Pic Of The Moment: Ferguson: Michael Brown Was The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back

[EarlG]

Ferguson. In 2013 the town issued over 24,000 arrest warrants.

Ferguson Is a Serious Outlier

ArchCity Defenders Municipal Courts Whitepaper

Follow @demunderground

[nightscanner59]

1. All too representative of the "show me" state of Misery to me.

Nearly all my extended family from there have shown me their blatantly racist side ever since our commander in chief was elected.

[billhicks76]

49. Worse Than Graft

They should feel lucky that no one did anything crazy and are just protesting. Imagine if this kind of treatment happened to some Tea Baggers.

[Fred Sanders]

2. Arrest warrants outstanding means no one is going to register to vote......it is a plan, folks, the

suppression of the vote leads to all this, it is the root of the evil.

3 per household.....I see a federal investigation into this also.

[Uncle Joe]

22. +10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 n/t

[grasswire]

28. I suspect this is widespread, not just Ferguson

The scab has been ripped off this ugly UGLY sore.

Some kind of a deep investigation is required.

[Louisiana1976]

29. +1 million

[catbyte]

3. Has anybody checked to see if these bigots are charging a poll tax? Unless, of

course, everyone has a "felony" or potential felony & were already thrown off the voting rolls. This place is worse than Selma, circa 1952.

[Louisiana1976]

30. Excellent point.

[underpants]

4. A lack of prohibitive zoning brought blacks into this 'burb and then the whites fled

Until the late 1940s, blacks weren’t allowed to live in most suburban St. Louis County towns, kept out by restrictive covenants that the Supreme Court prohibited in 1948. As whites began to flee the city for the county in the 1950s and ’60s, they used exclusionary zoning tactics — including large, single-family lot requirements that prohibited apartment buildings — to prevent blacks from moving in. Within the city, poverty and unrest grew.

By the 1970s, many blacks started leaving the City of St. Louis as well. Colin Gordon, a professor at the University of Iowa who has carefully mapped the metropolitan area’s residential history, said black families were attracted to older, inner-ring suburbs like Ferguson in the northern part of the county because they were built before restrictive zoning tactics and, therefore, allowed apartments.

As black families moved into Ferguson, the whites fled. In 1980, the town was 85 percent white and 14 percent black; by 2010, it was 29 percent white and 69 percent black. But blacks did not gain political power as their numbers grew. The mayor and the police chief are white, as are five of the six City Council members. The school board consists of six white members and one Hispanic. As Mr. Gordon explains, many black residents, lacking the wealth to buy property, move from apartment to apartment and have not put down political roots.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/opinion/racial-history-behind-the-ferguson-protests.html?_r=0

[Louisiana1976]

31. Ferguson needs a major overhaul.

[rickyhall]

5. In so many small towns the only major industry is the court system.

In my town there are two, the chicken plant and the court system.

[lovemydog]

6. Thanks EarlG.

[geretogo]

7. What more do you expect from a state that has produced such racists and out laws as Quantril's

Raiders , Rush Limbaugh , and Jessy James .

[Enthusiast]

14. +1

[TeamPooka]

8. Cracker County USA

[underthematrix]

9. Black churches need to start holding Saturday and Sunday schools

to educate young and old alike about our civil rights history and the importance of being engaged politically, e.g. VOTING!!

[amandabeech]

26. Yes, and doing major GOTV.

I've read here on DU and other spots that voter turnout in Ferguson ranges from 9 to 13% There's room for much, much improvement. If Black voters turned out at the rate of at least 50%, the situation in Ferguson would start to change, and change rapidly. And 50% after something like this, is a doable thing!

[Louisiana1976]

33. Indeed!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

10. good graphic---powerful.

So incredibly corrupt. godDAMMIT!

Light is shining on them, now though....disinfection time now.


for Michael Brown

[VA_Jill]

11. Some of y'all

are talking without knowing quite what you're talking about. "underpants" has it right. My late cousin lived in the area much of her life and taught in Florissant, next door to Ferguson, her whole career, so I know a little about it. These aren't "small towns" as such, they are "ring suburbs", and not well-off ones at that. People who live in a city which has a physical boundary such as a lake or river and can't expand in all directions will know what I mean. The boundaries between these 'burbs are sort of fluid unless you're a cop or a city worker and have to know your jurisdiction. When the cops talk about "outside agitators" it could actually be someone from just a few blocks away in the next 'burb! Also, urban (St. Louis, and to some extent Kansas City and Jefferson City) and rural Missouri are two entirely different states and darn near two different countries!

