And now for some good news
by digby
More than 3,000 people have registered to vote in Ferguson, Mo., since the death of Michael Brown — a surge in interest that may mean the city of 21,000 people is ready for a change.
Since a white police officer shot the unarmed black 18-year-old on Aug. 9, voter registration booths and cards have popped up alongside protests in the city and surrounding neighborhoods. The result: 4,839 people in St. Louis County have registered to vote since the shooting; 3,287 of them live in Ferguson.
The city’s population is two-thirds African American but five of its six city council members are white, as is its mayor.
I assume that most of you think this is a great idea. I’m going to guess that this is also inflaming the right wing. Actually, I’m sure of it. This is seen as inherently illegitimate for some reason although I’m quite sure they’ll gather themselves to complain that all the new voters are engaged in “vote fraud” and set about invalidating their votes if they can.
As you can see, when African Americans protest, they are treated like rioters and when they try to vote they are treated like criminals. If I didn’t know better I’d think that the right doesn’t believe that black people have right to participate in our democracy.
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