spradling, 36, who is believed to be a Ferguson police officer.

The 1,500-square-foot home sits in a subdivision, built in the 1950s. It’s about a 35-minute drive from the site of the shooting. On Friday, no one was home to answer the door.

On the front porch was a wicker sofa. The flower beds were lined with roses, boxwoods and hydrangeas. The backyard sported an inground pool. According to real estate records, the Wilsons purchased the home in October.

One neighbor who wouldn’t give her name described the Wilsons as “standoffish” and said they’d been gone for days.

Only a few hours after police released Wilson’s name, neighbors were already weary of reporters knocking on their doors. Some had posted signs, including one that said, “We don’t know anything … Pray for Peace.” Another sign said “Do not disturb,” and another said “We have 2 children. Do not knock!! No comment.”

For Wilson, Jackson said, the shooting “is absolutely devastating. He never intended for any of this to happen.”

Notes from Ferguson A different Darren Wilson

son.

In one post, he noted, “People’s cameras outnumber and outbroadcast the cameras.” At 1:36 p.m., he tweeted “Heading home to St. Louis,” a comment that had garnered more than 130 “favorites” by 7:45 p.m. Friday.

Dorsey’s Twitter handle is @ jack. (Valerie Schremp Hahn)

St. Louis police Sgt. Darren Wilson, president of the Ethical Society of Police, which represents many black St. Louis city officers, posted a message to his Facebook page Friday morning to assure people he is not the officer of the same name involved in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.

“The first thing we would like to assure the world is that this is a horrific coincidence,” Wilson wrote. “May I assure the world that (the shooter) is not the President of the Ethical Society of Police’s Sergeant Darren R. Wilson ... an 18-year veteran of the St. Louis Police Department.”

(Joel Currier)

St. Louis County, city police officers’ groups blast Dotson, Nixon

ACLU secures agreement for right to record police On Friday, parties involved in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday came to an agreement and acknowledged that media and members of the public have a right to record public events under certain conditions.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against St. Louis County, Ferguson and Highway Patrol Superintendent Ronald Replogle, seeking to bar them from trying to prevent the news media and public from recording law enforcement actions.

Plaintiff Mustafa Hussein was identified by the ACLU as a journalist with the Argus Media Group.

The agreement says public events may be recorded “without abridgement unless it obstructs the activity or threatens the safety of others, or physically interferes with the ability of law enforcement officers to perform their duties.”

“The role of both the media and the ACLU is to make sure that the rule of law is being followed,” said Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri, in a statement. “It will be easier to do that in Ferguson, now that all parties agree the media, and the public at large, have the right to record police interactions.”

(Valerie Schremp Hahn)

jackson joins protest The Rev. Jesse Jackson showed up early Friday evening near the

TENSE

Christian Gooden • cgooden@post-dispatch.com

Civil rights activist, comedian and St. Louis native Dick Gregory speaks to the media Friday during protests in Ferguson over police Officer Darren Wilson’s fatal shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown.

scene of Michael Brown’s shooting before an appearance at a Ferguson church. At 6:30 p.m.

Jackson walked arm-in-arm with about 50 people down West Florissant Avenue, toward the apartment complex where Brown was killed.

Jackson urged the crowd to continue protesting but to avoid violence. “You can reshape an iron while it’s hot, but don’t destroy yourself in the process.

Don’t self-destruct,” Jackson said.

Other high-profile visitors to the scene on Friday included NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Aeneas Williams, a former St. Louis Ram and pastor at the Spirit Church in north St. Louis County.

Williams said he wants to talk to teenagers and Ferguson officials to open a dialogue in the wake of last week’s shooting.

“It’s a crisis,” he said. “And the word crisis has a dual meaning.

Danger and opportunity.” (Koran

• from A1

immediately. Some in the crowd threw a few bottles at police, who didn’t initially react.

After several minutes, police turned and left, but as they retreated, they sprayed smoke bombs and threw sound cannons at the crowd. Some responded by throwing more bottles.

Dozens in the crowd ran up West Florissant in a panic, some jumping in their cars

Addo, Ken Leiser)

Dick Gregory meets with crowd at QuikTrip Former St. Louisan and civil rights activist Dick Gregory met with members of the crowd who gathered near the burned-out QuikTrip on West Florissant Avenue.

The message in the wake of this week’s unrest is simple, he said.

