2015 Matt Eich – “Ferguson” Ferguson In the Wake of Michael Brown: A growing makeshift memorial site for 18-year-old Michael Brown near the Canfield Apartments where he was killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri on October 8, 2014. A smirking cop is juxtaposed with a shirtless young black man next to subtle graffiti (stating FTP! or “Fuck the Police!”) as they stand on the corner of Canfield Drive and W. Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Missouri on August 19, 2014. Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager was shot by police officer Darren Wilson just ten days before on Canfield Drive, a short walk from W. Florissant Avenue, where much of the unrest occurred. Meldon Moffitt, 42, one of the many protestors who held his ground against the police night after night in Ferguson, takes a moment to pray with young white men walking down W. Florissant Avenue on August 20, 2014. Police officers arrest a young protestor who was hiding behind members of the media in a police-imposed “media-pen” outside of which, members of the media were arrested for doing their jobs. After hours of marching and being told they could not rest or stand still, protestors took shelter behind media. Police officers began making arrests after a few plastic water bottles were hurled in their direction on August 20, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. On October 8, 2014 an off-duty police officer shot and killed 18-year-old Vonderrit Myers Jr. The young man’s family claims he was holding a sandwich, though subsequent reports say that he had gunpowder residue on him after firing three shots at the officer. The off-duty officer fired 17 times in return, hitting Myers with seven or eight rounds. The following evening, people gathered on the corner where Myers died. White activists from New York City came with a car full of signs and t-shirts to give out to people who mingled at the scene. They then arranged and photographed them. I observed all of this with a great deal of unease. What is my role, as a white observer? Archival images of police officers at the St. Louis County Police Station in Clayton, Missouri on October 9, 2014. Racial integration and diversity in the police force continue to be an issue, not only in Missouri but across the nation. Police Officers from Ferguson and St. Louis County respond to a shooting in an apartment complex in Ferguson, Missouri on October 8, 2014 not far from where Michael Brown was killed by Police Officer Darren Wilson. Johnetta Elzie leads a group in a chant outside of Prosecutor Robert McCulloch’s office on a rainy day in Clayton, Missouri on October 10, 2014 at the beginning of the Ferguson October protests. As predicted, Darren Wilson was not indicted by a jury led by Prosecutor McCulloch. Elzie is one of a group of strong voices that has emerged through the protests as she amassed a large following of people around the nation who wanted to stay in-tune with what was happening on the ground via her live-tweets. Volunteers from a non-profit legal organization in St. Louis help community members check to see if there are warrants out for their arrest in Ferguson, Missouri on October 7, 2014 at the #HealSTL office. A man kneels and raises his hands in the middle of W. Florissant Boulevard in Ferguson, Missouri on August 19, 2014, 10 days after the shooting death of Michael Brown. Protestors were told by police to keep moving, so anyone who stopped was singled out and arrested. These images are copyright Matt Eich and are use here by permission. They may not be used elsewhere without permission.
