Filmed on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, I drive around the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri to see what's happening. The video begins at the location of the death of Michael Brown, whose killing sparked more than a week of riots and vandalism in Ferguson in 2014.
If you want to control the camera and take a look around, check out my 360° video of Ferguson: • Driving Around Ferguso...
What is now the city of Ferguson was founded in 1855, when William B. Ferguson deeded 10 acres of land to the Wabash Railroad in exchange for a new depot and naming rights. The settlement that sprang up around the depot was called Ferguson Station. Ferguson was the first railroad station connected directly to St. Louis. The station is a focal point of the city's history and is depicted on the city flag, designed in 1994.
The population of Ferguson grew rapidly during the late nineteenth century. In 1880 the population of the then Ferguson Station was 185 people. By 1890 the population was recorded as being 750 and only four years later it had increased to 1200.
The population of Ferguson continued to grow rapidly during the first six decades of the twentieth century, from 1,015 people in 1900 to 22,149 people in 1960, an average growth rate of 5% per year. Since 1960 the population has remained nearly constant.
The ethnic composition of Ferguson has shifted, however. In 1970, 99% of the population of Ferguson was white and 1% black. In 1980, the proportion of white residents went down to 85%, whereas the proportion of black residents rose to 14%. In 1990, residents of Ferguson who were identified in the U.S. Census as white comprised 73.8% of the total, while those identified as black made up 25.1%. In the 2000 U.S. Census, 44.7% were white and 52.4% were African-American, now the majority ethnicity.
On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri.
Brown was accompanied by his 22-year-old male friend Dorian Johnson, who later stated that Brown had robbed a convenience store before the shooting occurred. Wilson said that an altercation ensued when Brown attacked him in his police vehicle for control of Wilson's service pistol. The struggle continued until the pistol fired.
This event ignited unrest in Ferguson. Witnesses to the shooting claimed Brown had his hands up in surrender or said "don't shoot", so protesters later used the slogan "Hands up, don't shoot". A subsequent FBI investigation said that there was no evidence that Brown had done so.
A grand jury was called and given extensive evidence from Robert McCulloch, the St. Louis County Prosecutor. On November 24, 2014, McCulloch announced the St. Louis County grand jury had decided not to indict Wilson. In March 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice reported the conclusion of its own investigation and cleared Wilson of civil rights violations in the shooting. The U.S. Department of Justice concluded that Wilson shot Brown in self-defense.
In 2020, St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell, spent five months reviewing the case with an eye to charge Wilson with either manslaughter or murder. In July, Bell announced he could not charge Wilson with any crime. #driving #travel #drivingtour
27 авг 2024
