'We want action no more talk!'

By Dr. J.A. Salaam | Last updated: Sep 23, 2014 - 8:24:50 PM

St. Louis activist Anthony Shahid confronts councilman Steve Stenger during the St. Louis County Council on Sept. 16, in Clayton, Mo. Protesters seeking the immediate arrest of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson who fatally shot unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown disrupted a government meeting, renewing calls to remove the county prosecutor investigating the case. Photo: D.L. Phillips

(L)Photo: AP/Wide World photos (R)Photo: D.L. Phillips

Demonstrators confront county political leaders in emotional protests

CLAYTON, Mo. (FinalCall.com) - Rage from Ferguson, Mo., burned the streets of Clayton like molten lava when emotional, angry and heated protestors arrived for a mid-September county council meeting hours after the county prosecutor was given until January 7, 2015 for his grand jury to decide if a White police officer will face charges for killing an unarmed Black teenager.

Protesters chant at a meeting of the St. Louis County Council, Sept. 16, in Clayton, Mo. Photo: D. L. Phillips

A diverse crowd packed the county council chambers, including shooting victim Mike Brown’s father and family members. A mixture of teens, elderly, Blacks and Whites from different backgrounds and religious beliefs stood in the chamber Sept. 16 and demanded justice.

Chants and outbursts from about 250 angry protestors disrupted the meeting throughout the night. “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” shouted the crowd early, setting the tempo for the night.

“Arrest Darren Wilson! Arrest Darren Wilson!” chanted protestors who took their activism from the streets of Ferguson to the county seat and the place where county prosecutor Robert McCulloch avoided the opportunity to charge officer Wilson, who also testified before the secret grand jury. Instead of charging the officer, the elected prosecutor empaneled a grand jury.

“Hey hey, ho ho! Bob McCulloch has got to go!” shouted Anthony Shahid, a local activist and member of the Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Coalition, who kept the emotional fires burning throughout the evening.

Demonstrators at county council meeting refused to stop demanding justice for Mike Brown. Photos: DL Phillips

Councilwoman Hazel Erby patiently waited for chants to stop before opening the meeting. “I have to say this and respect you all, I’m with you and understand how you feel and you have the right to protest, all I ask is that you please give everyone a chance to speak and be heard,” she said.

Public speaker after public speaker repeated the demands for justice, for a special prosecutor to try the case against officer Wilson and for an end to racial oppression and racial murder.

“When I came to St. Louis it was a huge culture shock, it was like I was back in the ’50s,” said Katherine Jackson, a middle-aged Caucasian woman. “It is so segregated, I want to know how is this going to be a fair and impartial hearing when the county police hockey team is wearing signs saying that they support Darren Wilson? How are you going to get a fair and impartial hearing from that?”

“The trial should be held somewhere else, because this is like the fox watching the chickens,” she said.

The room erupted with clapping, cheering and high fives. “If we don’t get it, shut it down!” “We young, we strong, we marching all night long,” yelled the audience in one loud voice. The 11-member council looked on in seeming amazement and disbelief.

“We will no longer be used as pawns in your systematic game that you have played with us, we represent the change to remove you from office,” said Dr. Henry L. Logan, Jr. of the Christian Business Connection. “You want to be on the right side of history when the children read about this history; you don’t want Missouri to look like Birmingham, Ala. in 1968. You’re going down in a big ball of flames, the world is watching ... You can’t put this in a box or sweep it under a table. We want action no more talk!”

“Y’all have to be responsible, now I drive where you live without being pulled over and harassed, but guess what? The rooster is coming home to roost,” passionately stated hip hop artist and activist Tef Poe.

Steve Stenger, the Democratic nominee for county executive, was the center of attention and fuel for the fire throughout the night. His election is set for November.

“Who’s going to man up against McCulloch? He has already punked Governor Nixon. What do we have here the Ku Klux Klan? Stenger ain’t no telling what you hiding,” said Sharon Galladay.

Zaki Baruti, another member of the Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Coalition, added, “I’ll speak directly to you Stenger, you have until 12 noon to denounce your buddy Bob McCulloch, or we will make sure you are not elected county executive.”

“Twelve noon! Twelve noon! Twelve noon!” the crowd chanted.

At this point a White woman in the audience told everyone to be quiet and the room exploded, police rushed and stood by her to avoid harm from the outraged crowd.

“Let it be a blessing that this case have been moved to January because that gives us more time to organize to get justice for Mike Brown,” said another speaker.

Sandra A. Brown, cousin of Mike Brown, said, “In 1962 there was a police cover-up of police cops killing a Black man, what makes you think it’s different? We not having it, arrest Darren Wilson now!” she declared.

