After unrest in Ferguson, MO in 2014 following the shooting of Michael Brown, community members came together to rebuild local business Natalie's Cakes and More bakery through crowdfunding. To address tensions between police and the African American community, a newly appointed judge withdrew all arrest warrants issued before 2015 in Ferguson. On Black Friday in 2014, demonstrators staged "die-ins" at two local malls to bring attention to issues in Ferguson and support for Michael Brown.

1. Ferguson, MO.
Anselm, Sky
Korte, Shannah
Taylor, Stephanie
Wilson, Christina

2. “Crowdfunding helps Ferguson bakery rebuild”
• After the riots that took place in Ferguson,
Missouri in 2014, numerous members of
community came together in efforts to
rebuild local business Natalie’s Cakes
and More Bakery.
8/27/2015
http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/26/smallbusiness/ferguson-
bakery-gofundme/

3. Locality Development/Community Capacity:
• There are multiple examples of Locality Development and community capacity within
the Ferguson community from the article about Natalie’s Cakes and More Bakery
• The lecture, Intro to Macro Practice, states that community capacity building is when
you use existing capital (human, physical, financial, and social) to increase community
capital
• By showing others that the community of Ferguson cares about one another and their
local businesses the community was able to raise social capital by showing the pride,
loyalty and compassion the community of Ferguson has for their community as a whole
• Rebuilding local business enables Ferguson to rise their financial capital by generating
money within their community they would not have been able to acquire if they would
had never rebuilt businesses
• Keeping businesses open and thriving within their community will also allow the
community to have a rise in human capital by making it a thriving and active community
that people will continue to reside in while making it appealing for others to move into.

4. “Ferguson judge withdraws all arrest warrants before 2015”
• Judge McCullin was newly appointed in
June, and made the decision to erase all
arrest warrants issued in the city before
December 31, 2014.
• This change is being brought to the surface
after an Investigation by the US Justice
Department because of the shooting that
occurred last August, involving an unarmed
African American teenager.
• This action was taken due to the
overwhelming community feeling that
African Americans were being singled out
by the police, which evidence backs up.
8/27/2015
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/24/us/ferguson-missouri-court-
changes/
• An example from the article: “In 88% of the
cases in which the Ferguson police
reported using force, it was against African-
Americans. Also, between 2012 and 2014,
black drivers were twice as likely as white
drivers to be searched during traffic stops,
but 26% less likely to be found in
possession of contraband (Botelho &
Sidner, 2015).”
• Community relationships were tense this
was a olive branch extension to help relieve
the built up tension in the community.

5. Social Planning: uses the political and other systems to create policies that work
toward improving the quality of life for all citizens (Rothman & Erlich & Tropman, 2001).”“In March, the U.S. Justice
Department civil rights investigation
found that Ferguson police and the
city's municipal court engaged in a
pattern and practice of
discrimination against African-
Americans”
In this Event: An outraged community
pushes back due to racial tension.
Predominantly African American citizens
getting ticketed for petty crimes. To help the
community resolve this issue the court system
is focusing on taking action by wiping out the
warrants (most are traffic tickets, fines, and
lack of court appearance). The outcome of
these actions would be community members
not getting locked up/ jailed. Building the the
quality of life and mending the ties that have
been destroyed between the African American
community , Judicial System, and the Police
Force.

6. “Demonstrators Shut Down Shopping Malls near
Ferguson”
• On one of the biggest shopping days in
America, Black Friday, demonstrators shut
down two local malls in hopes that everyone
gains and gives mutual support towards
those in Ferguson, MO.
• Angry rioters performed what they call a
“die-in” at the St. Louis Galleria Mall. This
consisted of people laying on the floor to act
like the dead body of Michael Brown while
holding signs that read, “Black Lives Matter”.
They also yelled out chants as a group.
8/27/2015
http://www.voanews.com/content/ferguson-protests-move-
to-retailers/2537801.html
After the Grand jury decision to not indict Officer Darren
Wilson, riots broke out and protesters covered the streets.
❖ As the groups became larger and
larger, authorities decided to shut
down the mall and order everyone
to evacuate the area.

7. Social Action
in this event:
• Stated by Kirst-Ashman and Hull (2012), Social Action is “a coordinated effort to
advocate for change in established laws, customs, or patterns of behavior to
benefit a specific population, solve a social problem,correct unfairness, or enhance
people's well-being”.
• The “die-in” occurred because there were inequalities and injustices present for
those of Ferguson and those who supported Michael Brown.
• This was an attempt to make changes regarding power and resources, and also to
speak up for the oppressed group in this situation which is African Americans, as
well as other activists supporting Michael Brown’s case.

8. Sources:
Botelho, G., & Sidner, S. (2015, August 25). Ferguson judge withdraws arrest warrants before 2015 -
CNN.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
Cakes, D. (2014, November 26). Crowdfunding helps bakery rebuild in aftermath of Ferguson
protests. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
Kirst-Ashman, K., & Hull, G. (2012). Introduction to Generalist Practice with Organizations and
Communities. In Generalist Practice with Organizations and Communities (5th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Rothman, J. Erlich, J.L., & Tropman, J.E. (2001). Approaches to community intervention. Strategies
of Community Intervention (6th edn.). Itasca, IL: F.E. Peacock, pp. 27-64.
Swanke, J. (2015). Intro to macro practice. [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from
https://bb.siue.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-573827-dt-content-rid4096178_1/courses/SOCW-400-002-
201535/Models%20of%20Macro%20Practice%20PPT.pdf