1 / 13

Addressing the Ferguson Crisis

Addressing the Ferguson Crisis. On August 9, 2014 Michael Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. Following the shooting, looting and rioting engulfed the City of Ferguson and Dellwood as the community sought justice for Brown.

hertz
Download Presentation

Addressing the Ferguson Crisis

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Addressing the Ferguson Crisis • On August 9, 2014 Michael Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. Following the shooting, looting and rioting engulfed the City of Ferguson and Dellwood as the community sought justice for Brown. • The Ferguson Crisis received national attention from President Barack Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, Governor Jay Nixon and Rev. Al Sharpton who sought to resolve this situation. • The crisis received international coverage from CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, Huffington Post and other media outlets. 1

  2. The Urban League played various roles in helping to stabilize Ferguson and North St. Louis County. 2

  3. Urban League Supports Michael Brown’s Family • The Urban League collected $20,000 in donations for the family of Michael Brown along with a commitment from the University of Wisconsin to provide college scholarships to his remaining siblings. • Brown’s younger sister, JazmineMcSpadden, was enrolled at the Urban League’s Jennings Head Start Center. The Brown family also participated in the 100 Neediest Cases. • Urban League staff and board members attended funeral services for Michael Brown. twitter.com/stlurbanleague 3

  4. The League Works to Assist Ferguson Residents • Served over 2,000 Ferguson and surrounding North County residents with hot meals, groceries, toiletries, utility and rental assistance at the Dellwood Community Center. • Provided direct services to the residents of the Canfield Green Apartments, where Michael Brown was killed. • Distributed school supplies to the children of Ferguson. • Conducted voter registration with the residents of Ferguson. • Hired a Director of Community Organizing to organize block units in Ferguson. 4

  5. The League Works to Assist Ferguson Residents • Organized a Job and Resource Fair in partnership with St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley to assist the needs of Ferguson and North St. Louis County residents. • Sponsored by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and the National Urban League, the fair hosted 94 employers, 45 social service agencies and over 5,000 St. Louis area residents! • This event was covered on NBC, CBS, Fox, Clear Channel, the St. Louis American, the St. Louis Business Journal, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 5

  6. Urban League Young Professionals’ Initiatives • Conducted voter registration drives and voter education training along with the NAACP and Mound City Bar Association at the Job & Resource Fair. Created a “Know Your Rights” card and attended multiple public action meetings. • Hosted a community forum featuring actor/activist Hill Harper in a discussion about “Where do we go from here?” Hosted Civic Minds Discussions on “Black Youth Matter” and  ”Black Portrayal in Media.” • Participated in the Ferguson Play Day at the Dellwood Community Center and canvassed Canfield Green Apartments inviting residents to participate. 6

  7. Urban League and the Civil Rights Community • The Urban League sponsored three peaceful demonstrations in Ferguson in partnership with the NAACP, the St. Louis Clergy Coalition and the United African Peoples Organization. The League also participated in Better Family Life’s Peace Fest in Forest Park. • Urban League participated in various town hall meetings with civil rights representatives from the NAACP, Better Family Life, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Church of God in Christ Urban Initiatives program. 7

  8. Urban League Partners with Social Service Agencies • Partnered with the United Way, the American Red Cross, St. Louis Area Food Bank, Urban Sprouts Child Development Center, Better Family Life, Provident and others to provide much-needed services to the Ferguson area at the Canfield Green Apartments and the Dellwood Civic Center. • Partnered with 45 non-profit agencies to provide food, toiletries and assistance at the Ferguson Job and Resource Fair. 8

  9. St. Louis Affiliate Coordinates Response with National Urban League • NUL President Marc Morial and his staff counseled with the St. Louis CEO and staff regarding advocacy activities. • St. Louis CEO consulted with former CEO of Los Angeles Urban League during the Rodney King riots and the CEO of the Urban League of Cincinnati. • St. Louis CEO debriefed the National Urban League’s Association of Executives on the events in Ferguson. • National Urban League featured the Ferguson Crisis on their website and highlighted the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis as the principal point of contact for activities. 9

  10. Urban League Engages Corporate Partners • Canvassed door-to-door meeting with Business Owners of Ferguson to inform them of the Regional Business Council’s efforts to assist with immediate funding to aid Ferguson businesses in rebuilding. • Received donations from Rockwood and Triad Banks in support of Ferguson programs. • Regional Business Council, Emerson, USBank, Home State Health and Citi provided support for the Job & Resource Fair. 9

  11. Urban League Works with Clergy to Make a Difference • Received donations of food, clothing, toiletries and funds to support efforts in Ferguson from local and nationwide churches. • Participated in various church forums and panel discussions with the St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition, North County Churches United, Greater St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church, Christ the King UCC, Greater Grace Church of Ferguson. 10

  12. Urban League Partners with Government Agencies • Participated in the briefing from Attorney General Eric Holder along with his leadership team and participated in the White House Conference Call with the Attorney General. • Participated in Governor Nixon’s press conference with local leaders to announce $1,000,000 interest-free small business loan fund to assist companies affected during the crisis. • Participated in meetings with the Department of Justice to discuss the investigation of the Ferguson Police Department along with the voluntary review of the St. Louis County Police Department. 11

  13. Urban League and Grassroots Advocacy • The League hosts regular meetings with the Justice for Michael Brown Coalition. • CEO and Director of Community Organizing participated in the Highway 70 protest to advocate for a special prosecutor to be appointed in the case against Officer Darren Wilson. 12

More Related