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| The Lives of Ferguson Activists, Five Years Later | The Lives of Ferguson Activists, Five Years Later |
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| It wasn’t until the QuikTrip gas station was burned and looted on Aug. 10, 2014, that the protests began to take hold in the public consciousness. The day before, the body of Michael Brown, a young black man fatally shot by a white police officer, was left lying for hours on a street in Ferguson, Mo., while a disparate group of people gathered in anger. | It wasn’t until the QuikTrip gas station was burned and looted on Aug. 10, 2014, that the protests began to take hold in the public consciousness. The day before, the body of Michael Brown, a young black man fatally shot by a white police officer, was left lying for hours on a street in Ferguson, Mo., while a disparate group of people gathered in anger. |
| What happened in Ferguson is often described as a catalyst — the beginning of a social justice movement that would sweep the nation. Five years later, the energy of the street protests has faded, but it carries on in national conversations about racial inequality, white privilege, reparations and police misconduct. It also lives on in the people who were there. | What happened in Ferguson is often described as a catalyst — the beginning of a social justice movement that would sweep the nation. Five years later, the energy of the street protests has faded, but it carries on in national conversations about racial inequality, white privilege, reparations and police misconduct. It also lives on in the people who were there. |
| [Michael Brown’s father called for a new investigation today. Read today’s live updates from Ferguson.] | [Michael Brown’s father called for a new investigation today. Read today’s live updates from Ferguson.] |
| These seven women and men represent the broad array of activists who emerged from the demonstrations in Ferguson. Their stories show the steep price that many paid as well as the opportunities they found to effect change. | These seven women and men represent the broad array of activists who emerged from the demonstrations in Ferguson. Their stories show the steep price that many paid as well as the opportunities they found to effect change. |
| Michael Brown Sr. avoids “ground zero,” the patch of asphalt on Canfield Drive where he arrived to find his son, whose body had been left under a blazing sun for hours. Over time, and with great difficulty, Mr. Brown, who jokes that his stern demeanor sometimes frightens strangers, has transformed himself from grieving, angry parent to full-time peace activist. | Michael Brown Sr. avoids “ground zero,” the patch of asphalt on Canfield Drive where he arrived to find his son, whose body had been left under a blazing sun for hours. Over time, and with great difficulty, Mr. Brown, who jokes that his stern demeanor sometimes frightens strangers, has transformed himself from grieving, angry parent to full-time peace activist. |
| The ability to forgive, he said, has been essential. “I turned my pain into purpose, and turned my anger into a positive,” he said. “And I’m not going to stop until I stop ticking.” After Michael Brown Jr. was killed, Mr. Brown and Lesley McSpadden, Michael’s mother and Mr. Brown’s ex-wife, shared a $1.5 million wrongful death settlement. Each parent has set up a charitable foundation. Mr. Brown now travels the nation trying to keep other families from experiencing the grief that only the parents of dead children know. | The ability to forgive, he said, has been essential. “I turned my pain into purpose, and turned my anger into a positive,” he said. “And I’m not going to stop until I stop ticking.” After Michael Brown Jr. was killed, Mr. Brown and Lesley McSpadden, Michael’s mother and Mr. Brown’s ex-wife, shared a $1.5 million wrongful death settlement. Each parent has set up a charitable foundation. Mr. Brown now travels the nation trying to keep other families from experiencing the grief that only the parents of dead children know. |
| He has marched with the relatives of other African-Americans killed by the police — Tamir Rice, Eric Garner and Akai Gurley, among them — and has lobbied Congress to fund body cameras for police departments. He speaks to whomever is willing to listen: elected officials, parents, children. “I go to elementary schools and I make sure I go talk to the worst and the baddest kids,” he said. | He has marched with the relatives of other African-Americans killed by the police — Tamir Rice, Eric Garner and Akai Gurley, among them — and has lobbied Congress to fund body cameras for police departments. He speaks to whomever is willing to listen: elected officials, parents, children. “I go to elementary schools and I make sure I go talk to the worst and the baddest kids,” he said. |
