Ferguson marchers met with fried chicken, Confederate flags.

[katietornado]

Yeah.

Original source.

GASCONADE COUNTY, Missouri — About 50 activists marching from Ferguson to Jefferson City encountered a hostile counter-protest Wednesday in Rosebud.
Follow the march

Journey for Justice pushes toward final leg on Thursday.

NAACP, activists begin 120-mile Journey for Justice.

About 200 people met the marchers as they reached Rosebud around noon, activists said. A display of fried chicken, a melon and a 40-ounce beer bottle had been placed in the street. A Confederate flag flew. Counter-protestors shouted racial epithets. (Read more about the march on Thursday through Osage County, which was calmer.)

Rhea Willis of Velda City, Missouri, said she saw a boy she estimated to be 8 years old holding a sign that read, "Go home.”

Somebody shot the window out of the back of one of the buses traveling with the march, dubbed by the NAACP as the Journey for Justice. The outer pane of glass broke. The bullet landed in the windowsill, the driver said.

Two of the counter-protesters drove ahead of the Journey for Justice to meet them outside of Mount Sterling, a little less than 20 miles away, their stopping point for the night.

Doug McQuery of Bland, Missouri, wore a T-shirt stating his support for police officer Darren Wilson who shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown in August. The grand jury's decision not to indict Wilson sparked protests, both nonviolent and violent across the country.

McQuery said he thought it was fine if activists wanted to burn down their own town, but said he wasn't going to stand for that elsewhere. He said he didn't know the NAACP's march would be peaceful.

Willis was marching with her 15-year-old daughter, Cheyenne Willis, who was taking time off from school to participate. She said she plans to write an editorial based on her experience for her school paper.

"I've been brought up to know how to deal with people like that," Cheyenne Willis said of the counter-protesters. "I ignore them and keep moving forward."

Rhea Willis, who grew up in St. Louis, said she was used to racist attitudes and stereotyping. Racism is learned, she said.

As she marched through Rosebud, she said she felt as if she was facing the same attitudes her parents faced as civil rights activists in the 1960s.

"The comments that we saw are pure ignorance," Willis said.

The marchers collapsed in exhaustion on the floor of the gym at Lincoln University on Wednesday night. They had walked 20 miles that day, about the same distance they've walked every day since Saturday, when the Journey for Justice started at the site of the shooting death of Michael Brown Jr., in Ferguson, according to previous Missourian reporting. About 50 activists marched Wednesday.

The Journey for Justice will continue tomorrow morning from Mount Sterling. Activists plan to march until they reach the Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City, about 20 miles away.

[NewOrleans]

Here's a thought. If people would stop doing this, if people would stop thinking this way, then that thing they hate so much? "the race card?" wouldn't have to come into play. But since they continue to be bigots, then anything that occurs can potentially be bigoted and thus is subject to scrutiny.

[jln]

WTF? And then they wonder why minority citizens are angry. It must be painful to be that ignorant.

[orangeblossom]

I think the counter-protester that said he didn't realize the protest would be peaceful, is so so telling. It's like he only knows what people have been focusing on, the looting, violence, etc, when in fact there are more peaceful protests than not.

It shouldn't, but it boggles my mind, that someone is so caught up in hate and what they're being fed, that they can't think for themselves that there might possibly peaceful protestors. I mean, I know people like this , it's just disheartening to see it confirmed and in print.

[mx27]

how original.

and dumb.

[sam19]

But the confederate flag is about states rights and has nothing to do with racism, duh.

[mx27]

who decided that fried chicken (or watermelon) is "black people food"?

the majority is fucking hilarious.

they say it is so, and therefore it is.

[iammalcolmx]

Dec 7, 2014 14:34:08 GMT -5 @soudesafinado said:

Where are the people here who were all "I didn't realize fried chicken and watermelon had racial connotations?"

Hanging with the folks who didn't know about House N-words

[anodyne]

There is a much more uplifting story about Ms. Willis, let me find it.

This is in no way to say what these people experienced should be ignored.

[anodyne]

www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/article_6f187cee-7c8c-11e4-9e12-7f7d34cb58f4.html?mode=jqm

Mother, daughter endure racist backlash during march to Jeff City for Mike Brown

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American | Updated 2 days ago

It was eerily quiet when the group of about 75 people on the NAACP’s “Journey for Justice” entered the small town of Rosebud, Missouri on Wednesday.

St. Louis Public Schools instructor Rhea Willis turned to her daughter, Cheyenne, 15, and asked her, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

They had started the 134-mile trek from Ferguson to Jefferson City on Saturday, seeking systemic change to the criminal justice system and justice for Michael Brown Jr.

