FERGUSON: A peaceful Ferguson came together Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving and recover from violent protests that erupted when a police officer was not charged in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager.
Visible signs of the turbulence of recent days were armed National Guard troops and Humvees posted at shopping malls and bleak-looking boarded-up stores.
But for the first time this week, there were no signs of any major protests in the St Louis suburb, which reeled from Monday's decision by a Missouri grand jury not to charge a white policeman who shot dead 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9.
Residents kept out of the cold, spending the holiday with friends and family, attending church services and beautifying boarded-up stores.
"I believe God enough to know we will rebuild," said Reverend Carlton Lee, the pastor at Flood Christian Church, which was burnt beyond repair during the violence on Monday.
He spoke at a service at the nearby Wellspring Church, saying he had received death threats and was devastated to watch the building go up in flames.
Life would carry on, Lee said.
Sunday service will be held in a heated tent in the parking lot and the church, where Brown's father reportedly worshipped, set up an online appeal for $50,000 to rebuild. So far, it has attracted $2,000.
Comments
Comments are closed.