News Writing Winner Publication: St. Louis Magazine By: Jarrett Medlin Judges’ Comments: This might be the best online layout for a news feature I’ve ever seen. I’m in awe of the amount of work that went into all of this, especially the reporting. St. Louis is the perfect platform for a topic like Ferguson, providing the space for in-depth, intelligent takes on a matter of national importance.
Excerpt from “Ferguson, A Year Later” Raquan Smith At first, some of my classmates were happy about leaving for college. But then, after the whole Mike Brown situation, it was, like, a need to leave. We felt like if we would stay here, there would be a higher chance that something would happen to us. Growing up, my mom and I had a talk about law enforcement: what to do and what not to do if a police officer or security guard stopped you. But now that all this happened and the guy actually went to Normandy, I realized, you have to be extra careful. I don’t really want any type of communication with law enforcement. There’s been an increase in police officers all over, and that’s pretty weird. I don’t necessarily see them interacting with the community. I don’t see them walking or doing patrols or nothing—they’re either in their car sitting or they’re doing just a ride-around. There was an incident in February where I was sitting out on the curb in front of my house [in Wellston], talking with one of my friends. An officer pulled up and demanded that we tell him where we live, and I’m like, “Well, my house is right behind me.” Then he asked where my friend lives, and my friend said, “I live down the street.” It was kind of weird to have that police officer just randomly pull up and ask something like that. There’s been a lot of anger and uncertainty and frustration, and a lot of people don’t know what to do with it. I don’t see any resolution from anything that has happened so far. I don’t see any justice—no real justice. For years to come, there’s going to be a lot of tension. Behind the Badge Why two St. Louisans became police—
and why they continue to serve Kathleen Gutjahr began training at the St. Louis Police Academy last October, just a month after Michael Brown’s death. After 15 years of working in the restaurant industry, she had decided to follow in the footsteps of her uncle, a homicide detective. And though police remained under intense scrutiny following the events in Ferguson, it only reinforced Gutjahr’s decision to become a police officer. “I never hesitated once,” says Gutjahr. “With all the stuff going on, I just wanted to go out and help—my whole class did.” After seven months of training, Gutjahr graduated on April 30 and now works in the 5th District of North City. Most days aren’t as dramatic as she initially thought. “I suspected there to be more negative experiences in my first month—more capturing the bad guys,” she says. Nonetheless, she finds her days just as meaningful. She recalls one recent case: “This mom’s 14-year-old boy was in trouble because he wasn’t taking his meds.
I sat and talked to him. After that, they both hugged,” she says. “This work is just as important. It gave me purpose.” Sgt. Dominica Fuller understands. When riots began in North County last year, she wore full riot gear and stood on the front lines of the Ferguson Police Department. In her experience, most of the protesters were peaceful; she saw her job as protecting the community: the citizens, their property, and their concerns. “People had a voice, and they wanted to be heard,” says Fuller. “When you listen to them, let them know I’m just as human as you are…you’d be surprised.” Fuller says many protesters used cameras to record police interactions. Then, near the end of October, Ferguson police received body cameras—an addition that Fuller supports: “If you are doing your job and people aren’t interfering with an investigation, what’s the big deal?” (Gutjahr concurs, though city police don’t currently use body cameras. “People whip out their phones for everything,” she says. “I’m like, ‘OK, go for it.’”)
98 / Read the full stories and view winning photos at greatplainsawards.org