Ago. Christa, thank you so much for joining us today. Me. Hanks for having so we saw, as the events in three unholded unfolded three years ago, why take a look at this issue now pieceis magazine well, its something ive been curious about for a long time. For americanity media is that we often Pay Attention when something really dontppens and then we check in again. In theas curious, aftermath of this, what sort of initiatives have been taken, has any healing in the community. So when i started this new beat as our heartland correspondent, of my firstouis one stops and i was very interested by what i found. Piece,arly on in this you compare the people in to those in selma. Explain. What are the similarities there that you saw to make that comparison . That. Cameat comparison actually from reverend darrell gray, whom i interviewed for the piece. He is a longtime civil rights activist. Been active in the original Civil Rights Movement and has come to st. Louis. Based in a church in montreal but hes been very active in st. Louis, in these in the broader movement. And the reason as best i that heod, the reason compares this to selma is because selma was a very tough to crack. Part of what helped to crack that was a very intentional to involve white allies. And thats something that doing veryo intentionally in st. Louis. Just like. Louis, selma, has the potential to really help make a big National Level a if theyre successful there. Thats slirnl what theyre theyre working toward. We are joined by christa case bryant, a heartland correspondent for the christian monitor, to talk about her current piece on Race Relations in the st. Louis after the 2014 ferguson riots there. We have a special line for st. Louis residents. If you live in or near st. Louis, please call 2027488003. You painthrista, can us a general picture . What is the mood in st. Louis, afterwards . Ars do you see things like protests . Back to normale if you dont talk to the people . What did you see . Only theresh, i was for a week, so i cant pretend to explain the mood everywhere. The people whom i spoke with, they were actually quite hopeful. Went to south africa about six years after the end of apartheid. Remember there was some a commitment to having really frank conversations about things. Was a realization that wow, just because apartheid ended doesnt mean that were all set and everything is great now. But theres hope. Momentum. S good and it was very similar in st. Louis, i felt. Was very, very frank conversations going on, a recognition that its not comfortable to have these kind conversations. But its really important and its really vital. And what was interesting is that it wasnt just the people you would expect who would be having those conversations, either who are personally affected by racial enequities in who have or people studied this in school or, you a particular lifelong or Career Interest in these issues. Its just regular, everyday people who feel like this isnt right. Its not right that i dont know neighbors who live five miles away from me. Its not right being a parent cityaising children in a where theyre getting the wrong otheron about the side. So it was really refreshing and interesting to see how theyre that. Ng i would say theres still a sober mood. Theres some frustration that after ferguson, there hasnt been a lot of change in sort of a systemic way. Think the conversations that residents are having and the way that theyre trying to the envelope gives them a lot of energy and hope and momentum. So we frequently discuss about how the issue of race isnt just for people within communities of color, that everybody has an interest in it. Read a passage from your piece that talks about how it can be tough sometimes for other people to be a part of this. Want to, and awe lot of white people want to jump healing without really reckoning with the history and hurts. Trust and the deep david dwight, a member of forward through ferguson. Thatou have to deal with first, before you can get to healing. The reckoning with history taking place there, that required before, as youdwight put it, before can get to that reckoning . Yes, i think theres a lot way. Done in that im sure much more can be done but seems like theres a good start. That is theres a woman i met named tiffany who started a group called touchy tuesday. And this came out of an incident in her neighborhood, shortly after Michael Brown had been killed in ferguson. Herher man was killed in neighborhood. And she just saw the neighborhood splitting and way that madea her very uncomfortable. She didnt want to have to sides. Between two she didnt want her kids to have to choose. Neighborhood meeting and got talking with white neighbors of hers. Shes africanamerican. To gety just decided together for coffee. And she is a woman of faith and praying about how can i be a blessing to my community here. And the answer she got was to start this group called touchy topics tuesday. A very simpleth question, which is, what about my skin offends you . That might not sound like something digging into history of seging at panders that gaition patterns of segregation in st. Louis over time. Sort of simple questions and an answer desire to get answers that is helping conversations and somen her group, she had white participants who she got to be pretty close with. Found that there were some mismatched expectations. Ended up having some really significant difficulties in their relationship, which they had to work through. So she and this friend of hers were telling me about that. To work through that and the commitment that that took. That was. Portant and i think thats an example. Per se. About history but its sort of like all of the things that history has caused. We are today and how they were working through that on a personal level. Then i think, on a broader level, another group i spoke with is called we story by two suburban moms. They started this basically a parentsgroup for wanting to read books to their kids that would spark conversations about race and racism. And theyve been really encouraging their community of participants and alumni to devil into history delve into st. Louis. Theres a fantastic exhibit at the History Museum