“Do you have children?” Gregory asked a reporter. “Have you heard them cry? You wouldn’t go and say ‘shut up,’ would you?

Well, that’s what they tell black folk.”

Gregory, who said he left St. Louis in the early 1950s to attend college, also expressed skepticism about the timing of Friday’s release of security footage from a liquor store that appeared to show Michael Brown involved in a strong-arm robbery.

“How come they are just telling us that now?” Gregory said.

and driving the wrong way on the road.

Once the police were out of sight, protesters fired guns at least 10 times into the air.

Later a barricade of vehicles blocked traffic on the street.

The scene was a drastic change from that of earlier in the day. Friday night Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald S. Johnson went to the QuikTrip with U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, whose district includes Ferguson.

“There hasn’t been an incident tonight, last night, and I think if we had had this

“And they’ve got film. Hollywood can make a film of this whole incident and find people who look like the mayor and the police chief.”

Accompanying Gregory in Ferguson was Charles Steele Jr., president and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Gregory intimated that the world is watching — and wondering.

“Our allies are saying, ‘What are you all doing over there?’”

(Ken Leiser)

Twitter founder tweets from Ferguson Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and co-creator of Twitter, was tweeting Friday night from Ferguson.

Dorsey, who was born and raised in St. Louis, was posting Vine videos of people walking in the drizzle on West Florissant Avenue, honking cars as they passed, and the Rev. Jesse Jack-

approach Sunday or Monday night, we wouldn’t have had any incidents then,” Johnson said.

One of the protesters, Tyzer Egerson, said of the mood Friday night, “It’s a beautiful thing. It’s freedom of speech, the way it’s supposed to be.”

The crowd was at times entertained by a drum corps and a group of break dancers.

Johnson said there had been no arrests as of 10 p.m.

“These people are exercising their 1st Amendment rights and walking on the

The St. Louis Police Officers Association on Friday blasted city Police Chief Sam Dotson’s comments to the Post-Dispatch that he did not support St. Louis County Police Department’s tactics in Ferguson.

Dotson said he stopped sending officers to help county police after Monday night because he didn’t want to “put officers in situations that I would not do myself.”

The union, which represents the majority of city officers, said it supported county officers, while saying tactical decisions should be made behind the scenes, not in the media or made “by politicians and police administrators sitting in the comfort of their offices at a safe distance from the unprecedented violence and chaos.”

Meanwhile, the St. Louis County Police Association criticized Gov. Jay Nixon for stripping control of the Ferguson protests from the department, saying the decision was “motivated by local and national political pressure.”

In the statement, the union highlighted incidents from overnight in which a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle, an officer was hit by a brick, a woman was shot, a McDonald’s was broken into, and several patrol cars were damaged.

Nixon’s “decision not only did not improve public safety but put officers’ lives in danger,” the statement said.

Association president Gabe Crocker also took a swipe at Dotson, saying he “spit in the face of St. Louis County police officers and all first responders that have worked so hard over the past few days.” (Joel Currier)

sidewalks and streets their tax dollars paid for,” Johnson said.

A rainstorm later reduced some of the crowd, but enough people stayed around to keep the noise and commotion going. It remained peaceful as of 11:45 p.m.

Ken Leiser of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

A10 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

M 1 • Saturday • 08.16.2014

Join the conversation A place for news and views on faith www.stltoday.com/religion

FAITH in Ferguson

Faith leaders at center of Activism in support of Michael Brown

F

By Lilly Fowler • lfowler@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8221

aith leaders have been Costephens said that although at the center of protests the trash-collecting effort was a surrounding the death last-minute plan, more than 100 of Michael Brown. With the people joined the endeavor. ¶ On community of Ferguson, clergy Thursday, supporters across the have led peaceful marches, country participated in silent community forums and silent vigils. From Maine to Michigan, vigils. On Tuesday, the Rev. Al Florida to New York, Vermont, Sharpton attracted more than Colorado and California, the Robert Cohen • rcohen@post-dispatch.com 1,000 supporters to Greater St. faithful wore red ribbons in Tactical officers assemble Monday under a sign from Family of Faith M.B. Church on West Florissant Road in Ferguson.

Mark Missionary Baptist Church.

