The culminating events of the Ferguson October’s “Moral Monday” resulted in more than 50 arrests that began Monday morning and continued late into the evening at area Wal-Mart stores as protesters made their way through St. Louis City and the county committing acts of civil disobedience.
The long list of “actions” kicked off with an “occupation” of Saint Louis University in the early morning hours. A few hours later, hundreds marched in the rain from Wellspring Church to the Ferguson Police Department.
Led by local and national clergy, they stayed for nearly four hours – to symbolize how long the body of unarmed teen Michael Brown’s body remained on the street in the Canfield Green Apartments on August 9 – and demanded that Ferguson Police “repent” for Brown’s death.
Scholar, best-selling author and activist Dr. Cornel West was among those arrested for attempting to enter the Ferguson Police Department to schedule a meeting with Police Chief Tom Jackson.
More than a half-dozen demonstrations continued around the St. Louis area.
The street leading into Emerson’s headquarters – located in Ferguson – was blocked. Protesters hung banners and issued demands at St. Louis City Hall. Shopping activities at Plaza Frontenac were interrupted – as was a political fundraiser for St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger in Webster Groves.
Area Wal-Marts were “shut down.” Banners were hung throughout sections of the Edward Jones Dome during Monday night’s St. Louis Rams game and protesters later laid in the middle of the street outside afterwards.
Most of the aforementioned actions resulted in on-site arrests that also included rapper and noted Ferguson protest leader Tef Poe, Saint Louis University Law Professor and protest legal observer Justin Hansford and Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors.
According to an arrest data sheet from St. Louis County Police, the vast majority of the charges were for disturbing the peace, though disorderly conduct and 3rd degree assault were also on the list of alleged offenses.
The series of events – and subsequent mass arrests – marked the end of a Week of Resistance, also known as Ferguson October. Several local and national organizations coordinated a host of activities over the course of October 10-14 to protest the Brown’s death and call for an end to for violence at the hands of law enforcement. Thousands participated in the activities and came from around the country – including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and even Hawaii – to participate.