SoylentNews

We've gotten several submissions about the unrest here today of various sorts, but I couldn't bring myself to publish any of them. I live in St. Louis, not particularly near to the conflict zones, but not so far that they're foreign territory. I have close friends who posted pictures of the StL Metropolitain Police Department's "Civil Disobedience Squad" from their apartment windows and others who got gassed while taking shelter in a coffee shop. My first steady-girlfriend from way back when now lives in Ferguson itself where she and her husband have spent months putting their children back to sleep when circling choppers wake them in the night. I have been to the Canfield Green Apartments, spoken with parents there, and played with their children.

The mood here today is uneasy, as we get the gamut of reactions from our friends, family, and co-workers: head-in-the-sand, outrage, fear, reactionary griping, sadness, hope, and exhaustion. Some want things to go back to normal, for others that is an intolerable proposition. No one knows what will happen next.

So, why talk about this here? What angle does SoylentNews have to offer? For one, feel free to take this as an ask-me-anything about St. Louis and its history. I've lived here most of my life, and have worked jobs from tech to broadcasting to music to cab driving. I know this town and its people. For another, I want to hear what folks far afield have to say about this; especially observations from folk from other regions and countries. Finally, we are uniquely suited to dig into the tech-side of this, streaming, KKK vs Anonymous, drones, etc. than many traditional reporting sources.

-LaminatorX