Ferguson and St. Louis residents are trying to cope with and understand a grand jury's decision not to indict police Officer Darren Wilson in the August death of Michael Brown, and the response, sometimes violent, to that decision.
Wednesday on "St. Louis on the Air," we discussed an upcoming march organized by the NAACP; protests in St. Louis; the response in Washington, D.C.; the grand jury evidence and how to talk about Ferguson and protests with children.
Guests
- Cornell William Brooks (@CornellWBrooks), NAACP president and CEO, will talk about the Journey for Justice march that starts Saturday.
- Dr. Ken Haller Jr. (@KenHallerMD), a pediatrician and associate professor at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, will discuss how to talk to children about events related to Ferguson.
- St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay (@MayorSlay) will discuss the city's response and plans.
- Jim Howard (@jimhoward529), St. Louis Public Radio's Washington correspondent, will update us on the Department of Justice investigation.
- St. Louis Public Radio reporters Camille Phillips (@cmpcamille) from protests in downtown St. Louis, and Chris McDaniel (@csmcdaniel) and Rachel Lippman (@rlippmann) who have been combing through grand jury evidence.
Highlights From Wednesday's Conversations
The response from Washington:
Attorney General #EricHolder has met with his staff about #Ferguson, @jimhoward529 says.
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
A lot of momentum to end racial profiling was derailed by the Sept. 11 attacks, @jimhoward529 says.
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
Protests in downtown St. Louis:
.@cmpcamille was at today’s Kiener Plaza and City Hall protests.
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
Dispersing the crowd from the street with a warning of a "chemical agent." pic.twitter.com/d9DEk1j7Bw
— Camille Phillips (@cmpcamille) November 26, 2014
Protesters tried to get into City Hall but were stopped by security guards, @cmpcamille says.
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
Cptn. Howard with @SLMPD says they are dispersing the crowd bc. Someone assaulted security guard inside the entrance of the city hall.
— Camille Phillips (@cmpcamille) November 26, 2014
The NAACP's response:
"The decision was both distressing and disappointing," @CornellWBrooks says of the decision to not indict #DarrenWilson. #Ferguson
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
#BobMcCulloch's news conference announcing the grand jury decision made a mockery of the process, @CornellWBrooks says. #Ferguson
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
"We have a real problem in this country with overaggressive policing that also happens to be ineffective policing," @CornellWBrooks says.
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
In response to the #FergusonDecision, the @NAACP is organizing a march from #Ferguson to Jefferson City: http://t.co/hlDzzG8UFy
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
#JourneyForJustice, a 120-mile march, starts Saturday at Canfield Green Apartments: http://t.co/hlDzzG8UFy
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
Last night we announced our #JourneyForJustice. 7 Days. 120 miles. RSVP today: http://t.co/7i9CJz03Yi
— NAACP (@NAACP) November 26, 2014
Update from St. Louis' mayor:
More than 100 protesters blocked traffic for a few minutes and tried to get into City Hall, @MayorSlay. "They didn't break in to City Hall."
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
#MichaelBrown's death affected the entire region and the country, @MayorSlay says. #Ferguson
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
.@MayorSlay: "There are a lot of people that want to make sure their voices are heard, want to make sure that their leaders are listening."
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
The city will reimburse businesses on South Grand for some of their losses due to vandalism, @MayorSlay says.
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
"To try to characterize the protest community in any way would be very wrong because it's a very diverse community," @MayorSlay says.
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
"Anybody can come in and protest. Everyone has reasons for why they're there," @MayorSlay says. #Ferguson
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
.@MayorSlay: "This is not an exact science. There's a lot of unknowns. In some cases, the criminal element will use the crowds as cover."
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
"Nonviolence is the most productive approach to addressing these issues," @MayorSlay. "We need people working together." #Ferguson
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
.@csmcdaniel and @rlippmann have been combing through the grand jury evidence. You can too: http://t.co/NXE2XaJKBw #FergusonDecision
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
Grand jury evidence:
Johnson says when Wilson first said "I'll shoot," he assumed he meant taser. https://t.co/YT1txBH2P6 pic.twitter.com/qTwjeSHEBN
— Chris McDaniel (@csmcdaniel) November 26, 2014
Dorian Johnson says he can't be sure Mike Brown's hands didn't come inside Wilson's patrol car. pic.twitter.com/0dgoboGbEe
— Chris McDaniel (@csmcdaniel) November 26, 2014
There have been a lot of discrepancies in (sworn!) witness testimony. This one probably takes the cake: https://t.co/002GT8ODlk
— Chris McDaniel (@csmcdaniel) November 26, 2014
How to talk to children about Ferguson and related issues:
.@STLonAir Make sure kids are safe. Unstable environments are bad for kids. #FergusonDecision #PutKids1st #KeepTheKidsHome #Tweetiatrician
— Kenneth Haller (@KenHallerMD) November 25, 2014
"We have to appreciate where children are developmentally," @KenHallerMD says. #Ferguson
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
Parents should ask children "What do you think about this?" @KenHallerMD says. #Ferguson
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
Parents should watch for signs of anxiety, including talking less or eating less, @KenHallerMD says.
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) November 26, 2014
“St. Louis on the Air” discusses issues and concerns facing the St. Louis area. The show is produced by Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer and hosted by veteran journalist Don Marsh. Follow us on Twitter: @STLonAir.
