FERGUSON RESIDENTS STAND FIRM

Undoubtedly you have heard about some of the madness, or even been to the Community Policing Meeting or last night’s City Council meeting.  Yes, the Crazies are back in force, with new slogans, bigger and better banners and a fresh dose of irrational anger.  And we know that a lot of residents are growing increasingly frustrated, and some even reaching a breaking point.  IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE STAND FIRM!!  We cannot let the Crazies force the nice citizens of Ferguson to leave.  

IT’S WHAT THE CRAZIES WANT:  Their avowed goal is to force Ferguson off the map, so they can claim some kind of victory in their lives.  They are purposely using intimidation as a tactic to frighten residents and make them think about moving.  If we let them do it, if we all decide to move, they will have won.  Ferguson will be just a shell of itself in another five years.  St. Louis would have lost one of its nicer, more diverse communities and we would have lost our very nice town.  And yes, the causes of diversity and social justice will have suffered setbacks.  DON’T LET THEM WIN – DON’T LET THEM DRIVE YOU OUT.

THE CRAZIES VIEW THEMSELVES AS PART OF THE DOJ NEGOTIATING TEAM:  The Crazies very much want us to sign the proposed DOJ Consent Decree as is, because it will bankrupt us and force us off the map.  Part of their strategy is to continue to loudly protest and hopefully cause a confrontation – they WANT videos of police hauling them out of City Council meetings, it will put additional public pressure on Ferguson.  So, unfortunately, we will have the Crazies with us for a while, BUT NOT ALL THAT LONG.

FERGUSON AND THE DOJ WILL REACH A SETTLEMENT:  Once all of the posturing is done, the DOJ and Ferguson aren’t that far from an agreement – Ferguson has agreed to, wants to and is doing most of the reforms in the Consent Decree.  The “poison pill” (which could cause the city to dissolve) gets talked about a lot, but it’s a clarification of language.  The only really big issue is the level of police raises, and it’s hard to believe the DOJ would take this all the way to trial over this one issue.  And we are getting ready to kick off the next phase of Ferguson Truth – “Ask everything you wanted to know about the DOJ report on Ferguson.” More to come on the project, do check back...

FEEL FREE TO AVOID THE CRAZIES:  Some of us have been trying to be at all the meetings to show support, but if you have a low tolerance for foolishness, stay away.  Ferguson is going to make it through these next few months, and there is no point subjecting yourselves to the pain when it really won’t do anything to change the situation.  If you don’t feel like it, you have a free pass to skip the next few meetings.  The council knows whom it represents.  

OR PRETEND YOU ARE AT THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW:  If you do go, just pretend you are at the Jerry Springer show.  Gawk at the spectacle, chuckle at the clowns.  Debate with your wife the most outrageous comments, or your favorite chant.  Remember, some people pay for entertainment like this – we get it free.  Sure, if you watch Jerry Springer or Professional Wrestling, it might seem like Old Hat.  But for a lot of us, this is as up close and personal as we have ever gotten to the Vaudeville stage.  

HELP PASS THE TAX INCREASE:  This, more than anything else, is how to stick it to the Crazies – make sure our city has the money it needs to keep providing the quality of life we enjoy.  

STAND FIRM:  We aren’t going anywhere, and we hope you aren’t either.  We love our diverse neighbors, our beautiful houses (reasonably priced), our nice little entertainment district.  We even love being part of history.  Yes, it’s going to be Crazy for a while longer, but soon, very soon, the madness will pass and we will still have our lovely City.  Don’t let them take our City from us.