Brown’s honor. That same day, That same evening the Rev. the St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Traci D. Blackmon hosted a forum at Christ the King United Coalition led a march in Ferguson, carrying Bibles and handing Church of Christ with Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson out food. The coalition has set up a website called “Praying and Mayor James Knowles III. ¶ On Wednesday, together with our feet,” meant to act as a clearing house for events with a few other local congregations, Passage Community related to Brown. ¶ “Our God is a warrior,” said Blackmon. “We Church in Florissant organized a volunteer cleanup. Pastor Joe will not go away.”

J.B. Forbes • jforbes@post-dispatch.com

Meghan O’Donnell, 29, of St. Louis, prays Sunday evening at the spot where Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson.

Robert Cohen • rcohen@post-dispatch.com

Byron Price of University City, who has a son in college, listens at a forum Tuesday at Christ the King United Church of Christ near Black Jack. Michael Brown’s death “struck a nerve with my family,” Price said.

Events SUNDAY 45th Church Anniversary • 11 a.m. at New Testament Christian Church, 1123 Holly Hills Avenue. 314-2290047, ntccstl.org.

Catholic Mass • Join St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church for an inclusive and welcoming Catholic Mass. 11 a.m. 2613 Potomac. 314329-8207, SaintCatherineSTL.org.

Worship • 11 a.m. at New Testament Christian Church, 1123

Holly Hills Avenue. 314-229-0047, ntccstl.org.

GriefShare • This video seminar and support group is for those who have lost a loved one. 3 p.m. at King of Kings Lutheran Church, 13765 Olive Boulevard, Chesterfield. 314469-2224. www.GriefShare.org Ice Cream Social • Sponsored by the St. Louis Hills Church Alliance.

6:30 p.m. at Francis Park, Donovan and Eichelberger. 314-352-8050.

Cristina Fletes-Boutte • cfletes-boutte@post-dispatch.com

Leslie Petty (left) and Tracey Sherman (far right) lead a prayer Friday in Ferguson after police released images from surveillance footage identifying Michael Brown as a suspect in a robbery.

TUESDAY

livelovegrow.org.

Bible Study • Join New Testament Christian Church, 1123 Holly Hills Avenue to study the book of Ephesians. 7:30 p.m. 314-229-0047, ntccstl.org.

SATURDAY

Women United in Christ Luncheon • 10 a.m. at Julia’s Banquet Center, 101 Eastgate Plaza, East Alton. Presented by Women’s Ministry Center. Speakers, vendors, drama and music. $20. 618-8039078, womensministrycenter.org.

Gentry Adoption Adventure Trivia Night Fundraiser • 6:3010 p.m. Saturday at First Christian Church Stage One, 2890 Patterson Road, Florissant. $10 per person.

All proceeds support Robert and Kellee Gentry’s Adoption Adventure.

Fish For Fun Day • 7:30 to 10 a.m., United Methodist Church, 725 Wall Street, Wentzville. Open for all age groups at the church pond. If you don’t have a fishing pole, poles will be available. 636-327-6377,

State of Mind Beauty Pageant • Christian production examining the state of mind of God’s people.

6 p.m. at Resurrection Life Christian Church, 1651 Redman Road.

Youth on Fire Conference • Praise dancing, mime dancing, poetry, preaching, praise and worship.

6:30 p.m. at Jennings Mason Temple Church, 2120 McLaren Avenue, Jennings.

A L E E E N T E R P R I S E S N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D BY J O S E P H P U L I T Z E R D E C . 1 2 , 1 8 7 8

SATURDAY • 08.16.2014 • A12

YOUR VIEWS • LETTERS FROM OUR READERS The night the lights went out in Ferguson By now everyone with a television, radio, newspaper, smartphone or access to the Internet knows of the death of young Michael “Big Mike” Brown at the hands of a Ferguson Police Department officer.

First, we must remember that Mr. Brown was only 18 at the time of his death. He was a high school graduate, with a scheduled date to begin classes at an area technical college. He was not in a gang, not a criminal and was unarmed. The Ferguson police officer had professional training in law enforcement techniques and tactics. Given the aforementioned ingredients, what should have been at best a citation ended in what many are now calling a homicide.

Ferguson is an old town. At one time it was virtually 100 percent white. According to the most recent census, Ferguson is now 65 percent black, with a 94 percent white police force. Does that seem right? According to one statistic, blacks in Ferguson are pulled over by the police at more than twice the rate of blacks, yet more contraband is found in police stops of whites than of blacks. Those facts can only lead reasonable people to conclude that racial discrimination and profiling is alive and thriving in the Ferguson Police Department.

