Youth in Ferguson: 'I want more for my city than what it is now'

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Tanesha Nesbitt and Terran Tippett across the street from where Michael Brown was killed
Austin Federa

Last August KBIA's news team filed this report from Ferguson, Missouri.

As demonstrations continue in Ferguson Missouri in response to the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown, youth in the community are grappling with what is happening in their community. A team of KBIA reporters on Thursday went to the apartment complex where Brown was shot five days earlier to have conversations with young people about the past and future of their town.

A community memorial in the street where Michael Brown was shot and killed
Credit Austin Federa / KBIA

    

Two of the young people we spoke with were Paris Stanley, a 19 year old lifeguard, and 20 year old Ryan Addision, both of Ferguson. They spoke with us about day-to-day life in Ferguson before the shooting, and how the community has come together since. 

NOTE: In some of the following interviews, you will hear allegations of specific illegal activities. KBIA has not contacted the entities involved to confirm or deny the allegations, but decided to instead present the raw interviews as they were gathered in the field.

PARIS_FULL.mp3
Our full interview with Paris Stanley, a 19 year old lifeguard from Ferguson, and 20 year old Ryan Addison, also of Ferguson

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"You can see the guilt powered up in the faces of those who know this is not right. But they don’t have the heart or the courage to speak for it cause they scared. The police officers on the force are scared, the ones who come forwards they scared to come forwards because they scared of the other ones. How you scared of your own kind? You know what I’m saying? Nobody’s equal here."

 Tanesha Nesbitt lives in the apartment unit across the street from where Michael Brown was shot. She and Terran Tippett sat on their steps holding a homemade sign, "R.I.P. Mike Brown." She recalled with us the day of the shooting, and her experience in its aftermath.  

But we go through this every day, we get profiled just even by living in this area, it's like now what do you do?

        

TANISHA_full.mp3
Full interview with Tanesha Nesbitt

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Katie Hiler is a former reporter for KBIA, who left at the end of 2014.
Austin Federa left KBIA in May of 2015.
Hope Kirwan left KBIA in September 2015.
A curious Columbia, Mo. native, Bram Sable-Smith has documented mbira musicians in Zimbabwe, mining protests in Chile, and the St. Louis airport's tumultuous relationship with the Chinese cargo business. His reporting from Ferguson, Mo. was part of a KBIA documentary honored by the Missouri Broadcasters Association and winner of a national Edward R. Murrow Award. He comes to KBIA most recently from the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine.
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