bruce photo series about people protesting in ferguson missouri after mike brown killing

People Of Ferguson: A Photo Series (Pt. 3)

August 21, 2014 - 3:33 pm by Aliya S. King

On August 15, 2014, photojournalist Antonio Thompson explored the streets of Ferguson to get a sense of the people and their mission. Their stories are both common and unique—inspiring and hopeful. These are the people of Ferguson—in their own words.

See: People Of Ferguson: A Photo Series (Pt. 1)
See: People Of Ferguson: A Photo Series (Pt. 2)

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Bruce

“People stereotype me because of my appearance: My tattoos. The way that I carry myself. But I come from this community. I have a 16-year-old son. I’m a college graduate, an artist, a husband and an active business owner with my wife. This is not about black or white. This is about police brutality. This is about violence in the community. MY community. And I’m here protesting because I care.”

skky hi photo series about people protesting in ferguson missouri after mike brown killing

“Skky Hi”“There’s nowhere else in this world I’d rather be right now than in the middle of this revolution. I care about what’s happening here, and I’ll be here to show my support.”

anthony gray photo series about people protesting in ferguson missouri after mike brown killing

Anthony Gray (Brown family attorney)“This community is understandably outraged. I’m here for the family to keep the focus on peace and calm. Let’s not get distracted by these things that are meant to assassinate [Michael Brown’s] character. Nothing changes the ultimate question – what happened to Michael Brown when he allegedly had his hands raised in the air? That’s what we’ve got to keep our focus on and that’s what people want to know.”

brian and family photo series about people protesting in ferguson missouri after mike brown killing

Brian (pictured with wife and family)“I love Ferguson. It’s a progressive community, with coffee shops and a brewery. We go to the farmer’s market every weekend. It’s a place that I chose to raise my family. It’s a place where I’ve maintained good relationships with my neighbors as well as members of the police force. But obviously, I’m realizing that there are experiences that people are having that are much different than mine, which is troubling. Still, Ferguson is a great place, and I hope that, in spite of all of this, we don’t lose sight of the fact that many people love it here because it’s a great town.”

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