As faith and community leaders, the Ecumenical Leadership Council is praying for the strength and comfort of the family, as well as justice for Michael Brown. We are also praying for an end to the riots, looting and exploitation of this crisis by those seeking publicity. Maybe one day Ferguson’s police department will reflect the population it serves. Until then, we can expect the lights to remain out, not only in Ferguson, but also in similar communities across the state and the country.

Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten • St. Louis President, Ecumenical Leadership CouncilSt. Louis State Rep. Rev. Tommie L. Pierson • St. Louis Ecumenical Leadership Council-St. Louis

Commentary was inflammatory, should have promoted a positive resolution I am really concerned that the PostDispatch would print an inflammatory commentary (“A revolt against violence,” Aug. 13) like the one from Jeffrey Q. McCune Jr. I read his commentary several times trying to see if I misunderstood his message, but he makes some pretty prejudicial statements that show his leanings when he mentions “lawless white terrorizing history” and he also questions doing things peacefully by noting “can peace be the instrument of change,” trying to justify the looting it seemed.

He refers to an old era when black people were suppressed. Well, through affirmative action and other laws, that suppression is no longer as endemic.

If Ferguson has issues and if blacks are the majority in Ferguson, then through the political system they can have their elected officials make sure their police department adequately represents the local populace. The black vote should insure that.

I almost expect Mr. McCune to be leading the looters the way he wrote. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be appalled at McCune’s stance and correctly take the path of peace, and the parents of Mike Brown advocate this as well. More can be done peacefully. If violence is enacted, then that just reinforces bigoted views.

Mr. McCune should be ashamed of himself for not promoting a positive resolution. Let’s let the FBI do their investigation, and if the officer needs prosecution then so be it.

I ask the public one question. On the exterior sign of the burned-out QuikTrip, there was “SNITCH” spray painted in large bold letters. Is this integral to the death of Mr. Brown or was this revenge for a past incident? Protesting and rioting are not the same thing.

Ed Reed • Fenton

Media coverage overshadows necessary actions of protesters As a student at Washington University and a member of the St. Louis community, I’ve been extremely disappointed with a large portion of the media’s representations and community responses to Ferguson citizens’ protest of Mike

The Killing of

Michael Brown

Catholic sisters in St. Louis have on keeping us from riots? Notre Dame, Josephite, Charity, Loretto sisters and others took very visible and strong positions in supporting civil rights, but most important they were in our schools and neighborhoods serving both black and white people and advocating social justice and equality.

We had a strong church in those days, which took unwavering and visible stands for equality and justice, unlike today with Catholic leaders who content themselves with protecting pedophiles and fighting basic civil rights protections for some of the most vulnerable in society. We had a church that was deeply involved in the inner city, unlike today a church that has largely abandoned it. We had a church that encouraged our sisters to speak up for social justice, unlike today when we have church leaders criticizing and castigating our sisters for doing just that.

Maybe that is a small reason why we did not have the riots other places did in the ’60s and we are a tinderbox today.

Rick Garcia • Chicago

Educate police about Constitution, Bill of Rights

ROBERT COHEN • rcohen@post-dispatch.com

Huffington Post reporter Ryan J. Reilly is arrested when police officers suddenly closed a Ferguson McDonald’s restaurant on West Florissant Avenue on Wednesday.

Protect the rights of protesters, reporters and photographers As an organization whose core mission includes protecting freedom of the press, the American Society of News Editors is especially disturbed by the events taking place this week in Ferguson. From police physically assaulting citizens engaged in peaceful protest to arresting without cause reporters from The Washington Post and The Huffington Post, it is clear that there is a concerted, top-down effort to restrict the fundamental First Amendment rights of the public and the press.

“From the beginning of this situation, the police have made conscious decisions to restrict information and images coming from Ferguson,” said ASNE President David Boardman.

“Of course, these efforts largely have been unsuccessful, as the nation and the world are still seeing for themselves the heinous actions of the police. For every reporter they arrest, every image they block, every citizen they censor, another will still

Brown’s death. Depictions and stories of “rioting” Ferguson citizens have completely distorted and overshadowed the peaceful and necessary actions of many protesters in Ferguson that are heartbroken over the death of an 18-year-old boy, and discontent with the state of their police force’s relationship to the black community.

