Ferguson business owners call for end to unrest
FERGUSON, Mo. — Ferguson business owners are sending a dire message as they plead for calm. Some of them say their sales are down by 80% since August, and they're afraid their businesses won't survive if the unrest continues.
The owner of Celebrity Soul Food hosted a news conference to spread that message Saturday. He has had a restaurant in Ferguson for 15 years. And, the community has treated him well. But since August, business has been so bad that he's even had to dip into his personal savings to feed his family. His business hasn't been looted or burned down.
"We are here, really hurting today," said Steve Moore. "I don't know how long the business can survive, to be honest."
The owner of Marley's, Martin Braun, feels the same way about his business, which is located just down the street from the Ferguson Police Department.
"I'm definitely worried about it. I'm worried about all the businesses down here," said Braun.
And, business owners say the protest agitators are a major reason why, as arrests in front of the police department have now become a common occurrence.
"It's just the normal, sitting in the street blocking traffic, it's hurting everybody," Braun said.
The business owners aren't calling for an end to the protests; they're calling for a change in how protesters are sending their message.
"I feel their purpose, I'm a part of their purpose," Moore said.
But, he added breaking laws is not the way to call for change.
"You say you're here to march and support us. But some of you are really hurting us," Moore said.
"People want jobs? If you close the businesses, where are the jobs?" Braun asked.
And, businesses owners say they will have to close if blocked streets, and violence, and the constant negative media coverage continues.
"I'm asking all the protesters that are here for the wrong reasons to stay out of our city," Moore said.
And they're not only asking for peace, they're asking for patience from both the people and the press.
"If we let due process work itself, I really believe with all my heart people will see a major change," Moore said.
Moore, in voicing his support for Ferguson Mayor James Knowles, asked the community to give Knowles a chance to make the necessary changes.
The renewed unrest in Ferguson stems from the release of the Department of Justice report about the deficiencies in the Ferguson Police Department and the municipal court. The Justice Department's findings came six months after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, a black teenager by then-Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who is white.
In the wake of the report, the police chief, the city manager and municipal judge have been forced out.
In the days since those resignations — as well as a few lower level Ferguson cops and bureaucrats — protesters and some community leaders have turned the attention to Knowles, saying that he must resign, and that the city should disband its police department and build it anew to help the city heal. Knowles said he has been told by supporters that they have been approached to gather signatures to begin a mayoral recall.
Contributing: Aamer Madhani, Kevin Johnson and Yamiche Alcindor, Paste BN.