| Mr. Brown, 41, has spent the past month speaking about forgiveness to groups of prison inmates in South Carolina. “It’s something the guys really embrace because there is someone they want to forgive them,” he said. “They also have to forgive themselves. Their lives have stopped, but the world has kept on moving along.” | Mr. Brown, 41, has spent the past month speaking about forgiveness to groups of prison inmates in South Carolina. “It’s something the guys really embrace because there is someone they want to forgive them,” he said. “They also have to forgive themselves. Their lives have stopped, but the world has kept on moving along.” |
| Edward Crawford Jr. is the subject of one of the most memorable photographs taken during the Ferguson protests. In it, he wears an American flag T-shirt while hurling a blazing can of tear gas. The photo was reproduced on T-shirts and mugs. It helped The St. Louis Post-Dispatch win a Pulitzer Prize for photography. It even became a tattoo. | Edward Crawford Jr. is the subject of one of the most memorable photographs taken during the Ferguson protests. In it, he wears an American flag T-shirt while hurling a blazing can of tear gas. The photo was reproduced on T-shirts and mugs. It helped The St. Louis Post-Dispatch win a Pulitzer Prize for photography. It even became a tattoo. |
| The image led to a life of recognition for Mr. Crawford. Strangers approached him for his autograph. People sought him out for selfies. But friends say Mr. Crawford was never able to distance himself from the fame. “People would run up and want to take pictures with him, and he would be polite,” said Tony Rice, an activist who met Mr. Crawford during the protests. “But I don’t think I ever heard him mention it. It wasn’t something he talked about.” | The image led to a life of recognition for Mr. Crawford. Strangers approached him for his autograph. People sought him out for selfies. But friends say Mr. Crawford was never able to distance himself from the fame. “People would run up and want to take pictures with him, and he would be polite,” said Tony Rice, an activist who met Mr. Crawford during the protests. “But I don’t think I ever heard him mention it. It wasn’t something he talked about.” |
| And then, more than one year after the photo was taken, St. Louis County filed Ferguson-related charges against Mr. Crawford for interfering with a police officer and assault. The case was pending in May 2017 when Mr. Crawford was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head in the back seat of a car. He was 27. | And then, more than one year after the photo was taken, St. Louis County filed Ferguson-related charges against Mr. Crawford for interfering with a police officer and assault. The case was pending in May 2017 when Mr. Crawford was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head in the back seat of a car. He was 27. |
| Mr. Crawford never made any money from the photo. “We were working through ‘how to deal with being famous,’” Jerryl T. Christmas, his lawyer, said. On the day Mr. Crawford died, he had missed a meeting with Mr. Christmas about a plea deal that would have allowed him to avoid jail time. | Mr. Crawford never made any money from the photo. “We were working through ‘how to deal with being famous,’” Jerryl T. Christmas, his lawyer, said. On the day Mr. Crawford died, he had missed a meeting with Mr. Christmas about a plea deal that would have allowed him to avoid jail time. |
| Though Mr. Crawford’s death has been ruled a suicide, questions have persisted among those who knew him. He is one of at least six activists with connections to Ferguson who have died violently, some from apparent suicides. | Though Mr. Crawford’s death has been ruled a suicide, questions have persisted among those who knew him. He is one of at least six activists with connections to Ferguson who have died violently, some from apparent suicides. |
| Alisha Sonnier was an 18-year-old black woman preparing for college in August 2014, and so she saw the tragedy of Michael Brown’s death in very personal terms. They were the same age and preparing for the next chapters in their lives. Only he would never get to see it. | Alisha Sonnier was an 18-year-old black woman preparing for college in August 2014, and so she saw the tragedy of Michael Brown’s death in very personal terms. They were the same age and preparing for the next chapters in their lives. Only he would never get to see it. |
| She became a part of the nightly protests and, along with Jonathan Pulphus, a friend and classmate at St. Louis University, helped to start Tribe X, an activist group. They staged the first major “die-in” in St. Louis, during which protesters lay in the streets of a popular entertainment district. | She became a part of the nightly protests and, along with Jonathan Pulphus, a friend and classmate at St. Louis University, helped to start Tribe X, an activist group. They staged the first major “die-in” in St. Louis, during which protesters lay in the streets of a popular entertainment district. |