[rus084]

12. i was think not so before this

some time ago i thinked what USA is a free democratic country .
But i was not right .
rassism , break up a demonstrations , despotism of police is not indicate of free country .

[Louisiana1976]

34. That's life in a fascist police state with militarized police. And welcome to DU.

[Enthusiast]

13. Well, at least there is no reverse racism. We have to guard against reverse racism you know.

They are just making sure. Can't be too careful.

[Enthusiast]

15. Kicked and recommended!

[MADem]

16. The Federal Government needs to get in there and do some "overseeing."

Those are civil rights violations, and they are egregious.

[Louisiana1976]

35. I wonder what effect Holder will have on the situation when he's there tomorrow.

[MADem]

37. I hope a positive and proactive one. nt

[zentrum]

17. BUT WHY

......won't the Black population vote? WHY? Where is the ground floor voter registration drive? That's what needs to happen right now, all day in Ferguson.

Why is Jackson just talking about voting and not setting up registration tables and groups of drivers and poll watchers?

If the city council and government does not reflect the population then the population MUST VOTE and start ORGANIZING for that today.

Where are the Democrats? Where is the Black Caucus?

This is beyond petitions. There needs to be a new ACORN, right now, today.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

20. With 24,000 warrants issued per year, a good percentage of black voters are either ineligible

Or think they're ineligible because of the warrant. It's a vicious power cycle that ends with the deaths of innocents like Michael Brown.

[zentrum]

24. That's a good point n/t

[pstokely]

23. transience, local elections lack the excitement of Presidential elections

nt

[MADem]

39. Because they are relentlessly accused of criminality. They feel as though they are outside the

system. Even the "justice" system is rigged, with court cases starting early so the accused can be charged with missing an appearance....it's just BAD. The civil rights of the black population of Ferguson have been violated for years, with impunity. Now those chickens are coming home to roost...

If they ever build a new courthouse in that town, they should name it after Michael Brown. That kid's death has started something very, very big.

[zentrum]

41. I agree with everything

..you say.

But this is why we need a Democratic ground game to come in and support people to get involved. Door to door. Churches. Tables outside the DMV.Voter rallies. Voter house parties. Street parties.

Organizing and re-energizing a demoralized group of people has never been easy.

My dad used to be a Democratic Block leader and he was out every night walking the neighborhood during critical periods.

So I ask again--where is the Black Caucus? Where are the Democrats?

[MADem]

48. The Rev. Sharpton has already gone to Ferguson and, in the context of marching with

the people and preaching in the community, has already issued a mild rebuke about voter participation.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/twelve-percent-turnout-insult-your-children

The Rev. Al Sharpton, host of msnbc’s “Politics Nation,” spoke at the Greater Grace Church’s services yesterday, and addressed the crisis surrounding Michael Brown’s death from a variety of angles. Of particular interest, though, was one of Sharpton’s challenges to the community itself.
“Michael Brown is gonna change this town,” he said, before criticizing the paltry voting record on the area. “You all have got to start voting and showing up. 12% turnout is an insult to your children.”

That was not an exaggeration. The historical and institutional trends that created the current dynamic in Ferguson – a largely African-American population led by a largely white local government – are complex, but the fact that black voters haven’t been politically engaged has contributed to the challenges facing the community. In the most recent elections, turnout really was just 12%.

...The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a piece over the weekend that included a striking detail (thanks to my colleague Laura Conaway for the heads-up).

Rev. Rodney Francis of the St. Louis Clergy Coalition pointed to voter registration tent at the scene. “That’s where change is gonna happen,” Francis said.

Debra Reed of University City and her daughter, Shiron Hagens, were working at the registration tent. They said they set it up on their own.

...

[zentrum]

50. Yes, encouraging, but...

...there needs to be more than scolding and speeches. Where is the actual plan, using actual national leaders (Black and progressive) on the ground making sure the registration and the turn out actually happens?