right now about civil rights in st. Louis. And it was a really impressive exhibit and theyre also doing interactive things and theyve of groups go in there. Helping to at thats helping to spark conversations and more understanding about that history st. Louis. Okay. Brian is calling on our independent line from georgia. Morning. Good morning. Abouting i want to say race, we as a country have i my opinion, have been serious enough about problem of race, because its a problem. And its been a problem for hundreds of years now. And we keep seems like to me we just keep going in circles. We recognize its a problem. Really doing enough to solve the problem, herese we all got to live at the end of the day. And we all have lives. Do whatre going to were gonna do. But weve still got to be able together. So ferguson, i think, has done a really good job. Its like that everywhere. Its not just ferguson. Fergusonhear about because it actually blew up into a riot. But in the hood, around the here in atlanta, you know, its like that. Police. , you see the if youre a black man, like im a black man, your see the police. And and, of course, you feel a grow upeery and you with it. It shouldnt be like that. I remember one time, i got police. By the i was with my white friend. She happened to be a female. We walking down the street. Police run up on us. They tell my friend to go walk up the street. Stop me and put me up against the tree and want to search me. Saying . Rstand what im i want to give christa a that. To respond to go ahead. Well, did you have a specific question . Or just. Respond to the mood that this isnt just an issue for st. Louis and the surrounding areas. You get a sense that, from the people you talked to there even, about sort of the National Impact of all of this . Sure. Well, i think, to the callers definitely as frustration that, you know, reallyis even had some great civil rights activists, going way back, even before some nationalses that made news, like with the lunch counter sitins, things like that. That theres a pride in history, theres also a frustration, like weve been thanng with this for more 100 years, 200 years even, and here . Me were still i think many people around the country, including some white would totally what youre saying would totally resonate with them. To start somewhere. And you have to keep pressing forward. And that is what was inspiring to me about the example i saw in st. Louis, is that even though like,ld feel a little bit havent we been here before . We raised this so long ago. See any we cant systemic change . Theres still a feeling of and determination that we need to press forward. And i think theres hope in that amongis an awakening people who dont live in the hood, who dont experience that on a daily level, but theyre realizing its part of their problem too. Its their city, their neighbors, and they want to be involved as well. I want to talk about some of the activism that you encountered. Namedlked with someone elisa sullivan. It says elisa never expected to get thrown in jail. She had no inclination to join protest. But there came a point where sullivan concluded that it was ate dangerous for her to sit home, ignoring what she now sees Justice System for black and white people, than to drive her minivan downtown and face to face with police in riot gear. Talk about the activism that came out of this event. Think alyssa is a really great example. When ferguson happened, she felt like, ooh, thats a little scary. Thats like i feel really involved the people and for the things coming to light but it doesnt really feel i should or could be involved in. That shenk the way started learning and digging into some of these issues and understanding them better and thinking about what is my role justy responsibility, not to my immediate community, which she has always been very my broader, but to community. So then when the stockley andict came down this fall, that was a nonguilty verdict for another white policeman, in another shooting of an africanamerican man, she felt compelled to join the protests. She did. Had this experience that she never imagined she would have had. I think it was really eye opening to her but also her even more to be more committed and involved. Ginger is on the line, calling from st. Louis, missouri. Good morning. Good morning. I think there are a lot of things id like to touch on. That in st. Louis, you know or you knew theres and imew police chief hoping great things for us. But you knew that if you were was pulled over, it was a black kid pulled over, even in crestwood. Like in youd go to the mall. Always pulled over, a black in a car, never white. You begin to think, gosh, theres something wrong. That i talkbusiness with people of varying economics. Me thatld say things to would disappoint me. I would hear the n word and think, oh, my god. You . You have stature, you have an education. And you say that . And they dont do that anymore, because theyve learned that thats not how i feel. I think there are great things going on in st. Louis right now. Groups and they are forming and it may be, you know, weause of trump and what feel like is going on, on a grander scale. Know here in st. Louis, things are not fair. In mys never been fair, life, and i am 56 years old. Groups. Joined i was a volunteer in the school system. I think its very important for white people to stand up and say, huhuh. Thats not right. Thats what i try to do. All right. Christa a chance to respond. Go ahead. I think theres an element in similar toon, thats the previous question, of just, we keep working at that. How come we havent seen significant change . When thet reminded caller was speaking about something i heard from senator George Mitchell about his brokering peace in north africa. Sorry. Northern ireland. He said i dont remember how many meetings it was, but dozens of negotiation meetings. And after every single one, you could say, well, thats a failure. Dont have a peace tea deal ye. Point, they did have a deal. She just emphasized how he emphasized how important each of those meetings had been in helping the two sides understand each other and know each other better and work toward that final solution. So i think you dont know exactly when that last little tap on the chisel will break down, but i think its important to keep chipping away and thats what i saw among spoke with in st. Louis. Thats encouraging. All right. We are joined with the christian monitors christa case bryant, talking about a piece she wrote in the magazine for racepublication about relations in st. Louis. More than three years after the riots there. 