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Ferguson Discrimination

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To say Ferguson, Missouri has seen its share of racial discrimination and mistreatment would be an understatement. As hard fought a battle the civil rights movement was, many cities and suburbs, including Ferguson, remain clouded with unfair treatment of black residents based on their race. Decades of racial discrimination, oftentimes supported, even fueled by politicians, bankers, and real estate agents catapulted Ferguson into the downtrodden suburb it is today. It was the enabling of politicians and the city’s wealthier, white population who refused to allow blacks into their communities to live or for black children to attend school with white children. Ferguson is around 70% black however, before desegregation the suburb was mostly …show more content…

Louis officials never fully desegregated their education or housing systems. Officials managed to dodge laws and policies that were enacted to circumvent discrimination by allowing underhanded real estate deals, unfair housing and school zoning policies. Attempts to desegregate housing were only minimally successful. Agencies trying to unify neighborhoods were met with extreme resistance. Many white residents fled city neighborhoods, moving west into county areas as part of the white flight movement. Shortly after the white flight, businesses and services followed suit. As businesses and services left the city, much of the inner city areas declined at an alarming rate. Remaining residents were left dealing with deceptive real estate practices, along with banking and financial institutions sometimes offering higher interest loans. Banks also were allowed to refuse loans altogether in communities dominated by minorities. With reduced funding for services and education, the school districts also suffered. The Ferguson school district’s public schools rank last in the state’s education system. The district recently lost accreditation from the state assessment board due to years of poor academic performance. Most districts where black students attend school were deprived academically and financially, as funds were moved elsewhere, primarily to other districts. With the erosion of funding for schools and housing, parts of the Ferguson community fell into such …show more content…

Racism is alive and well not only in small-town America, but also in larger cities, where many Americans may feel is more integrated. Equal and fair treatment in the fields of housing, education, employment, regardless of race, was the reason the Civil Rights Amendment and desegregation policies were passed. Failure to bring Missouri and the St. Louis region into a more equality driven society, was at the hands of statewide elected officials. Officials and racists residents had complete disregard for Congressionally approved laws and policies, and prolonged the suffering of the St. Louis black community. Racism is still a nationwide issue, though some cities have made exemplary efforts to reduce racism and provide equality for all residents. St. Louis and its leaders could learn from these other cities that have been successful in such efforts. Leaders should rise above the sad reputation they have come to know and branch out to these other cities for lessons learned and to develop possible solutions to eliminate as much racism as possible. The St. Louis mayor is trying to reduce the footprint of racism, but it cannot be corrected overnight. Because racism is at the heart of those that carry it with them, it may never be completely abolished. It must start with the individual and their belief system. It is up to community advocates, residents, leaders, and the population as a whole to

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