IN ST. LOUIS AND FERGUSON POLICE HARRASS BLACK’S WITH TICKETS
By Pamela Muhammad

Black people in the St. Louis Metro including those living in Ferguson, Mo. have been the victims of an intricate traffic ticket scheme in which race is the factor. As early as 1878 a drawing of a man known as the Veiled Prophet was exhibited in St. Louis. The man in the picture is dressed like a Klansman brandishing a pistol in one hand and a rifle in the other. This historical St. Louis figure symbolizes the white mans intention to rule and patrol the City. In a City where the legal decision in the case of Dred Scott is a reminder that a Black man’s rights should not be respected by a white man, the subjugation of Black people is done among other ways by intense racial profiling by police with a purpose of ticketing and harassing them.

St. Louis is a city where many of todays’ youth have not been taught the truth of Black history in America and do not know why they as black people are disproportionately treated as a despised race in America. The youth see the perception that has been created in America and promoted thru negative stereotypes that attempt to label them as dumb, violent, criminals, poor, lazy and disrespectful. The protest arising out of St. Louis today shows the strength of these youth and that their anger is finally turning toward the source of their oppression. The truth is causing these youth to rise up and demand answers not found in the integrationist doctrine they have been educated on.

In St. Louis , including Ferguson our experience is one where Black people in general, especially Black fathers and brothers and uncles are systematically and disproportionately stopped, ticketed and arrested by over reaching and abusive police. The objective of this operation is to impose a reign of terror and force the Blacks to act in a manner acceptable to whites thru police actions of constant monitoring and subjugation of the will. Another objective is to feed the economy with the hard earned money of Blacks thru the assessment and collection of high fines in the justice system. Race is a motivating factor for these traffic stops and this behavior toward black is a badge and incident of Slavery done in violation of the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution. In the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown why are we still hearing people make reference to genetics and biology as they draw comparisons to the alleged criminality of Black men. Statements such as these reflect the belief that has justified slavery in America, that Blacks are genetically inferior.

Cities like Ferguson Missouri are a microcosm of the macrocosm says the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. I believe the neglect of youth has allowed an enemy to shape these youth by poor education and encouraging access to drugs and other vices. These factors in my opinion have made it possible for the white justice system to oppress Black youth by use of allegations of petty offenses similar to the Black Codes, with the results being excessive fines and onerous conditions of probation.

In the St. Louis Metro area it is hard for people to drive across the 93 municipalities without getting a ticket, it can sometimes feel like walking a tight rope a thousand feet up for black youth. Youth driving while black are easy prey often profiled stopped, ticketed and many time arrested for outstanding failure to pay old tickets. These huge fines and difficult probations are cruel and unusual punishment and are as impossible to complete as the poll taxes, and literacy test of the Black Codes. To some it appears to be legalized extortion. A person’s court date many times requires them to stand in long lines for 3 -4 hours to pay fines or plead your case. The struggle to maintain respectability as law abiding citizens and to survive without further incident drives those victimized by this web of fines to successfully complete the punishment.

Some people due to poverty fail to pay and cannot keep up with these fines, and thus walk around with warrant on their head for failure to appear as fugitives. Average fines can range from $200.00 and up. Upon failing to pay these fines some youth may out of frustration begin to feel like the rebels they have been portrayed as. There are streets in St. Louis Metro you dare not drive or walk down. Police officers are so motivated to collect fines they have even examined parked cars running license plates and then will knock on residential doors to haul residents from their home to jails. Random check points where licenses are ran for warrants are routine. An arrest can result in you being picked up and transported from one jail to another in each municipality, where money is demanded in order to get a release. No credit is given for time served so it is like a debtor’s prison. I even saw an older lady be subjected to serial ticketing for allegedly failing to control her weeds

This harassment is reminiscent of the system of convict leasing where manufactured charges and petty offenses are used to justify the collection of high fines. Tactics are employed to inflame anger such as in cases where police are physical aggressive and abuse their authority, so as to provoke counter responses and then charge the victim with the crimes such as Assault on Police Officer or Resisting Arrest. Most egregious conduct is the outright domination and use of excessive force by police acting under the color of State law that we see in the killing of Michael Brown.

Anger has been building in this St. Louis area for a long time. The strong response shown by the youth is an exercise of their desire for Freedom. The knowledge that they are not alone gives them hope. Unity is on the uprise. Lets teach the youth the History!