2027488000. And independence, 2027488002. Are in st. Louis, you can 8003. Christa, you bring up the issue of samerace issues. That, you tell the story of a asck Police Officer as well captain johnson. I want to play a piece of video piece. Nying your lets take a look at that. Anomaly. On wasnt an those of us that have been around werent surprised. When you operate in a capacity that doesnt coincide with the community that youre policing, then that causes problems. When you dont change that, and the community that you serve feels like theyre being abused, then at some point, its going over. L [music] africanamerican men, i had a fear for themyou too. Just like everybody else, its not guaranteed what kind of officer theyre going to run into. They think, yall are supposed to stick together. Doesnt always work like that. We have officers that dont deserve to wear this badge. An unfortunate thing. So i have that same fear, you sons. For my that motivates me to do two things. To reach as Many Community i can and also to make it so that officers that dont this job, then go do something else. Dont make it hard on the rest of us. Make the communities fearful of who you are. A lot of officers dont see it that, you know, there are communities out there that are afraid. Theres such a lack of trust with Police Agencies nationwide. Agencies, we have to do a better job of engaging our community and building that trust. When you think about it. If youre able to engage the work is aur police lot easier, because they dont feel as apprehensive about you, and theyth become an asset. That should be the goal for any police department, nationwide, your communities assets to you. The end result is to combat the crime thatsthe happening. Got to goeep weve out there. Weve got to help heal our communities as well as ourselves. Christa, we have a lot of callers. But first, talk about what you of effort to alleviate distrust between the police and the community. Think captain johnson and also Sergeant Lowe, who you mentioned, who had been ambushed africanamerican man, and shot many, many times andugh the windshield miraculously survived, i think they both are right on those healing thatf divide and working really hard at it. But its tough. Ofhink another component that, which captain johnson alluded to is theres been a really significant spike in Violent Crime in st. Louis. Going off the 2015 f. B. I. Numbers, it was the number one place for murders per capita in the entire country. Those numbers held steady in 2016. And i think they were on track about that or even higher this year. So whether youre black or whether youre a good, upstanding Police Officer or 10 thathe, you know, captain johnson talked about needing to be reformed or switched out of the police department, i think youre deeply affected by that environment. Policing really hard. So the work that captain johnson and Sergeant Lowe are doing to trust among their own community is really vital. Okay. Democraticn the line, from tallahassee, florida. Good morning. Yes. Good morning. Year. Ppy new ive truly been enjoying cspan. Have wonderful history programs regarding on the aspan 2 and 3 that give us lot of insight. Its like distant learning it brings into the homes. Is,omment and question first, who benefits . From the whiteness, as political elites and employers lowwage labor, it seems gets to create this boundary of whiteness. Nail painter is a historian who history of white people. And it would be good to get her on, in light of this discussion, where we are. It seems to me that there is have alike and i 90yearold mother this morning aat im fixing breakfast for, black woman who is 90. There was a woman that called in from philadelphia. She said she was 80. And that she was a sunday school teacher. I sit this morning with a 90yearold black mother who is church, and so this somehowusing god to then put forward a Political Part of it seems, is a this problem as well. We live in a country where we history where we now in discussing race as a part of almost like its a club and that therefore theres a white club. And so a club, of course, has members. To usther often talks about being sick and tired of being sick and tired. Want to give christa a chance to address some of the issues that you brought up. Economicke one was the factor. Another was the role that religion might play in this divide. , did you find people talking about those issues . Yes. People that i the spoke with really saw this as a one way oristry, another. Cory bush, who is running for pastor of as a church ch when ferguson happened, she was really feeling thats where she was being led to bring the best blessing could. Ling that she and she told me that people beld tell her, you shouldnt out there. Youre out with the devil. She said to them, i didnt know i was supposed to run for the devil, because its love that pushes out hate. Its light that pushes out the darkness. Shes just one example of people divinel a real sense of mission in this work. Reverend gray is another one. Somenk there may be instances where religion is used in a negative way in had also can be a powerful force for good. And what about the economic factors . How that may make things more difficult. Yes, definitely. Thats a huge part of what the commission looked at in the wake of the Michael Brown killing and the riots that ensued. Its also something that reverend gray and other front protests are working on. They were purposefully staging areas of, like, Shopping Centers and malls, not just downtown but in western suburbs where they really wanted to make a disruption to the felt likeecause they just like in selma, thats what peoplestting attention. Once the Business Leaders say, look, we cant have this when real change happens. Okay. John is on the line, from virginia, on our democ