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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 2014)
National News Failure to Indict in Ferguson will Not Derail Movement Protests all over the nation are taking many forms -- and drawing from many communities By Jazelle Hunt NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The failure of a St. Louis County grand jury to indict Ferguson, Mo. Police Offi- cer Darren Wilson of the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown will not halt the movement for police accountability, key activists say. A mass meeting was held on Saturday at a church in Ferguson to define and chart a course toward these broader goals. But the over- all goal is already outlined in an open letter supported by “numerous” unnamed citizens, but bearing the sole signature of DeRay McKesson, one of the more prominent protesters in Fer- guson. The letter reads: “So you will likely ask yourself, now that the announcement has been made, why we will still take to the streets? … Until this system is disman- tled, until the status quo that deems us less valuable than others is no longer accept- able or profitable, we will struggle. We will fight. We will protest.” In August, McKesson helped create a daily Fergu- son newsletter, and a website that lists nine demands. The evolving list currently includes “political accountability” for Brown’s death; the creation of an assessment tool to gauge racial bias within police departments; and an end to “provocative police behav- positions in society to advo- cate for peaceful solutions. Rev. Cassandra Gould, for example, has been active in Ferguson since August and was in front of the Ferguson Police Department with protesters and Brown’s fam- ily when the grand jury decision was announced. “There was an incredible amount of pain, and also some agitation,” she said. “To see young people screaming out in agony… ‘…until the status quo that deems us less valuable than others is no longer acceptable or profitable, we will struggle…’ iors” that suppress First Amendment rights. No timeline has been placed on agitating for these demands. There is also little sign that Missouri authori- ties are interested in considering them. Faith leaders plan to con- tinue using their unique young people were coming up to us, hugging me – because I was wearing my collar – when they see us [clergy], we are kind of a sign of hope. But that night, I felt more helpless than I’ve ever felt in this role.” Gould, who serves as pastor of Quinn Chapel Page 8 The Portland and Seattle Skanner December 3, 2014 A.M.E. Church in Jefferson City, Mo., spent the rest of that night tending to tired and tear-gassed demonstra- tors at a few church-based sanctuaries around town. Despite a deal between cler- gy and police to leave the sanctuaries undisturbed, she says, police raided several, confiscating supplies and dispersing those inside. “I’ve spent my life in St. Louis. I don’t remember much about the Civil Rights Movement…my mom marched to Selma. I thought that was part of a historical narrative, and I never thought I would see any- thing close to it,” she says. Gould is also a member of the PICO National Net- work, a nonpartisan faith-based social justice organizing network work- ing with 1,000 religious congregations across the United States. Its members, and other unaffiliated cler- gy, have been working behind the scenes in Fergu- son to protect protesters’ safety and First Amendment rights. Gould says that mov- ing forward, people of the cloth will continue to sup- port the movement by bearing witness to police response, holding vigils and providing spiritual support, and meeting with authori- ties to advocate for policy reform and just solutions. “We as clergy have an opportunity for a particular number of reasons…we have access…our voice is able to be heard where many others are not. There’s no agenda, it’s just about right and wrong. It’s about what is equitable,” she explained. “I’m encouraged by the number of my Cau- casian colleagues that show up with us, and care as much as we care. I’ve got- ten calls from people around the country…they realize this is an American problem, not just a Fergu- son problem.” Human rights activists are also documenting mili- tarized police responses around the country to build a human rights violation case against the United States. The Ferguson to Geneva delegation, which presented testimony to the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Switzer- land last month, has invited See FERGUSON on page 10
