Excitement, anger, rage and nervousness passed through them as they entered the city, not knowing where to begin.
Junior Khrissy Batts said she came up with the idea to travel to Ferguson during Thanksgiving vacation, when she heard Dec. 2 that a grand jury decided not to indict Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown.
After telling a few friends about the idea, Batts said junior Robert Sherrell helped her organize the event and spread the word. Batts said 15 students were interested in going in the beginning, until their parents raised concerns.
On Nov. 29, nine students met at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.
At 8 a.m., they left Bloomington for Ferguson.
Batts said everyone was excited during the four hours it took the students to get to Ferguson.
“We made our last stop and we were like, ‘Okay, let’s get in the mindset of anything can happen. Let’s get to a serious mode,’” Batts said. “We were playing music all the way there and playing (around) just to keep our spirits up.”
Once the students arrived, Batts said they saw the gas station from which Michael Brown allegedly stole and more damaged buildings.
“I went to Ferguson because I felt like something, something pulled me once I saw the verdict,” Batts said. “I just felt like ‘What can I do once I got there?’ and I just wanted to be down there where all of it was going on.”
Other students who traveled to Ferguson said they wanted to see what was going on for themselves instead of relying on the media.
“I seen the stuff on the news, what the media was saying about it, and I just really wanted to see if that’s how things were happening,” sophomore Sir Golden said. “It really wasn’t.”
The students parked by McDonald’s near where the looting happened.
Batts said they saw two women protesting in front of Wal-Mart, which caught their attention. They decided to join, holding signs that said “Don’t shop here” and shouting “No justice, no revenue.”
“I’m gonna say we got about 20 cars to actually turn around and not go in Wal-Mart and shop,” Batts said.
After about 45 minutes of protesting outside Wal-Mart, Batts said they went to Canfield Drive, where Brown, an 18-year old black male, was shot by Wilson, a white police offer, on Aug. 9.
Teddy bears, cards and other sentimental items sat in a line in the middle of the street as a memorial for Brown. Family, neighbors and out-of-town visitors filled the streets.
Sophomore Faith Causey said she saw the blood stains underneath the memorial.
“It was just overwhelming,” Causey said. “It was this really hard, thick presence of sadness and pain and anger, all while people are yelling and screaming. You don’t feel unsafe at all. You feel their pain.”
For most of these students, visiting Ferguson reinforced their views.
“My view on it was that it was bullshit,” Batts said. “And (the trip) didn’t change my view at all. It actually made it valid.”
Some of those who visited Ferguson are now calling for action from other students.
Batts urged black students to wear black tape across their mouth to symbolize silence Dec. 4, the same day the Black Student Union held a rally.
More than 600 people joined the rally at the Showalter Fountain. They continued to rally at the Indiana Memorial Union by performing a “die-in,” lying on the floor as if they were dead to represent the death of Brown.
“My whole plan is to get all of black IU, the whole black community, to come together and do things together as one instead of, ‘Oh we’re doing this, and we’re doing this and we’re doing this,’” Batts said. “Well, why can’t we collab and do this together? Whatever it is, we just want justice. At the end of the day that’s everybody’s common goal.”
Causey said she believes IU students should do more. Talking to Brown’s cousin ? at his memorial inspired her.
“On IU’s campus I thought it was going to be such a big thing, and really you don’t hear nothing about it here,” Causey said.
“Unless it’s a black person talking about it, you’re not gonna hear about it because they don’t want to talk about race at a PWI (predominantly white institution). I think that people should not be scared to talk about it as well. It’s going on, we all know it’s going on, and someone’s talking about it somewhere. There’s no reason to hide it.”
After coming back, Batts said she is more aware of how people treat her because of her race and wants Bloomington to be a part of the action.
“I’ve always been aware of my surroundings and how people react to me being a black student on campus,” Batts said.
“I just feel like it’s my responsibility to relay the message that the people of Ferguson have to say.”
