Generation Gap Divides Local Opinion On Ferguson Protests
Police in Ferguson, Mo., are bracing for the possibility of a large protest Saturday night, as the community marks two weeks since a police officer shot and killed unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Racial tensions have cooled considerably in the St. Louis suburb, after nearly 10 days of loud, raucous and sometimes violent protests. During those demonstrations, some protesters would throw rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails at police, who responded with rubber bullets, smoke bombs and tear gas.
Among those in the midst of the violent demonstrations last week was 20-year-old Marcus Mopkins of Ferguson.
"There was a couple of people shooting at the police, as well they should've been," Mopkins says. "If you ask me, I would have shot at the police myself!"
Asked why, Mopkins says it's not just because of the shooting of Michael Brown; it's also because of what residents say is a long pattern of police harassment of young black men, and the aggressive police efforts to contain and disperse the protesters.
"I just, I'm fed up. I'm ready to cause some damage myself," he says.
That kind of frustration worries other residents of this mostly African-American area of Ferguson, who are anxious the protests could turn violent again at any time.
Resident Ron Reynolds, a 57-year-old who works at Boeing, says his neighborhood is "messed up right now." He says this standing in his driveway one recent night, as a police helicopter hovers over the protesters a couple of blocks away.
"We're residents here," Reynolds says. "Everything that's going on reflects us."
Reynolds worries that some of the burned and looted businesses won't come back, and that some homeowners might move out too. He says that when protests turn violent, the calls for justice might be lost.
Reynolds' 36-year-old stepson, Charles Jolly, says he sees what's going on a little differently — and that it's a generation gap. He understands the young people, Jolly says, and he thinks that some violent protesting in Ferguson is necessary.
"I don't condone all of it, but you wouldn't be here if that wouldn't happen," he says. "It wouldn't get a lot of notoriety and it'll be probably swept under the rug."
Ron Reynolds understands how his stepson and other young residents feel. "You can't blame them," he says. "That's their generation."
"Our generation ... you try to be peaceful," Reynolds says. "Like Martin Luther King say, 'You turn the other cheek.' But this generation ain't gonna turn the other cheek. It's simple as that ... They're not gonna do it. They're tired."
Reynolds' neighbor Adrian Ellis, 54, adds that young people in the community face harassment on a daily basis. "They've been harassed more than we have," he says. But he worries that the violent protests help perpetuate a stereotype of the black community being violent.
While the protests have chilled considerably, all three men worry about the still-simmering racial tensions beneath the surface of Ferguson.
And if police officer Darren Wilson isn't charged in the shooting of Michael Brown, Reynolds says, "You can bet, Ferguson will burn."
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Transcript
TESS VIGELAND, HOST:
Police in Ferguson, Missouri are bracing for the possibility of a large protest there tonight as the community outside of St. Louis marks two weeks since a white police officer shot and killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. The last three nights have been relatively quiet and peaceful, with smaller demonstrations following several nights of unrest in the wake of the shooting. In the predominantly African-American neighborhood where the most violent protests have taken place, NPR's David Schaper reports on the generation gap between residents and how they view the protests.
DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Racial tensions have cooled considerably in Ferguson after nearly 10 days of loud, raucous and sometimes violent protests, during which some agitators would throw rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails at police, who responded with rubber bullets, smoke bombs and tear gas.
(SOUNDBITE OF PROTESTORS)
CROWD: (Chanting) Don't shoot. Hands up.
SCHAPER: Among those in the midst of the violent demonstrations last week was 20-year-old Marcus Mopkins of Ferguson.
MARCUS MOPKINS: Yeah, there was a couple of people shooting at the posts. They is where they should've been.
SCHAPER: You think they should have been?
MOPKINS: Yeah. If you ask me, I would've shot the police myself.
SCHAPER: I asked why, and Mopkins says it's not just because of the shooting of Michael Brown but what residents here say is a long pattern of police harassment of young black men and the aggressive police efforts to contain and disperse the protesters.
MOPKINS: I just - I'm fed up. I'm ready to cause damage myself.
SCHAPER: That kind of frustration worries other residents of this mostly African-American part of Ferguson, who are anxious the protests could turn violent again any time.
RON REYNOLDS: Ron Reynolds, 57-years-old. I work at Boeing, and our neighborhood is messed up right now.
SCHAPER: Reynolds is standing in his driveway one recent night as a police helicopter hovers over the protesters a couple of blocks away.
REYNOLDS: We're residents here. Everything that's going on - it reflects us. It reflects us.
SCHAPER: Reynolds worries that some of the burned and looted businesses won't come back and some homeowners may move out too. And Reynolds says by turning violent, the protester's cause for justice might be lost.
CHARLES JOLLY: I think differently about what's going on.
SCHAPER: This is Reynolds' 36-year-old stepson, Charles Jolly.
JOLLY: I think it is a generation gap, and I understand the young people.
SCHAPER: Jolly says some violent protesting in Ferguson is necessary.
JOLLY: I don't condone all of it but you wouldn't be here if that wasn't happening. It wouldn't get a lot of notoriety and it would probably just be swept under the rug.
REYNOLDS: I understand the way my son feels, and you can't blame them. That's their generation.
SCHAPER: Again, 57-year-old Ron Reynolds.
REYNOLDS: Our generation is - you try to be peaceful. Like Martin Luther King say, you turn the other cheek. But this generation ain't going to turn the other cheek, it's simple as that. They're not going to do it. They are not going to it. They're tired.
ADRIAN ELLIS: They've been harassed more than we have.
REYNOLDS: That's right.
ELLIS: They are harassed on a daily basis.
SCHAPER: Fifty-four-year-old Adrian Ellis is an electrician who lives across the street. He says he understands the frustrations of the young protesters but Ellis worries that violent protesting helps perpetuate a stereotype of the black community being violent. And while the protests have chilled considerably, the three men all worry about the still-simmering racial tensions beneath the surface of Ferguson, especially, Ron Reynolds says, if police officer Darren Wilson isn't charged in the shooting of Michael Brown.
REYNOLDS: You can bet Ferguson is going to burn.
SCHAPER: A grand jury began hearing evidence in the case this week. David Schaper, NPR News, Ferguson, Missouri. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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