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CHAPTER FIVE
In August 2014, when Ferguson, Missouri, erupted into a storm
of protest over Michael Brown’s shooting by a white police officer,
Bruce Franks Jr. was in the midst of it all. A native of St. Louis and
a rapper who goes by the stage name of Ooops, Franks drove
to Ferguson after the shooting happened. At first he had no clear
reason to be there, since he was not really into activism. But after
a few nights of breathing teargas as police fired it into crowds,
Franks was fed up and screaming for justice. “THERE IS A WAR
BEING WAGED UPON US,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “IF
THERE IS NO JUSTICE, I WILL SHOW YOU EXACTLY WHAT NO
PEACE LOOKS LIKE.”
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While in Ferguson, Franks met a peace activist named Paul
Muhammad, the founder of an informal group called Ferguson
Peacekeepers. Muhammad’s first impression of Franks was that
he was a hotheaded protester who wanted to tear things apart.
But Franks’s impression of Muhammad was nothing like that. He
admired Muhammad’s work with the group of people who acted
as a “buffer of love” between police and protesters so the latter
could safely speak out. Franks asked if he could join the group,
and Muhammad said he could—as long as Franks adhered to
certain standards. “If you’re gonna put on this [Peacekeepers]
hoodie, you have to be a de-escalator and watch out for agita-
tors,” said Muhammad. “We’re with the movement, but if they’re
throwing rocks and bottles, you need to step to [confront] those
people.”
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Franks agreed and joined the group. That was the start
Improving Policing,
Strengthening
Relationships
