Home Town Thoughts

I wanted to post Saturday with the peach pie recipe.  And then I wanted to post Sunday with the peach pie recipe and pics of celebrating Peach Month with G.  And then I wanted to post pics of little J-man celebrating Peach Month with peach juice running all down his right arm.  And I still want to post all of that.  But that will simply have to wait until tomorrow or the next day.

I have too much on my mind at the moment that I want to express.  As some of you know, we live in the now famous town of Ferguson, Missouri.  And it’s that notoriety that Ferguson is now “enjoying” that I want to talk about.  A simple Google search of riots in Ferguson, Missouri will fill you in on any back story that you may have missed.

Let me begin by telling myself this: "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful that it may benefit those who listen."  Some of you reading will recognize this as an admonishment from Paul to the Ephesian church. Others may not know that, but you will simply see this as good advice for most to live by.  So many have said so much about the situation here in Ferguson that I'm not sure I can add anything to the conversation, but my hope is that whatever I say here is indeed helpful and of benefit to those who take the time to read.

If your primary exposure to Ferguson has been what you have heard in the news in the last 48 hours, I would like to offer you another viewpoint.  I can understand if you would be afraid to come here.  I can understand if it sounds like we have "bad" police or a city out of control.  But I want to simply ask you to consider a couple of things beyond the obvious of praying for the family who have lost a son or those who are trying to restore order while investigating and pursuing justice.

I have now lived in Ferguson for 32 years as of 8/3/2014.  I was pregnant with my oldest son, S, when we moved in.  Did I expect to stay in this house for 32 years?  No, of course not, but for any number of reasons too long to enumerate here, I am still living in this same house where I raised four babies into children and teens and finally adults.  I have watched this town change around us a lot in that time frame.  Property values have declined.  Businesses have struggled to survive as well, so many have left.  BUT many have also stayed.  And to the dismay of a lot of us, those businesses that have stayed have either endured great losses over the last 48 hours or are in danger of losing much unless cooler heads prevail.  It is still quite surreal that all of this has taken place in our backyard.  

Despite what you may have seen in the news, there are a number of GOOD things happening in this city.  For example, our leaders have not only been fiscally responsible, but by so doing, they've been able to build a surplus such that we can pursue some renewed urban planning and development.  It isn't something that you will hear about often, but Ferguson fire department covers for a couple of surrounding communities who either can't afford a standing fire department or can only afford to man their fire station every other day. Our mayor and council members have a vision for Ferguson that can benefit many for a long time to come.  The last few years have brought a revitalization of the downtown district with local destinations for food and wine and even a micro brewery.  We even have a new community center opening on September 20.  That seems almost ironic in light of the last few days.

I wish I could figure out how to express these next thoughts to those who may be feeling beat up by media, citizens, investigators, etc.  I have met a few of our Ferguson police.  They come regularly to our neighborhood association meetings.  They lead neighborhood watches.  They enlist citizens to assist with working security for events.  In other words, they care.  They build relationships with the citizens that they are employed to protect and serve.  Ferguson doesn't have a reputation for having a corrupt police force.  We just don't.   The Ferguson police are NOT the enemy - UNLESS you MAKE them the enemy.  At which point, it is their job to enforce the laws.  Law.  Remember when the law mattered and was respected?  Remember when those who wore uniforms were respected as the authoritative representatives of that respected law?  It is hard to imagine why anyone would sign up to attend the police academy and take on the job these days.  But thankfully there are people who do.  And the ones who are serving here in Ferguson are, on the whole, dedicated, just, fair, giving - good neighbors, if you will.  Please do your best to hear that and respect those who keep showing up, taking on unpredictable situations that most of us would run from as quickly as possible.

I guess that's about all that I wanted to say.  I suppose that I needed to articulate these to myself as much as anything, remind myself that all is not loss and looting and fires and tear gas in Ferguson, even today.  There is still reason for hope, reason to believe that good things are possible and even in the works.  I'm sorry that we are being portrayed so negatively in the national news.  I realize that hearing this side of the story of Ferguson isn't what news outlets are interested in hearing, but I feel compelled to express them nonetheless.  

For those of you who have taken the time to read, thank you.  I hope what I said was helpful and of some benefit to you.  It was helpful to me to express it.

I will return to our normal conversation in the next coming days.  I mean no disrespect to the issues taking place around me, but at the same time, i have had this thought today.  Bear with me please.  Rioting is, in some ways, tantamount to terrorism.  The intent is to control through fear and power by violence.  Riots are usually not as calculated as acts of terror, but the ensuing effect is much the same.  I remember on 9/11/01 when those of us at work were as stunned as so many others in the world, John Brunner, our owner, came to the employees and advised us that one of the best ways to "fight" terrorism is to keep to your routines - keep working, keep focused on your responsibilities, keep living your lives.  So that is what I am trying to do.  And for me, that will include continuing to celebrate Peach Month.  I hope you will return soon to see how we have been celebrating that!

Thank you again for reading,

Deb