The signs of protesters are telling. Their signs can be filled with messages of love, humor, guidance, warning, threats or inspiration.
The signs of protesters also can show the degree of socio-political consciousness of the people, the temperament of the people and direction a movement is heading.
In Ferguson, Mo. and in cities around the U.S., the signs of protesters in the Ferguson rebellion— sparked by the August 9th brutal murder of unarmed black teen, Michael Brown, by a white police officer — speaks volumes to all who would just read the signs carried by protesters.
Michael Brown Sr. carried a sign, “Ferguson Police Just Executed My Unarmed Son,” while the entire Ferguson community stood beside him in peaceful street protests with signs that read: “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” “Justice for Mike Brown,” “Police the Police” and “Jail Killer Cops.”
The Missouri political establishment responded to the peaceful assemblies with physical force, mass arrests and military occupation. The signs of protesters then read: “Stop Racist Police Terror,”“We Won’t Cease ’til Darren Wilson is Charged,” “No! National Guard, Military Occupation, Curfew in Ferguson,” and “We want Justice Now for Michael Brown.”
Signs carried by black youth were straight forward messages that read, “Murder Is Murder,”“Am I Next?” and “We Want Justice Now.”
Solidarity was also expressed by white, Latino/a and Asian protesters with signs that read: “How Long Will White People Keep Trying To Justify Murdering Black People?” “Africans and La Raza United Against Police Brutality,” “Blackness is Not a Weapon, But Police Brutality, Racial Profiling and Systemic Racism is!” and “End U.S.’s Institutional Racism Against Black and Brown People.”
Ferguson protesters even demonstrated their awareness of the interrelation of foreign and domestic struggles against the neocolonial U.S. ruling class in signs that boldly read: “We Are Ferguson, We Are Gaza, We Are Human,” “Resistance Is Justified From Ferguson To Gaza” and“Support the Ferguson Rebellion.”
Despite the State government’s attempts at suppressing the Ferguson rebellion, the protesting continued, their signs of resistance continued reading: “We Are All Michael Brown,” “The Media, Open Your Eyes # Mike Brown,” and “We Will Survive.”
I am Kerry “Shakaboona” Marshall, founding member of the Human Rights Coalition, Co-founder and Editor of The Movement Magazine, Prison Radio Correspondent and can be reached at: SCI-Rockview, Box-A, #BE-7826, Bellefonte, PA 16823.
Thank you for listening