And although they were greeted with the words “Shoot Thieves” spray-painted on a large barrel outside of Rosebud, Cheyenne was determined to walk through the town.

“There were people out on both sides of the streets, but they were just staring at us at first,” said Cheyenne, a sophomore at the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience Magnet High School. “We were calm. Then they started calling us names, like ‘thieves.’”

The people started yelling, “Get a job! Get off welfare!” One of the most disheartening sights, Rhea said, was seeing a young boy, about the age of eight, hold up a sign that said, “Go home, (N-word).”

“It wasn’t a shock because I know how these small counties in Missouri are,” Rhea said. “I expected it, but it wasn’t until you actually see it. Wow, it was amazing.”

While their bus was stopped and empty, someone shot at a window and shattered the glass. Some townsfolk left out 40-ounce beer cans, chicken wings and watermelon. Rhea said one woman was supportive and told them, “Good job!” But a man next to her said, “Yea, they are good (N-word).”

Before coming on the trip, Rhea prepared her daughter for what she might experience. All of Cheyenne’s life, Rhea had talked about the civil rights movement and showed her movies. So Cheyenne told Rhea she felt ready. Among the group that went the whole distance, Cheyenne was the youngest participant.

“When she went all the way through the town, I was so proud of her,” Rhea said.

Every once in a while, they would joke between themselves to lighten the tense mood in Rosebud. Cheyenne once said, “Mom, they think we don’t have jobs. Do they have jobs? Because they are out here protesting against us in the middle of the day.”

But other than a few quiet comments to each other, the entire group was serious, Rhea said. They walked in a tight formation and did not respond to the taunts.

“We were so united,” she said. “We were disciplined. We did not allow their chants and signs to affect us. We let them know you would not intimidate us. And it showed my daughter discipline and unity above all. That was a teachable moment for her.”

Afterwards, Cheyenne tried to tell her friends what happened, but she said they couldn’t believe it.

“Racism still exits,” she said. “It’s not a joke. I learned how to cope and deal with people who are ignorant. And no matter what, no one can stop me from doing what I need to do.”

“The reason I wanted to do this was because I need to be the voice of youth.”

Overall, Rhea and Cheyenne said they had empowering, positive experiences. They were awed that people from as far as Brazil and Canada joined the group at certain points.

The group has six more miles to walk today before arriving at their destination – Governor Jay Nixon’s home – in Jefferson City. Rhea has heard that they might encounter other counter protests along the way. Yet for her it’s all worth it when her daughter says to her, “Mom, I’m going to come back a different person.”

“I said, ‘We all are.’ I’m proud of her. She’s a true soldier.”

Follow this reporter on Twitter @rebeccarivas.

[anodyne]

Anyone else notice the difference in the articles of what the 8 year old's sign said? Take a look at the three photos in the article I linked.

[iammalcolmx]

Yes I saw that sign. What a mess.

[teflepi]

No. Nope.

[decemberwedding07]

Dec 7, 2014 16:06:38 GMT -5 mx27 said:

who decided that fried chicken (or watermelon) is "black people food"?

the majority is fucking hilarious.

they say it is so, and therefore it is.

I was told it stemmed from the days of segregation. If you were black and going on a road trip, you had to pack foods that traveled well, because you couldn't be sure that there would be restaurants along the way that would serve you. Basically, you needed picnic food. Fried chicken is a really popular southern picnic food. It travels great and tastes just fine at any temperature. Watermelon has the added benefit of being thirst-quenching. This is what a history teacher told me once, anyway. Historically these were popular foods for practical, and really horrible, reasons.

But, yeah, who doesn't like watermelon and fried chicken? Aren't they universally appealing foods?

[mx27]

Dec 8, 2014 0:08:45 GMT -5 decemberwedding07 said:

Dec 7, 2014 16:06:38 GMT -5 mx27 said:

who decided that fried chicken (or watermelon) is "black people food"?

the majority is fucking hilarious.

they say it is so, and therefore it is.

I was told it stemmed from the days of segregation. If you were black and going on a road trip, you had to pack foods that traveled well, because you couldn't be sure that there would be restaurants along the way that would serve you. Basically, you needed picnic food. Fried chicken is a really popular southern picnic food. It travels great and tastes just fine at any temperature. Watermelon has the added benefit of being thirst-quenching. This is what a history teacher told me once, anyway. Historically these were popular foods for practical, and really horrible, reasons.

But, yeah, who doesn't like watermelon and fried chicken? Aren't they universally appealing foods?

interesting (seriously).

and, yes, I agree, they are definitely universally liked.