(Source: Brother Jesse Blog)
by Jesse Muhammad
According to the website, FergusonOctober.com, thousands of people from Ferguson, St. Louis and the nation are coming together to “show our strength as we stand united against police violence, both here in Ferguson and across the country. We will march through Downtown St. Louis and rally at Keiner Plaza sending a message across the world: Not One More.”
It has been over 60 days since Michael Brown was killed by Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson and he has yet to be arrested or indicted. The youth of Ferguson–fueled by the chant, “We’re young, we’re strong. We’re marching all night long”—have not let up for one day since. The spirit in them to fight is REAL and their stance has caught the attention of the world.
On Friday, October 10, according to what I read and saw on Twitter, the #FergusonOctober weekend of resistance kicked off with a march in the pouring rain through Clayton, Missouri. People were then invited that evening to participate in a reading of the names and/or place items on a memory altar such as candles, pictures, or message to remember the dead. Then there was a silent candlelight march carrying a mirrored coffin two miles from the altar site to the Ferguson Police Department. Footage posted on social media showed Millennial Activists United leading the chant, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains…”
I definitely noticed two things: 1) Young women are on the frontlines 2) This is a youth led movement without a doubt. Kim Moore of San Diego, who is on the grounds this weekend, tweeted last night, “This is truly a millennial led movement. Hip hop is the soundtrack to this call for justice. Protesters blasted music while facing cops.”
On Saturday, October 11, the “Justice for All: National March and Rally” is scheduled to take place and much more. Click here to see the full schedule of events. Below are a few photos from Twitter from Day 1 of the #FergusonOctober Weekend of Resistance.
We stand with our brothers and sisters!