| Ms. Sonnier, now 23, said Ferguson was a “crash course in life” that helped to push her into activism. She worked on the political campaigns of local progressive candidates. She helped to introduce Bernie Sanders at an area rally during the 2016 presidential race. She has traveled to college campuses around the country to discuss student activism. | Ms. Sonnier, now 23, said Ferguson was a “crash course in life” that helped to push her into activism. She worked on the political campaigns of local progressive candidates. She helped to introduce Bernie Sanders at an area rally during the 2016 presidential race. She has traveled to college campuses around the country to discuss student activism. |
| She entered college wanting to become a biomedical engineer who made a lot of money. After Ferguson, she realized she needed to be in a job that would allow her to interact with people, she said. She is now expected to graduate in December with degrees in psychology and African-American studies. | She entered college wanting to become a biomedical engineer who made a lot of money. After Ferguson, she realized she needed to be in a job that would allow her to interact with people, she said. She is now expected to graduate in December with degrees in psychology and African-American studies. |
| In 2017, Ms. Sonnier transferred to the University of Missouri-St. Louis to distance herself from some of the emotional baggage of her earlier campus activism. She battled mental health issues, an experience that inspired her to try to organize a mental health fair in the city. “The most important thing to me in a career is not money,” she said. “I think about how do I want my career to impact my community and to impact the people in it.” | In 2017, Ms. Sonnier transferred to the University of Missouri-St. Louis to distance herself from some of the emotional baggage of her earlier campus activism. She battled mental health issues, an experience that inspired her to try to organize a mental health fair in the city. “The most important thing to me in a career is not money,” she said. “I think about how do I want my career to impact my community and to impact the people in it.” |
| About a week after Michael Brown was killed, DeRay Mckesson watched the chaotic protests unfold from his home in Minneapolis, where he worked in human resources for the city’s school district. “I remember sitting on the couch and being like, ‘I can’t give these internal speeches about my commitment to young people and not at least go for a weekend,’” Mr. Mckesson said. | About a week after Michael Brown was killed, DeRay Mckesson watched the chaotic protests unfold from his home in Minneapolis, where he worked in human resources for the city’s school district. “I remember sitting on the couch and being like, ‘I can’t give these internal speeches about my commitment to young people and not at least go for a weekend,’” Mr. Mckesson said. |
| He headed to Ferguson and became one of the most recognizable — and divisive — figures to emerge from the protests. | He headed to Ferguson and became one of the most recognizable — and divisive — figures to emerge from the protests. |
| Mr. Mckesson is praised for helping to shape the national conversation around race and policing, but he is also derided as a “celebrity activist” more interested in publicity than advancing the cause of social justice. Since the initial response to Ferguson, Mr. Mckesson, 34, has seen his Twitter following grow from 800 to a million. He has written a memoir and spent time among Hollywood’s black elite. | Mr. Mckesson is praised for helping to shape the national conversation around race and policing, but he is also derided as a “celebrity activist” more interested in publicity than advancing the cause of social justice. Since the initial response to Ferguson, Mr. Mckesson, 34, has seen his Twitter following grow from 800 to a million. He has written a memoir and spent time among Hollywood’s black elite. |
| “I think people use the phrase ‘celebrity activist’ as a way to distance me from the work, to say, ‘He is more focused on his platform than work,’” Mr. Mckesson said. “It’s never been true.” Mr. Mckesson said he leveraged the influence of celebrities to effect change. With other Ferguson activists he created Campaign Zero, an initiative to end police violence. The group has met with numerous presidential candidates. | “I think people use the phrase ‘celebrity activist’ as a way to distance me from the work, to say, ‘He is more focused on his platform than work,’” Mr. Mckesson said. “It’s never been true.” Mr. Mckesson said he leveraged the influence of celebrities to effect change. With other Ferguson activists he created Campaign Zero, an initiative to end police violence. The group has met with numerous presidential candidates. |
| Now Mr. Mckesson splits time between his native Baltimore, where he ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2016, and New York. Making a living through speaking, his book and a podcast, he continues to call for changes in policing and says he remains frustrated by the persistence of officer-involved shootings. “I was part of helping to change the conversation around the country and the world,” he said. “When less people are killed, I’ll be happy and proud.” | Now Mr. Mckesson splits time between his native Baltimore, where he ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2016, and New York. Making a living through speaking, his book and a podcast, he continues to call for changes in policing and says he remains frustrated by the persistence of officer-involved shootings. “I was part of helping to change the conversation around the country and the world,” he said. “When less people are killed, I’ll be happy and proud.” |
