By Karima Harrison
and Chris Cunningham
The Scene staff
The political landscape has changed dramatically since last fall, when Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Forest Park student Rasheen Aldridge to the Ferguson Commission.
Developments have included a scathing Department of Justice report on Ferguson, the resignation or firing of six city officials and the shooting of two police officers.
Aldridge, 21, a general transfer student, remains optimistic.
“We’re not fighting a system that is broken,” he said. “We’re fighting a system that was made to work a certain way, and it needs to be reformed.”
On March 4, the Department of Justice reported that the Ferguson Police Department had been targeting blacks for traffic stops, tickets and warrants. The resulting fines made up a quarter of the city’s revenue.
“The DOJ report has been helpful and validated what we have been saying,” Aldridge said. ”It shows that the police department has been acting as a collection agency.
“At the same time, I don’t get the DOJ report. Half of the report is about what Ferguson is doing and racial bias towards the community, but (it found that) Darren Wilson is completely innocent.”
Ferguson made headlines in August, when Wilson, a white police officer, shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager. That resulted in peaceful protests and violent riots and spurred a national debate on racial inequality and police brutality.
Nixon formed the Ferguson Commission to study conditions that led to the unrest and help make the region stronger and fairer.
Release of the Department of Justice report was followed by the resignations of Ferguson City Manager John Shaw, Police Chief Tom Jackson, Municipal Judge Ronald J. Brockmeyer and two other police officers. A municipal court clerk was fired.
Aldridge describes the shakeup as “a step in the right direction.”
“The only thing that is unfortunate is when people resign, they can’t be held accountable,” he said. “Those are just baby steps. They aren’t the real solution to making Ferguson and the St. Louis region better.”
On March 12, two Ferguson police officers were shot during a protest. Protester Jeffrey Williams, 20, later was arrested and charged with the shooting.
“I think what happened was horrible,” Aldridge said. “I and other protesters do not condone violence. Even just looking at the police being shot … It makes it clear we need to talk about these issues and police and community relations.
“It isn’t going to start with the people. It needs to start with police officers and elected officials talking about big systematic changes.”
In the past few months, Aldridge has been interviewed by reporters from all over the country and even met with President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. He gave a talk on the Forest Park campus about raising the minimum wage.
“I was a political science major and worked for the government,” said Eugene Wallace, 62, who attended the talk. “I wanted to hear about the minimum wage and meet this young man. He met with the president, and I wanted to meet him. I was really impressed.”
Hospitality management major Chris Seaton, 26, also enjoyed the talk.
“I thought Rasheen is a great speaker,” he said.
Aldridge was born with medical problems that caused him to get a prosthetic leg. He believes the related challenges have given him a tougher skin.
“I really don’t have a handicap because I’m still able to get around,” he said. “But it makes me look at the world a little different. It makes me a little more grateful for what I do have.”
Aldridge has been a community activist for years, following in the footsteps of his mother.
“I noticed the things my mom would do, going to the community and having back-to-school giveaways and going to senior centers and having Thanksgiving and Christmas, and giving gifts to seniors,” he said.
After graduation, Aldridge plans to transfer to University of Missouri-St. Louis and major in political science.
He’s a member of Youth Activists United. The name is misleading, he said, because the organization is open to people of all ages who want to work for change.
Aldridge also stresses the importance of voting.
“Voting is necessary,” he said. “Individuals need to be engaged in the political process, young people like myself, because outside of the presidential race, these small midterm elections are crucial.”
Aldridge still has legal problems hanging over his head. He’s charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor in Missouri.
Officials have accused Aldridge of assaulting a state marshal during a videotaped protest in November. Protesters were trying to enter a locked-down St. Louis City Hall.
The charges will be dropped, Aldridge said, if he puts in 20 hours of community service and doesn’t get arrested before his May 5 court date.
“Our ancestors have paved a huge way,” he said. “I can only imagine what would have happened with my little charges back then. I do think it’s ironic that we’re out here protesting, saying (we shouldn’t be targeted), and I got targeted.”
Aldridge is the youngest member of the 16-member Ferguson Commission. They will submit their findings and recommendations to the governor in September.
“I wish there were more young people on the commission,” Aldridge said. “But everyone on the commission is serious about change.”