Do the grandma's have ID's? Is Carter and the UN being invited in to poll watch? Are the kids getting registered for the first time? Are car pools being set up to take people to polls on election day? Child care?

Where are the actual voting teach-ins? How is the actual infrastructure being organized?

There's an opening here and they need to drive a voting truck through it.

[MADem]

51. I don't think we're going to see a plan put in place until the smoke clears.

It may be being formulated, but it won't be rolled out until the bullets, rubber or otherwise, stop flying.

Attorney General Holder is taking the lead on the issues of violence and police brutality. He's starting with a 3rd autopsy and we'll have to see where he takes us. Once the heat is turned down and the lid is back on, that's when those issues can be addressed.

I think there may be a need for a federal presence to oversee law enforcement in that town, to ensure that civil rights are not violated. That's a huge piece of the problem in that community, IMO.

[zentrum]

52. I hear you.

We just have slightly different approaches. I wouldn't wait til the smoke clears but be capturing the unrest into a purposeful forward leaning task right now.
Before they all go home.

I'd have registration tables and teach-ins right now, while they are gathered together, instead of having people just wandering around in demonstrations, carrying signs.

But I hope you're right as well.

[MADem]

53. Well, there has been some voter outreach.

I'm guessing the pastors will be talking about civic involvement in the churches, too.

Rev. Jackson was also in town organizing along those lines. I don't think they're going to "let this go."

There's going to be some changes made in Ferguson. That teen-ager probably didn't die in vain, either, though that's probably cold comfort to his family. No matter what happens to that particular police man who shot him dead, I think the militarization of police across the country is going to start reversing because of this tragedy.

[zentrum]

59. ;) n/t

[AndyTiedye]

43. The Police Will Arrest Them If They Go Near the Polls

They stop black people for anything or nothing even on a normal day.

[markpkessinger]

18. I only have one small quibble with this particular metaphor . . .

. . . as applied to Ferguson. That is: that the summary execution by police of an unarmed citizen whose hands are raised in a sign of surrender is rather more than a 'straw.' An incendiary device is more like it.

[Louisiana1976]

36. Exactly! It's like the fuse being lit on a powderkeg.

[Treant]

58. A straw...

...made of anti-matter.

[bl968]

19. Open Carry and Ferguson

A discussion with open carry supporters on George Tekai's facebook...

Bill Larson: The only reason to carry a long rifle in public in this country is intimidation, and that is illegal. Stop the idiocy...

Jonathan Rinaudo: So I guess you are saying that people in Switzerland and Israel are idiots? They open carry rifles????

Bill Larson: "IN THIS COUNTRY," you make my point perfectly...

Jared Gilbertsen: So there is no point to carry a rifle? Maybe you are unaware of what a riot is....

Bill Larson: Maybe you are unaware what a police force is. They enforce the laws, not you. When you do it's called vigilantism and it's generally illegal.

Brandon McBride: Lol, when things get out of hand the state can't take care of you. Just ask the owner of the QT in Ferguson.

Bill Larson: He turns in a claim to his insurance company to make himself whole, and they go after the people who were responsible. It's the American way.

It's really strange though, I notice not one open carry supporter is standing with the African American protesters on the streets of Ferguson. I wonder why? They were all over Clive Bundy but these dark skinned people who have a legitimate complaint against their government are not getting any support from people like Brandon and Jared...

In a town that is is 67 percent black and 29 percent white. Africian Americans make up 17% of the city council and only 6% on the police force.

Yet 86 percent of stops, 92 percent of searches and 93 percent of arrests were of black people — despite the fact that police officers were far less likely to find contraband on black drivers (22 percent versus 34 percent of whites). Last year the town of 21,000 people issued 24,532 arrest warrants 3 per household.

They have been using the local police and judicial system to prey on these people to raise revenue it's their second largest form of revenue court costs and fines.

And they are tired of it. Michael Brown was just a spark to the fuse.

So I ask again where are these lovers of freedom, these defenders of the constitution, these open carry supporters. Not there is the answer.

I win

[Uncle Joe]

21. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, EarlG.

[Patiod]

25. a Facebook response to the police % stats

I kid you not: "Why isn't the black population of Ferguson stepping up and taking these jobs?"

