First hand account of how the Ferguson Commission came into fruition, it’s true purpose and why those who knew better declined to be propped up to ‘sell it’

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“The people who support the concept of Black Lives Matter are not the same, nor do they have the same ideological orientation as the organization or its founders. You may disagree, but to date there is no BLM chapter in Saint Louis. Moving right along today, 3 years ago as Ferguson was still in unrest, local black people in the Saint Louis region, with a few allies, little or no resources other than what came out of their pockets, unarmed, but fearless were building the momentum towards generating intergenerational solidarity across class, gender, and other boundaries. Little did they know that other forces from across the country were about to descend upon the city, infiltrate them and appropriate their struggle for their own ideological purposes.

But before I get carried away, as that event was still a couple weeks away, on Aug. 20, 2014, at Harris-Stowe State University the first higher education response to the unrest took place. There was a symposium that was organized to bring together progressive elements of Black civic society to try and bring infrastructure to the change the movement called for. This symposium generated the formation of what would later be called the Ferguson Commission. In the early discussions I privately informed key people I had no interest in serving on that entity when I realized it was developed to serve the interest of the business establishment. I was not alone in declining to serve. There are several prominent people I have had quiet conversations with who also declined because they had integrity.

3 days earlier on Aug. 17 the Civil Rights community tried to convene on the campus at the invitation of the youth chapter of the NAACP that was radicalized by events and participated the protest. 2 headline speakers were Judge Greg Mathis who ultimately in his rhetoric and actions was little more than a voice for the Obama Administration and was quietly dismissed by the organizers. Also present was Jesse Jackson Sr., who publicly in the auditorium fired up the people present, but in private with me, was severely critical of Obama and the administrations silence on Ferguson (And yall mad at Trump?).

What was clear during this phase (The first 2 weeks) was the fact protestors were unable to figure out who was friend or foe. Using a military analogy, they had plenty of squad leaders but no generals. One name that kept emerging tho was Darren Seals. WE both knew the same people but we were not able to connect. There was a brief contested dialogue between true radicals in civic society and the pragmatic (democrat party first oriented operatives), The pro democrat operatives won out and provided a blueprint to stifle black civic society across the country. I believe now to their sorrow the protesters realize the fact that just because someone CLAIMS to support democracy or ideological perspectives like non-violence, civil rights, nationalism or intersectionality does not mean that person has integrity, honor, or is invested in the community.

They got bamboozled.” – Dr Reynaldo Anderson, Harris Stowe State University

Pic: stlpublicradio.org