An In-Depth Look at the Ferguson Eruption: Organization for Black Struggle Leader Lays It Out

Montague Simmons. Photo from http://alternateroots.org/spotlightonferguson

In Spring 2015, the New York/New Jersey District of Liberation Road sponsored a forum entitled “Ferguson: The Movement So Far and Lessons for Coming Struggles.”

The first speaker was our comrade, Montague Simmons, Chair of the legendary Organization for Black Struggle in St. Louis. These five videos, roughly 5 minutes each, provide an inside and in depth look at what up to the Ferguson eruption and what happened after the murder of Mike Brown.

Part 1

Montague Simmons tells how little the St. Louis area has changed since his childhood,
explaining how it’s a long-term experimental laboratory in racial segregation.

Montague Simmons of OBS on St. Louis and Ferguson

Part 2

The Organization for Black Struggle has been organizing around about police violence and
other injustice in the Black community since 1980 and Montague Simmons talks about how the
group was ready to move on August 10, 2014.

Montague Simmons of OBS on the Organization for Black Struggle

Part 3

As the protests continue, Al Sharpton is deployed to quiet things down, leading to the first split
in the united front and then the creation of a new coalition to support the young people in the
streets and address policy questions.

Montague Simmons of OBS on the Ferguson uprising

Part 4

Although local forces initially told outside folks not to come, some capable organizers came
anyway and helped provide capacity for a quickly organized national action and local
infrastructure.

Montague Simmons of Organization of Black Struggle on Building a Movement

Part 5

Montague Simmons talks about conversations in St. Louis focused on how to go beyond
reforming the police into a creating a transformative vision in which the community takes on
many of the functions of the police.

Montague Simmons, Chair of the Organization of Black Struggle