I was too flabbergasted to reply.

[shaayecanaan]

27. Shameful, a national disgrace...

"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just" - Thomas Jefferson

[JohnnyRingo]

32. Why is representation on City Council only 17% A/A?

Unless there's something I'm overlooking, I think I may see the root cause of their woes. The council and safety force committee assemble the police force, so why aren't the voters installing council members who have their better interests at heart?

I hope I'm not sounding unsympathetic or insensitive during these trying times, but barring a complete misunderstanding of how local politics work in Ferguson, I believe the citizens should be more involved in their own city government. That's the only effective way to bring about the change they deserve.

I refuse to believe there are no qualified African Americans available to govern Ferguson, and election turn out should be at record level from now on.

[AndyTiedye]

44. How Many Are Still Eligible?

With such mass prosecution of the black population, it is likely that a very large portion is ineligible to vote.
Those who can vote still have to get past the Ferguson Police to get to the polls, and we know what that means for black people even on a normal day.

[JohnnyRingo]

46. Ex-felons can vote here in Ohio.

I didn't know about Missouri. I doubt the percentage of convicted felons there is sufficient to prevent a two to one advantage at the polls anyway. That doesn't even include the white neighbors who also feel oppressed and would like to see change.

I'm not saying the people in Ferguson have nothing to complain about- justice is incredibly aslant in that city, but I think I see a political pathway to civil respect. Where are the community organizers when you need them?

Protests make an impactive statement, but seldom effect permanent change. Unfortunately.
(see Occupy Wall Street)

[Louisiana1976]

38. Excellent post. K&R

[niyad]

40. a very depressed k and r

[jonjensen]

42. fox news uncle toms

The fox news uncle toms that is the only black people they have on unless it can't be avoid now all blame the victims for what happened!When all else fails and it can no longer be avoded america does the right thing!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

45. I still say that I want someone on the ground to see if the local white people applaud this crap.

[kidgie]

47. According to MSNBC, 12% African American voter turn out.

[Billy Budd]

54. last seen in Gone with the Wind

This killer Officer is essentially a white overseer of what they consider "Black Animals"...the town sustains itself by endlessly fining and arresting the Black citizens and squeezing money off the blacks...the good Officer then retires at night to a LILY WHITE suburb....seems like I saw that in Gone with Wind...

[donnasgirl]

56. I totally disagree with your comment

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/ferguson-lack-diversity-goes-way-beyond-its-cops, when people do not vote they should blame themselves for the mess.

[Billy Budd]

60. Blame victims much ?

Missouri GOP leader calls Ferguson voter-registration drive ‘disgusting’

08/19/14 11:12 AM—UPDATED 08/19/14 05:33 PM

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/missouri-gop-leader-calls-ferguson-voter-registration-drive-disgusting
“Republicans are criticizing efforts by liberal organizers to set up voter registration booths at the site where Missouri teenager Michael Brown was shot and killed by a local police officer.”
In an interview with Breitbart News, Missouri RNC executive director Matt Wills expressed outrage about the reports.

“If that’s not fanning the political flames, I don’t know what is,” Wills said, “I think it’s not only disgusting but completely inappropriate.”
Wills is described by the RNC as the executive director of the Missouri Republican Party.

[donnasgirl]

61. First

I am not blaming the victim because i do not know all the facts yet, i refuse to jump to conclusions until i know all the facts. I said i disagree with the comment because of how many people have registered to vote in that county, the participation rate is dismal to say the least.

[rhett o rick]

55. k&r. Thanks for posting. nm

[kansasobama]

57. Ferguson, it does not matter a bit unless you vote in smaller elections

Folks. Just does not matter a bit unless you VOTE in mid-terms and all smaller elections. It is in your hands and it is a lot easier IF YOU JUST VOTE!

A Black President is being served a lawsuit and there is enough evidence about impeachment, and in Florida where black Americans were pushed around in 2012 from voting, we have Charlie Crist in a tight race! How can this happen?

Just does not matter UNLESS YOU VOTE! You could teach a lesson to the racist Tea Party....But, yes, some effort has to me made. 13% voters is just UNACCEPTABLE..