Paul Muhammad is not afraid of gangsters, thugs, rioters or looters, people that the national media suggest are at the heart of the continued chaos in Ferguson. He’s far more concerned about the behavior of the police against those gathering to call for justice for Michael Brown, the unarmed teenager who was killed by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson Aug. 9.
Muhammad is the organizer of a volunteer peace keeper group formed to help prevent violence on the streets of Ferguson. His group has been at the site of the unrest since Brown was shot by a Ferguson police office last week. He’s not alone in trying to protect the peace. Other groups such as the Black Lawyers for Justice, the New Black Panther Party, the Nation of Islam and various religious leaders have been ever-present in Ferguson helping to direct traffic, quell the anger and facilitate a peaceful environment.
As a man who has continually been on the front line between police and protesters, he believes the national media is ignoring deliberate and heavy-handed tactics by law enforcement officials against the innocent and peaceful protesters on the ground in the St. Louis suburb.
Over the last few nights, across the world anyone following on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or live streams watched as tear gas, rubber bullets, armored vehicles, flash grenades and military grade sound cannons were deployed against protesters.
“They were civil. They were exercising their rights by the Constitution to assemble and the freedom of speech,” Muhammad said. “[Law enforcement] came out in trucks doing drive-bys and just spraying at people indiscriminately. We had to run through the neighborhoods, run down in the ravines and the creek and hop over people’s fences.”
Rebecca McLeod, another peace keeper, has similar stories of witnessing extreme violence by law enforcement that seem more likely to have occurred in Afghanistan or Gaza than the suburbs of St. Louis County. She recounted Sunday night’s activities as peaceful demonstrators marched down West Florissant past Emerson road towards the Unified Command Center.
“The first thing police did was shoot, and they hit an 8-year-old child with a rubber bullet,” McLeod said. “There was no warning. They started throwing canisters of tear gas and chasing us down. It was chaotic.”
The chaos continued as both peace keepers independently reported witnessing another volunteer get shot in the face with a rubber bullet while attempting to shield his wife. They watched as a wheelchair-bound senior citizen was trampled by the fleeing group of protesters. Despite the injuries sustained by protesters, or the presence of women, children and senior citizens, police continued to advance and assault any and everybody on the streets, McLeod said.
“There was no looting. There were no Molotov cocktails. People were just looking for safety,” McLeod said. “They handled us like a herd of animals and it was a peaceful protest.”
The violent scenes shown nightly on cable news and media outlets across the country portrays the people of Ferguson and surrounding areas are only interested in rioting and violence. Most on the ground feel that couldn’t be further from the truth. Numerous groups of concerned citizens have organized to clean up empty bottles, tear gas canisters and other debris after each night of turmoil. Several groups have sent representatives to distribute information on the legal rights of protesters. The community is coming together in spite of the fear of assault at the hands of law enforcement or outside agitators.
There are limitless accounts of people being injured by police aggression or struggling to deal with the debilitating effects of tear gas. However, for each account, there’s another that details the courage of those administering first aid, providing milk for burning eyes or opening the doors of their homes to complete strangers to get them out of harm’s way.
Muhammad feels as if the area would be a much safer place without the heavy hand and militaristic presence of law enforcement and the National Guard. The violence by police against protesters has continued the cycle of mistrust and animosity. He believes police should focus their efforts on trying to weed out the few troublemakers and allow the community peace keepers to do their job.
“We’ve had a very good rapport with the young brothers and sisters out there,” Muhammad said. “There’s mutual respect. People are showing collective unity and cooperation with each other.”
Despite the daily clashes between police and protesters, Muhammad and the peace keeper groups are committed to policing the crowds and protecting everyone who wishes to peacefully demonstrate against injustice. They are not police officers, soldiers or security guards – just concerned citizens committed to uphold justice for Mike Brown and protect those who deserve a voice.
Muhammad said, “We’re prominent, we’re educated, we’re in the community and we’re standing against this.”
