We’ve seen images from Ferguson, Missouri, for almost two weeks now. Here’s a little of what I saw on Wednesday, in both St. Louis and Ferguson, as I met with journalists and newsrooms here to cover the story. (Photos by Kristen Hare)
Newspapers pile up on a table in Santiago Carlos Ayulo’s office at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We’ve just been going loud and proud because this is the most important thing from the day,” said Ayulo, assistant managing editor of editing and presentation.
A note between desks at St. Louis Public Radio. The station recently spent $3,000 on riot gear. “But of course you can’t interview anybody with a gas mask on,” said Margaret Freivogel, editor.
Two journalists were arrested at the McDonald’s on Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, but with air conditioning, Wi-Fi, outlets and food, it’s still a hub for journalists.
These signs dotted the side of the road on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson on Wednesday. In the background, police began blocking the road before dark.
Elite Liquor in Ferguson is, as the sign says, open. Employee Khalil Qondah sat outside on Wednesday evening, smoking a cigarette. Qondah, a Palestinian, has lived in the U.S. for 25 years. His mother, six brothers and seven sisters live in Gaza and Jordan and call him every day to make sure he’s safe. “I told them, it’s not between white and black. A lot of white people and black people live together. There’s freedom here.”
Storm clouds added to the sunset Wednesday in Ferguson. The parking lot of the Northland Shopping Center on West Florissant Avenue is both a staging ground for the Missouri National Guard and media satellite trucks.
A gas mask and a vest in the parking lot of Northland Shopping Center in Ferguson. On Wednesday night, neither were necessary.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper gets ready to go on air in Ferguson. The area around Cooper was taped off, but people still stopped to take selfies with Cooper in the background.
Roses left on the sidewalk of West Florissant Avenue. In past nights, people, including Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, handed roses to protesters.
Some journalists tweeted that the ratio of journalist to protestor was 1 to 1. I didn’t count, but there were a lot of journalists out Wednesday night, along with people who still wanted to talk.
