1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to the NFL Legends Podcast, an NFL podcast for 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: the players, by the players. Here is your host, fourteen 3 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:12,000 Speaker 1: year NFL veteran and Hall of Famer A. Nius Williams. 4 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: Welcome everyone to another podcast. This is the Nius Williams 5 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: hanging out. On this podcast series, we are including a 6 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: feature called Storytellers. It's an organic chance each player to 7 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: tell the story. What I ask anyone that's listening to 8 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: divorce yourself from your own perspective and just allow the 9 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: story to be told and listen. Today I'm going to 10 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: tell my story about Ferguson, Missouri. Really, Ferguson is an 11 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: outside a rural area from St. Louis. You would call 12 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: it a suburb. St. Louis is unique because of the 13 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: many different municipalities. It's probably over eighty municipalities, and each 14 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: of them have their own mayor, their own police force, 15 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: their own city council. Being in Ferguson with my church, 16 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: the Spirit Church, we just so happened to be there, 17 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: and I put quotes around just so happened to be 18 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: there in Ferguson, having our church services in a high 19 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: school called McClures all Berkeley High School. When the Michael 20 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: Brown office of Aaron Wilson. Incident happened. My family and 21 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: I were actually driving back from New Orleans, had the 22 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 1: whole family, and I remember getting a call while on 23 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: the road from the Mayor of Ferguson, who it's still 24 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: the Mayor Ferguson. Mayor knows And even though I didn't know, 25 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: mayor knows very well. I received the call and he 26 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: called me to help, or to ask for my help. 27 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: I said, Mayor knows what's going on. He said, We've 28 00:01:54,000 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: just had a situation between an officer and the commune Newything. 29 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,919 Speaker 1: In this case, a young man, Michael Brown was killed. 30 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: And he said to me, and I don't know how 31 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: this mayor knew this, how Mayor Knowles knew this, But 32 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: he knew this was going to be different because I 33 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: said to him, I said, Mayor knows, why do you 34 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: I think this is going to be different. We've had 35 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 1: law enforcement confrontation and we've had other people throughout the 36 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: country that have died at the hands of law enforcement. 37 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: Why do you think it's going to be different? He said, 38 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: I just intuitively think this is going to be different. 39 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: And he turned out to be right. He said when 40 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: you get back, when you come and meet with me. Well, 41 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: to my surprise, while we were on the road, the 42 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: kerosene had been lit. There was already protesting. There was 43 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:57,119 Speaker 1: already an uproar within the Ferguson community. The interesting thing 44 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: prior to this is the same year inducted into the 45 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: Hall of Fame, two thousand fourteen. So now, all of 46 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:09,639 Speaker 1: a sudden, this distinguished honor and David Baker, the president 47 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,239 Speaker 1: of Prophible Hall of Fame, he said this, He says, guys, 48 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,800 Speaker 1: these yellow jackets are not just for memorials and to 49 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: collect dust, but this literally will give you an opportunity 50 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: to open doors and to cause doors to open between 51 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: people that were once shut between them. So, all of 52 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: a sudden, David's words ringing my ears, and I realized, okay, Lord, 53 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: you have us, You already had us there strategically placed 54 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: in the high school. Earlier that summer, in July, I 55 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 1: was the um Grand Marshal for the Ferguson Parade, and 56 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: one thing I noticed is that while in the parade, 57 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: Ferguson was a very diverse community, but there were aspects 58 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: of the community that appeared to be in the neglected 59 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: and specifically the area where the apartments were and the 60 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: apartment's Canfield apartments where the incident actually happened. It was 61 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: an area that was barricaded. There was only one way 62 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:16,719 Speaker 1: in in, one way out. One of the things that 63 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:18,719 Speaker 1: I'm big on and telling the story, and as you 64 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: tell your own story, one thing I like to remind 65 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 1: people as you listen to the story, listen for the principles, 66 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: Listen to the things that are transferable maybe to your 67 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 1: own situation. How would I describe what I saw? But 68 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:39,799 Speaker 1: the Ferguson community, it was just as simple as leaders 69 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: in the community having a vision for the community, but 70 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: not properly including the least from the community at the 71 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: table while the plans were being made. So most of 72 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 1: Ferguson was doing well, but the community of the Canful 73 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:02,600 Speaker 1: apartments seemed to be just experiencing policing, in other words, 74 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 1: just making sure things stayed under control there so would 75 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: end up happening this combustible experience between office and Darren 76 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: Wilson and Michael Brown. One of the unique things that 77 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: should take place when it comes down to a community 78 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: of municipality is because they're small, police should know the 79 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:27,039 Speaker 1: community in the community shouldn't know the police. But what 80 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 1: was happening There was no civil discourse. There was nowhere 81 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 1: with law enforcement connected with community intentionally to make sure 82 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: that there was a community because it was a small municipality. 