(Photo credit: Oluwafemi Agbabiaka; The sit-in took place at a Quik Trip in south St. Louis on October 13th, 2014).
By Femi Ogbabiaka,
Anyone who has participated in direct action can tell you that your first time is going to be scary, but it comes more naturally after that. When I went to Ferguson, MO along with some students from the University of Missouri-Columbia, I imagined that my past experience could help prepare me for any difficulties I might face there while protesting in the days leading up to the grand jury decision. I was completely wrong. The brutality and oppression that I witnessed and experienced there was far beyond anything that I had seen in other protests, and had a profound radicalizing effect on me. I’ve always had a relatively antagonistic view of police, but seeing officers beat protesters who were already handcuffed, use tear gas on peaceful protestors, and use riot gear against unarmed citizens changed that.
Source: Reflections on My Time in Ferguson
