Three weeks after the fatal police-shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown, Ferguson, Missouri business owners are prying plywood sheets from windows and doors, posting the much more desirable “Open For Business” sign. The previous weeks’ communal fear of venturing outdoors, reports The Daily News, is fading if not altogether absent. Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, driving through a neighborhood of ranch-style homes, pointed out the many “I Love Ferguson” signs displayed on well-tended yards. “Look at those signs over there. A few days ago those…would have been ripped up or thrown in a trash can or painted on. And they stand today. That is definitely symbolic of marching down the road toward solutions and a better tomorrow.”
Sadly, good will, tools, and elbow grease aren’t enough to repair wide-spread damage to the suburban St. Louis town. A local group, “Friends of the city of Ferguson,” created by former Mayor Brian Fletcher, has raised over $13,000 marked for restoration. One cheerful sight of recovery can be seen and smelled—a grill smoking before a still-closed barbecue joint, drawing residents out for chat and comfort.