“You could pass a resolution to have Bob McCulloch step down from this case, and give clemency for every Black man on death row in Missouri, but to do that you would lose donations from the Klan. You are going to walk away from here doing absolutely nothing,” predicted Don Fitz, a White man and the Missouri Green Party representative on the Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Coalition. He is also a professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Keith Rhodes, a professional young White man, said, “I’m an example of the young person the type you would like to attract to your region.” He was radicalized by the protests surrounding the killing of Mike Brown and the heavy police response to protests. Arrested and held for 24 hours but not charged, Mr. Rhodes said many people feel like he feels and are upset at how they have been treated. “You have created the people who are going to take your jobs; you have created your enemies. I know you don’t care about justice, but you care about economics,” he said.

“St. Louis County, St. Louis City and surrounding communities have gotten a reputation around the world, as racist, intolerant and segregated,” Mr. Rhodes said as he walked away from the microphone.

Anthony Shahid, who has been a close advisor for the family of Mike Brown, walked away from the podium and pointed at Mr. Stenger with conviction and anger. “Look how red this boy have gotten; it’s no more business as usual here in the city of St. Louis. It’s because of you, Black youth, that has the whole world looking at this. We have President Putin putting his hands up … Right here in Ferguson y’all is ISIS to Black people,” he said. ISIS is the military group in Syria and Iraq targeted as terrorists by the United States and her allies.

The room erupted again.

“You dogging Black folks, you dogging us and we ain’t taking it no more, you ISIS to us. We want the world to know how Black people are being treated in America, all over the world Black people are being dogged,” Mr. Shahid continued.

He asked everyone to stand and demand the arrest of Darren Wilson, and like a volcanic eruption the people stood and began to chant. This went on about 30 seconds before the next speaker came up.

“It’s in Switzerland, Germany, Africa, Europe, Asia, this is all over the world and since we have no jobs, and nothing to do, we ain’t going nowhere. All we have is time to stay all in your face,” said Torry Russell of Hands up United.

Father of Michael Brown in t-shirt attends county council meeting.

Charles Woods, Mike Brown’s uncle, added, “I say to all on the board, search your conscience. We say we are one nation under God? Well, it says in Pslams 37:1, ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass’ and in 37:6 ‘And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.’ ”

“We have war criminals on the loose, one Chief Jackson for releasing a video to incite a riot, and Chief Belmar for using tear gas that is a chemical that is according to the Geneva Convention a war crime to use,” added another pastor.

Mr. Shahid asked everyone to stand in silence for 4 1/2 minutes in honor of Mike Brown and to symbolize the 4 1/2 hours his body lay on the hot concrete in August in the middle of the street. When the council spokeswoman continued to talk, the protestors rose up with hands in the air and started marching out chanting, “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!” When a White woman made the comment, “He deserved it,” protestors rushed towards her but police officers quickly moved in to defuse the conflict.

Demonstrators gathered outside county chamber doors for a moment of silence for 4 1/2 minutes, marched around the open area four times and then flowed down the escalators outside the building where police cars blocked both ends of the street.

“There comes a time when we must take a position, that’s not safe, political, or popular but take it because it’s right. You better hope the Cardinals don’t win because we have an October surprise,” vowed Rev. Phillip Duvall, referring to the major league baseball team in St. Louis.

The day after the county council meeting, Mr. Stenger announced he was supporting the controversial county prosecutor. “I am standing by Bob McCulloch,” he said. “I’ve been called upon to denounce him by noon today and I did not denounce him and I don’t intend to denounce him.” The grand jury and the federal investigation will truthfully resolve questions about the shooting in Ferguson, he added.

Zaki Baruti and Mr. Shahid voiced their displeasure with Mr. Stenger Sept. 22 noting protests were held at Los Angeles Rams football game and the St. Louis Cardinal’s baseball game the previous day. “We welcome any type of protest to keep the issues into the public light—the injustice that occurred with Michael Brown and daily injustices in our lives,” said Mr. Baruti.

Since Mr. McCulloch won’t remove himself and Mr. Stenger supports the county prosecutor, the coalition wants voters to speak Nov. 4. “A vote for Steve Stenger is a vote for Bob McCulloch, these candidates are wolves in sheep clothing. So we are asking people of good will to express themselves at the ballot box by voting for one of the three opposing candidates on the ballot for St. Louis county executive,” said Mr. Baruti. “We will vigorously campaign against Stenger.”

There is a Republican Candidate, a Libertarian and a Constitutional Party candidate in the upcoming race. “We are not endorsing anyone at this present time, but what we will do is invite all three candidates to a gathering to get their views on issues affecting our community and make a choice based on majority vote of the coalition,” said Mr. Baruti. They plan to reach out to the new Fannie Lou Hamer Democratic Coalition of St. Louis County, which is composed of Black Democrats unhappy with their party’s actions and “disparate treatment” and “disrespect” of Black residents.

More news about civil disobedience will be coming soon, said members of the Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Coalition. ‘It’s probably the biggest thing since Dr. King, they thought they would string it out, but it has officially backfired on them,” said Anthony Shahid.

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