PrintNever let a protest go to waste
There have been protests the last two days in Ferguson, Missouri ostensibly against police violence and racism.
But in typical lefist fashion, other groups - communists, fast food workers, union activists -- also converged on Ferguson to add their agenda to the mix.
Thousands gathered Saturday for a second day of organized rallies and marches protesting Michael Brown’s death and other fatal police shootings in the St. Louis area and nationwide.
The events remained peaceful but boisterous gatherings into the night. Vietnam-era peace activists, New York City seminarians and hundreds of fast-food workers bused in from Chicago, Nashville and other cities marched alongside local residents, spurred by a national campaign dubbed Ferguson October.
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The crowd early Saturday was significantly larger than the ones seen at Friday’s protests. While the main focus of the march was on recent police shootings, participants also embraced such causes as gay rights and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Police reported no arrests or violence Saturday afternoon and early evening.
“I have two sons and a daughter. I want a world for them where the people who are supposed to be community helpers are actually helping, where they can trust those people to protect and serve rather than control and repress,” said Ashlee Wiest-Laird, 48, a Baptist pastor from Boston.
The situation in Missouri resonated with Wiest-Laird. She’s white and her adopted sons, ages 14 and 11, are black.
“What I see happening here is a moment in time. There’s something bigger here,” she said.
Organizers said beforehand that they expected as many as 6,000 to 10,000 participants for the weekend’s events. Police were not able to provide a crowd estimate Saturday, but organizers and participants suggested the march’s size may have approached 3,000.
Officers, who had been standing in a loose formation, primarily just watching the protesters across the street, quickly scrambled to change tactics. Officers in riot gear emerged to replace those who were in normal uniform. Soon, batons and shields were distributed.
But officers remained silent and stoic, allowing protesters to take over the entrance to the police station and to chant and shout just inches from their faces.
As officers on the front lines continued to gear up – now with gas masks, batons, and facial shields – others took positions on the roof above, which inflamed some of the protests.
A police voice then came over the loud speaker telling the protesters they must move one step back from the officers. For the most part, the protesters complied.
For hours, protesters chanted and screamed at officers who remained silent and did not engage.
Activist Bassem Masri, who live streams from the protests, worked his way up and down the police line, aggressively taunting the officers.
“Who paid for that gear? You didn’t buy that shield, officer. We bought that shield. That’s our shield” Masri said, before peppering an officer who wasn’t wearing a nametag with questions.
The only reason this protest was "peaceful" was because the marchers failed to elicit a violent reaction from police.
The demonstrations will continue today.