The media’s sensationalization of rioting and looting in Ferguson, whether purposeful or not, takes away from the real issues of Mike Brown’s tragic death; issues the St. Louis community and the U.S. more broadly have a hard time coming to terms with and discussing. Police brutality, police force relationships with the black community (black men specifically), violence against African-American youths, and the diversification of police forces and government representatives in majority-black communities are all issues that should have a place in the discussion surrounding Mike Brown’s death.

However, I continue to be let down by this community’s fixation on rioting Ferguson citizens, rather than real-life problems at hand in this city, in Mike Brown’s case, and cases like his unfolding around the country.

Aubrey Richards • University City

write, photograph and speak.”

ASNE acknowledges that there has been illegal violence and looting by some members of the public and that law enforcement must respond appropriately. But we remind the police and the nation that speaking out in protest is not a crime, reporting on that protest is not a crime and taking photographs of it is not a crime. Violating the civil rights of citizens by restricting these activities is a crime. We further call on the U.S. Department of Justice to take any and all appropriate action to protect the First Amendment rights of everyone involved.

David Boardman • Philadelphia Dean of the School of Media and Communication, Temple University Arnie Robbins • Columbia, Mo. Executive director, American Society of News Editors Former editor of the Post-Dispatch

Catholic Church had role in keeping away ’60s riots, but not today As a child growing up in St. Louis, I watched the news of LA, Chicago and New York City burning during the riots of the late 1960s. I remember being afraid that St. Louis would be next, but the riots did not come. Thank you for Tim O’Neil’s article reminding us of this time (“St. Louis area largely spared by civil rightsera rioting that hit other cities,” online Aug. 11).

I wonder if the role and influence of St. Louis Roman Catholics had some impact on those who might have been inclined to riot. I am not suggesting that Catholics were devoid of racism (I know firsthand we weren’t) but St. Louis had a rich history of Catholics standing up publicly and forcefully for racial equality.

One of the first acts of Archbishop Joseph Ritter when he was appointed to St. Louis was to desegregate the Catholic schools in 1947 and later Catholic hospitals. He urged priests, brothers, sisters and rank-and-file Catholics in the Archdiocese to support the civil rights movement in the early ’60s.

And, what kind of influence did our

It seems pretty apparent that the police involved in Ferguson were either lacking common sense or were purposely trying to escalate the tensions there. To show up like a military brigade with tanks and automatic rifles pointing directly at the protesters is bound to intensify the emotions of those being confronted by them.

Furthermore, where are the government officials who are responsible for the racial tensions that have burst forth?

Short of imposing a curfew, on what authority can the police stipulate that there shall be no protests after dark? On what authority do the police have the right to fire tear gas into citizens’ private yards?

Maybe the first retraining that should occur is to educate the police on the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. They are showing up like thugs worthy of Putin’s Russia.

Saroj Gilbert • Arcata, Calif.

Repeat messages of tolerance, for our children and ourselves First, let me say how sorry I am to the parents and family of Michael Brown. I can’t image what you are feeling. And to the greater community I want to say, we can choose to remain status quo — at constant odds with the police — and hope and pray that we and our loved ones will somehow make it through or we can humble ourselves and try to find reconciliation.

We are all of the same community, brothers and sisters of humankind. It seems, however, that when we know or think an injustice has been done to us that it is very easy to say that we, the oppressed, should come together and fight for change. Those of us who have been harmed perk up our ears and prepare our minds for the battle; but battle against whom or against what? We are like Don Quixote fighting against windmills.

When the other side hears the speaker’s call to action, using words like “fight” or “struggle against,” they often create a posture of defense and the conversation gets lost, each man goes into his prospective corner to prepare for the ensuing battle, and reconciliation is off the table.

And, of course, for some of us the fight has disappeared altogether.

But, if a white boy and a black boy can play together as children and see no difference in status or importance between each other, why is it that they can grow up and each see the other as monsters?

We all have to live in this world together, so can’t we use words that bring us together, like “educate” and “communicate.” Then shouldn’t we take the next step and do something, like re-educate ourselves as a community about how we want our neighborhoods policed — and retrain our police officers? Then can’t we do something about how we — including our children — want to be treated and how we treat each other, and use the schools, libraries, community centers, public service announcements, and any avenues possible to speak about how to be at peace with our neighbors?

Shouldn’t we repeat those messages of tolerance back to ourselves until we renew our minds, so we can finally overcome?

Monica Early • Pittsburgh

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