Many African Americans in the city say part of the problem is that no one is listening to them. They describe themselves as virtually invisible other than to be viewed as a problem. And while Knowles has tried to suggest that those who are disgruntled are transient outsiders with few links to the city, that ignores the anger that has been fermenting among many of Ferguson’s long-term black residents. Fletcher, the former mayor, was among leading citizens who called a public meeting at a Baptist church to talk about the crisis. He told the audience: “I’m like a lot of African Americans in reality. I grew up in poverty. I can relate a little bit to what it is to struggle in life.” The meeting was intended to consider ways to bridge divides but, while the church was close to full, fewer than a dozen black people attended. Fletcher struggled to explain why. “I don’t have an answer. They’re welcome. It’s not uncommon in the community for African Americans not to be involved. Perhaps their struggle is just surviving the day, feeding their family,” he said. But black people on the streets of Ferguson said they didn’t know about the meeting because almost no effort had been made to communicate with them.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 15:00:01 +0000
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