VIDEO: Demonstrators ‘disrupt’ St. Louis Symphony singing a ‘Requiem for Mike Brown’ (10/6/14) The St. Louis American tracked down and interviewed the organizer of the event – Sarah Griesbach, 42, a white woman who lives in the Central West End. She said that the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed teen who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, has opened her eyes to the inequalities that exist in St. Louis. She has been protesting since Brown was shot on Aug. 9. “It is my duty and desire to try to reach out and raise that awareness peacefully but also to disrupt the blind state of white St. Louis, particularly among the people who are secure in their blindness,” Griesbach said. Two weeks ago, she and another “middle-aged woman who wear our mom jeans pulled up way too high” held up a sign at a Cardinals game that said, “Racism lives here.” A pivotal moment for her was when people around them started chanting in response, “Hands up, don’t loot.” She and her fellow protester Elizabeth Vega decided to try again at the symphony, which received a much warmer response. She believes that is because the audience was fairly diverse in ethnicity and age. “There is an inclusivity that comes with that intellectual culture,” she said. The group of demonstrators was also a mix of African Americans, Latino and white residents – from college kids to college professors, she said. There were “representatives” from Clayton, Webster Groves, South St. Louis, Central West End and Ferguson. Although she lives in the Central West End, her children attend school in Clayton. As a mother, she has been deeply affected by Brown’s death. “This cannot be just a Ferguson issue,” she said. The St. Louis American got in touch with Erika Ebsworth-Goold, publicist for the St. Louis Symphony, on Sunday afternoon. She said the musical piece that the demonstrators chose was appropriate because it is meant to “lift up the people who were left in time of tragedy.” “The people audience had respect for what we were do at the symphony, and we are appreciative of that,” she said. Read More: stlamerican/news/local_news/article_d3d4e0b0-4c48-11e4-bc55-275aa0a96f33.html #FergusonOctober #michaelbrown #ripMichaelBrown #dontshoot #iftheygunnedmedown #MikeBrown #JusticeforMichael #Ferguson #civilrights #news #justice #currentevents #MichaelBrownShooting #stand4ferguson #DarrenWilson #lawenforcement #OfficerWilson #OfficerDarrenWilson #worldnews #JusticeforMikeBrown #OpFerguson #DCFerguson #protectandserve #handsup
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 13:12:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015