Hugh Scott sent in the poignant reflections below:
From 1985 through 1999, I owned a business located at the corner of West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive in Ferguson, Missouri. Our company distributed and manufactured a variety of products used in industrial equipment. In 1985, West Florissant, while not an aesthetically beautiful commercial strip, was a thriving retail area which included a full scale shopping mall, two new car dealers, and a good mixture of ancillary retail and commercial businesses. Ferguson itself was an older well-regarded middle class inner ring suburb just north and west of the City of St. Louis.
During the time I owned my business on West Florissant, I was also involved in local politics both as an elected official in another town and as a member of several regional commissions. I was acquainted with the Mayor of Ferguson and several other officials from neighboring cities. During those years, Ferguson was regarded by most of us in government as a very well run mixed race community that embraced diversity.
Even in my early days as a business owner in Ferguson, the Canfield Green Apartments which adjoined my property were a source of concern. Most of the housing was for lower income people who were subsidized by Section 8 vouchers. Several of my associates personally observed significant gang and drug activity there. Geographically and demographically, Canfield Green was then (and continues to be today) an outlier and it seemed to be isolated from the rest of the City of Ferguson.
In the fifteen years since my departure, the retail base on West Florissant has changed. Like all older suburbs, stand-alone retail stores and single product car dealerships have been replaced by big box retail centers and mega car dealerships located in the outer suburbs. Convenience stores, liquor stores and auto repair shops now take the places of the former national brand stores and car dealers. Truthfully, the area has begun to look very tired.
While West Florissant Road deteriorated, the City of Ferguson began to thrive elsewhere. Just a few blocks over, the “Old Town” part of Ferguson experienced a renaissance. New restaurants and boutiques moved into older storefronts. Until the present events, Ferguson was becoming a destination for people from all over St. Louis. In fact, just two years ago, Ferguson was in the running to be named an “All American City.”
What Happened Beginning on August 9, 2014 (Undisputed Facts)
Unarmed Michael Brown, Jr. an 18 year old African American youth was shot and killed by a white Ferguson policeman. In the hour before his death, Brown, a very large man had strong armed a store keeper and stolen several cigars. The police officer, Darren Wilson, had confronted Brown and a friend on Canfield Drive. He asked (told) them not to walk in the middle of the street. An altercation leading to the shooting ensued. Other officers were called to the scene and it appeared that no one in authority was able to take charge. Brown’s body was left in the street uncovered for several hours until eventually removed by the Coroner
The County Prosecutor asked a sitting Grand Jury to investigate and consider charges against Officer Wilson. On November 24, the Grand Jury ruled that not enough evidence existed to indict Officer Wilson on any of four charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to first degree murder. Protesting, rioting and looting have occurred off and on in Ferguson and elsewhere since August 9.
Why Ferguson?
It is well known that tension exists between many African American male youths and anyone in authority. I am not an expert on the sociological reasons for this but I can say that I have personally observed this animosity on a number of occasions.
Adding to what I suspect is a universal situation between black youth and police, Ferguson possesses additional unique circumstances which tend to exacerbate the problem.
First, Ferguson has a majority black population but the City Council is predominately white. There is no hint of electoral corruption or polling place funny business. For unknown reasons, it seems that a large percentage of the black population does not vote in the same proportions as white voters.
Second, Ferguson is one the larger of a cluster of very small incorporated municipalities in north St. Louis County. These small villages and cities tend to have their own police departments and municipal courts. A significant portion of the revenue in these small towns is generated by automobile citations and court fines. Often, poor black drivers operate substandard unregistered and uninsured cars. While the police are perfectly justified in issuing citations, these small departments have become very proficient at making this type of traffic stop.
Likewise, the municipal courts are proficient at assessing fines which feed the city’s coffers. Often, black drivers are stopped in several different jurisdictions and given tickets for the same violations within a few hours. Faced with numerous court summons in several jurisdictions and few resources to pay fines, these folks just don’t show up in court. This results in an arrest warrant and the violator is taken to jail. Once the violation is cleared up in one jurisdiction, the arrestee is then taken to an adjacent municipality to answer for another warrant. Sometimes, individuals are held for several weeks while they “make the rounds” of all the jurisdictions where there are outstanding warrants against them.
It is of little wonder that the typical tension between African American youths and those in authority is even more intense in a city like Ferguson.
What I Feel as a Member of the St. Louis Community
I did not know Michael Brown, Jr. I have had a nodding acquaintance with his mother, Leslie McSpadden, who has waited on me at the deli counter of the market we shop in. She seems like an intelligent woman and I am sure she is devastated by this loss. My heart goes out to her.
When the looting started on August 9 and the QuikTrip and an adjacent store were vandalized, it became clear that the local police were not capable of handling the unrest. Other police units with riot equipment were called in, too late to save these buildings but in time to put down further trouble. I felt sure that more problems were ahead in Ferguson and that more manpower would be required to protect lives and property going forward. Unfortunately, some local leaders and the local media decried the use of riot squads and claimed “Gestapo” tactics were being used against peaceful protesters. By all appearances, much of the protesting was far from peaceful. Justified or not, the presence of riot police ended the looting that night.
Immediately after the shooting, there was a call for appointment of a special prosecutor. Apparently, the Governor of Missouri has the authority to make this appointment. When he declined to act, this left the matter in the hands of the local county Prosecuting Attorney, who is a long serving and well respected man. Unfortunately, many members of the African American community believe that the prosecutor is biased in favor of police because his father, a policeman, was murdered by a black criminal.
Here, the Governor created an impossible situation. If the prosecutor had recused himself, several convicted criminals would probably appeal their cases based on the appearance of bias on his part in favor of police in their own prosecutions. Thus, amidst severe and avoidable criticism, the matter was taken by the prosecutor to a Grand Jury. I have a great deal of difficulty understanding the Governor’s motivation in not acting here. To me, the appointment of a special prosecutor in all cases where a citizen is killed by an on-duty police officer makes great sense. If there are to be any good outcomes from this event, passage of legislation to this effect might be one.
When it became apparent that the Grand Jury was about to report its findings sometime during the week of November 23, the Governor declared an emergency and called in National Guard units. However, when the rioting began on the evening of November 24, the Guard was nowhere to be seen. Desperate to get help, the Mayor of Ferguson tried calling the Governor and the State Attorney General. Failing to reach them, he spoke to the Lt. Governor. He told him that his town was burning and that he needed to find the National Guard. Sadly, the National Guard did not appear until the fires were out of control and eight businesses were destroyed.
For me the behavior of the Governor both in the special prosecutor situation and in his failure to order the Guard into action is inexplicable. There is a suggestion that perhaps the Justice Department or the White House might have told the Governor not to use the National Guard. Regardless, the Governor’s inaction in both instances led to dire consequences. The unrest continues and it now has a life of its own.
In the end, I am sad for the St. Louis community that I have been a part of all of my life. I am sad that local and state authorities have demonstrated a lack of leadership and general incompetency in the wake of a crisis. I am sad that I believed that public officials were capable of more and they let me down. I am sad that my city has become the poster child for the racism which exists here but also exists in every other major urban area in the country. I am sad that 150 years after the emancipation proclamation by President Lincoln, serious racial divisions persist in this country.
Hugh Scott
November 2014