| In August 2014, Johnetta Elzie was attempting to pull her life back together. That year her mother had died of complications from lupus, and a friend in the St. Louis area had been killed by the police. She struggled through the anguish and was preparing for cosmetology school. Then came the death of Michael Brown. Ms. Elzie went to the scene that night and returned day after day, even as police officers showed up in riot gear and armored vehicles. | In August 2014, Johnetta Elzie was attempting to pull her life back together. That year her mother had died of complications from lupus, and a friend in the St. Louis area had been killed by the police. She struggled through the anguish and was preparing for cosmetology school. Then came the death of Michael Brown. Ms. Elzie went to the scene that night and returned day after day, even as police officers showed up in riot gear and armored vehicles. |
| Ms. Elzie became a fixture on the streets and an authority of the protests on Twitter. In 2016, she appeared on the cover of Essence. That was the peak before a downward spiral. Ms. Elzie, 30, said she was sexually assaulted that year. The trauma was especially difficult given that she had just spent two years protesting police violence. “It was like, ‘Do you call the police?’” she said. “And if I call the police, are they going to kill him, or kill me, or kill us both?” | Ms. Elzie became a fixture on the streets and an authority of the protests on Twitter. In 2016, she appeared on the cover of Essence. That was the peak before a downward spiral. Ms. Elzie, 30, said she was sexually assaulted that year. The trauma was especially difficult given that she had just spent two years protesting police violence. “It was like, ‘Do you call the police?’” she said. “And if I call the police, are they going to kill him, or kill me, or kill us both?” |
| She deleted her Twitter and Facebook accounts in the summer of 2017 and moved to San Francisco. She went from a constant presence online to disappearing from public view. | She deleted her Twitter and Facebook accounts in the summer of 2017 and moved to San Francisco. She went from a constant presence online to disappearing from public view. |
| She has since moved back to St. Louis and returned to social media, saying she wanted to tell her story as an example of the toll that nonstop activism can have on a person’s mental health. “I think I’ll always be a Ferguson protester,” she said, but now she has taken on more of a supporting role. “I’m more so, ‘If you need help, call me. If you need a sounding board, call me.’” | She has since moved back to St. Louis and returned to social media, saying she wanted to tell her story as an example of the toll that nonstop activism can have on a person’s mental health. “I think I’ll always be a Ferguson protester,” she said, but now she has taken on more of a supporting role. “I’m more so, ‘If you need help, call me. If you need a sounding board, call me.’” |
| Bassem Masri, the unofficial videographer of the Ferguson protest movement, was also one of its chief provocateurs. He won the admiration of fellow activists through his live video streams, which showed viewers — more than 10,000 on some nights — the street protests in real time. | Bassem Masri, the unofficial videographer of the Ferguson protest movement, was also one of its chief provocateurs. He won the admiration of fellow activists through his live video streams, which showed viewers — more than 10,000 on some nights — the street protests in real time. |
| In those streams, Mr. Masri waved his middle finger at the police and badgered shop owners armed with rifles. But amid 100 nights documenting the chaos with his iPhone, family and friends said, Mr. Masri struggled with money problems and addiction. | In those streams, Mr. Masri waved his middle finger at the police and badgered shop owners armed with rifles. But amid 100 nights documenting the chaos with his iPhone, family and friends said, Mr. Masri struggled with money problems and addiction. |
| An Arab-American amid mostly African-American demonstrators, Mr. Masri told friends he was drawn to the protests because the unrest reminded him of demonstrations in Palestine, where his family emigrated from. And like African-Americans, Mr. Masri knew the sting of police harassment, said his friend, Faizan Syed, executive director of the Missouri chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization. | An Arab-American amid mostly African-American demonstrators, Mr. Masri told friends he was drawn to the protests because the unrest reminded him of demonstrations in Palestine, where his family emigrated from. And like African-Americans, Mr. Masri knew the sting of police harassment, said his friend, Faizan Syed, executive director of the Missouri chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization. |
