Pic Of The Moment: Ferguson: Michael Brown Was The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back

[VA_Jill]

11. Some of y'all

are talking without knowing quite what you're talking about. "underpants" has it right. My late cousin lived in the area much of her life and taught in Florissant, next door to Ferguson, her whole career, so I know a little about it. These aren't "small towns" as such, they are "ring suburbs", and not well-off ones at that. People who live in a city which has a physical boundary such as a lake or river and can't expand in all directions will know what I mean. The boundaries between these 'burbs are sort of fluid unless you're a cop or a city worker and have to know your jurisdiction. When the cops talk about "outside agitators" it could actually be someone from just a few blocks away in the next 'burb! Also, urban (St. Louis, and to some extent Kansas City and Jefferson City) and rural Missouri are two entirely different states and darn near two different countries!