83 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,599 Speaker 1: So what ends up happening is when there is no communication, 84 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: there end up being misunderstandings that end up being no 85 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:54,239 Speaker 1: human element. So what I realized when we got back, 86 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: the first thing I did was when I wouldn't say underground, 87 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,000 Speaker 1: but no one knew who I was. There was no announcement, 88 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: and I just went in around the protesting and I 89 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: wanted to talk to young people who are actually from Ferguson, 90 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,680 Speaker 1: who grew up there. And so I end up coming 91 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: across maybe about five teenagers and young adults African Americans, 92 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: and I asked them, I said, what's it like living 93 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:20,599 Speaker 1: in Ferguson? Were only as a church been there maybe 94 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: about a year. So I started talking to the young 95 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: men that asked what was it like living in growing 96 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:28,720 Speaker 1: up in Ferguson. The first thing they said, they said, man, 97 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:31,839 Speaker 1: it used to be great when we walked the streets. 98 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 1: We had relationships with the police. Matter of fact, they said, 99 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,919 Speaker 1: because St. Louis a big baseball town, the historical Cardinals 100 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 1: baseball franchise. Those young men said, man, the police officers 101 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: were riding around, they have baseball cards, and when they 102 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: would see us, it would give us the baseball cards 103 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: right out the cars are if we were walking home 104 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 1: late one night, man, if they would invite us into 105 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:59,280 Speaker 1: the car to bring us home. And they said, that's 106 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: what it used to be like, but it's it hasn't 107 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,360 Speaker 1: been like that since for a while, probably over the 108 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: past ten fifteen years, that have been more policing versus 109 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: community policing. So one of the things I realized and 110 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 1: having the meetings, meeting with the mayor, meeting with the 111 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 1: city council, meeting with the community leaders, meeting what clergy, 112 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 1: is that we needed to create intentional environments where people 113 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: were from different backgrounds, different experiences would come together and 114 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: be able to talk and not just talk and I 115 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:42,480 Speaker 1: would better say to have successful listening experiences, because what 116 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: I found, even when we get together to talk, we 117 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: were people more defensive and talk at each other versus 118 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 1: listening with an empathetic ear. So now how I would 119 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 1: sum up ferguson As I go out and I talked 120 00:07:56,960 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 1: to suburban areas when you see the belligerent or you 121 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,040 Speaker 1: see the angry young African American, and some of these 122 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:07,559 Speaker 1: communities like Ferguson in the Canfield area, I would share 123 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:09,840 Speaker 1: with people who would say, why don't they just go 124 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: to school get a degree in in in the United States? 125 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: And what I like to share my dad makes this 126 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: statement all the time. He says, it's not what people 127 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 1: don't know that hurt them, is what they do know. 128 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: That's not true. And one thing I share with people 129 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: who don't understand why these guys are angry. Many times, 130 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: when a lot of our young adults, the teenagers, young 131 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,839 Speaker 1: African Americans in these communities, the first time they come 132 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:39,360 Speaker 1: in contact with a male deterrent because most of their 133 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 1: fathers are not in their lives, I like people to 134 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:49,680 Speaker 1: know that. And I almost cry with this because sometimes 135 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 1: we take it for granted that when those young people 136 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: the first time they come in contact with a male deterrent, 137 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: it's usually law enforcement. Well by my dad teaching me 138 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: and my two older brothers to respect authority even if 139 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:08,720 Speaker 1: authority is wrong. He would teach us how to respectfully 140 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 1: even make the case properly, but in the moment to 141 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:17,439 Speaker 1: adhere to what's being asked of us, to be able 142 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 1: to subject the emotions of responding to how they're responding 143 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: to me, and first respect them, not because how they're 144 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:33,839 Speaker 1: behaving and deserves respect, but because there are authority. And 145 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 1: then use the system and understanding the system on how 146 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 1: to bring a complaint against what's perceived or what has 147 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 1: been experienced a wrong action. So as I tell this story, 148 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: think about your own story. It's not what happens to 149 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 1: us a lot of time is how we respond to it. 150 00:09:56,880 --> 00:10:00,440 Speaker 1: And as I tell this story, just remember yours. Remember 151 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 1: that we live in an imperfect world. But as we've 152 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:10,320 Speaker 1: gotten law enforcement community together and community leaders and the 153 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 1: young African American young adult teenager and had and have 154 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: had civil discourse, I've seen walls come down. I've seen 155 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 1: tears come from the eyes of young people, even from 156 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: law enforcement, only to realize that we all wanted and 157 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:37,959 Speaker 1: all want the same things. Safe communities, app opportunities, that 158 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: great education. It's very similar now that some of what 159 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 1: we're seeing in some of our communities are young people 160 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:49,959 Speaker 1: who are angry, and many times angry because of environments 161 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: and situations that they've come up in. So hopefully as 162 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:59,720 Speaker 1: you listened to the story, think about yours. But most 163 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: of all, become a thermostat and not a thermometer. What's 164 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: the thermometer goes up and down based on the temperature. 165 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: What's the thermostat. Thermostat sets the temperature. And that's what 166 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:14,720 Speaker 1: we're called to do. And if we do it, we 167 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: will make our communities better and we will cause growth 168 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 1: to happen where it will be better for the next generation. 169 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to my story. I am Eneas Williams 170 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:33,280 Speaker 1: and I approved this story. This has been the NFL 171 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: Legends podcast. To provide feedback or request a topic for discussion, 172 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:44,679 Speaker 1: email us at NFL Legends at nfl dot com.