| Mr. Masri complained about being frequently pulled over for minor traffic violations and speeding. Those violations led to $3,000 in municipal court fees and, when he could not pay them, stints in jail, Mr. Syed said. Mr. Masri ultimately lost his driver’s license. | Mr. Masri complained about being frequently pulled over for minor traffic violations and speeding. Those violations led to $3,000 in municipal court fees and, when he could not pay them, stints in jail, Mr. Syed said. Mr. Masri ultimately lost his driver’s license. |
| When the protests — which had given him a sense of purpose — fizzled out, Mr. Masri became a pariah because he had supported an African-American cause that many Arab-Americans did not understand, Mr. Syed said. “He was a social outcast in the Arab community,” Mr. Syed said. Soon, Mr. Masri drifted into serious drug use, even as he spoke about entering politics. | When the protests — which had given him a sense of purpose — fizzled out, Mr. Masri became a pariah because he had supported an African-American cause that many Arab-Americans did not understand, Mr. Syed said. “He was a social outcast in the Arab community,” Mr. Syed said. Soon, Mr. Masri drifted into serious drug use, even as he spoke about entering politics. |
| Instead, a few days after Thanksgiving in 2018, he was found dead of a fentanyl overdose on a bus. He was 31. | Instead, a few days after Thanksgiving in 2018, he was found dead of a fentanyl overdose on a bus. He was 31. |
| After months of protesting on the streets of Ferguson, Fran Griffin could not help but be disturbed by the actions of local officials. “The people that were supposed to represent us did not,” she said. “I knew that something had to be done.” | After months of protesting on the streets of Ferguson, Fran Griffin could not help but be disturbed by the actions of local officials. “The people that were supposed to represent us did not,” she said. “I knew that something had to be done.” |
| Ferguson was personal for Ms. Griffin. Unlike many of the people who descended upon the streets in 2014, she had lived in the city since 2005, moving there to help build a better life for her children. After seeing what she felt was a slow response from city leaders, Ms. Griffin decided to dive into the political process by attending City Council meetings. | Ferguson was personal for Ms. Griffin. Unlike many of the people who descended upon the streets in 2014, she had lived in the city since 2005, moving there to help build a better life for her children. After seeing what she felt was a slow response from city leaders, Ms. Griffin decided to dive into the political process by attending City Council meetings. |
| She joined a steering committee that was created to review police department policies as part of Ferguson’s settlement with the Justice Department. In 2016, Ms. Griffin challenged a longtime Ferguson city councilman with a write-in campaign. She lost that race but established herself as a leader. | She joined a steering committee that was created to review police department policies as part of Ferguson’s settlement with the Justice Department. In 2016, Ms. Griffin challenged a longtime Ferguson city councilman with a write-in campaign. She lost that race but established herself as a leader. |
| Ms. Griffin, 38, was one of many African-Americans to turn to politics in the aftermath of the unrest in Ferguson, but unlike many, she considers herself an activist. She challenged the incumbent again this year — as well as Michael Brown’s mother, Ms. McSpadden. This time, she won. | Ms. Griffin, 38, was one of many African-Americans to turn to politics in the aftermath of the unrest in Ferguson, but unlike many, she considers herself an activist. She challenged the incumbent again this year — as well as Michael Brown’s mother, Ms. McSpadden. This time, she won. |
| As a councilwoman, Ms. Griffin said she was focused on amplifying the voices of those in her community. When a new Ferguson police chief was recently being hired, Ms. Griffin said, she championed a town hall in which residents got to hear from the candidates directly. “I never ever in my wildest dreams thought I’d be a politician,” she said. “It definitely gave me a greater sense of responsibility to an entire community.” | As a councilwoman, Ms. Griffin said she was focused on amplifying the voices of those in her community. When a new Ferguson police chief was recently being hired, Ms. Griffin said, she championed a town hall in which residents got to hear from the candidates directly. “I never ever in my wildest dreams thought I’d be a politician,” she said. “It definitely gave me a greater sense of responsibility to an entire community.” |
| VIDEO: Google Earth imagery of the patch of asphalt on Canfield Drive where Michael Brown Sr. arrived five years ago to find the body of his son, Michael Brown Jr. Produced by Sasha Portis. | VIDEO: Google Earth imagery of the patch of asphalt on Canfield Drive where Michael Brown Sr. arrived five years ago to find the body of his son, Michael Brown Jr. Produced by Sasha Portis. |