Kalamazoo woman uses Ferguson to teach lessons on race relations

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - After a weekend of some of the most aggressive clashes yet, President Obama addressed the ongoing violence in Ferguson, Missouri.

"While I understand the passions and the anger that arise over the death of Michael Brown, giving in to that anger by looting or carrying guns and even attacking the police only disserves to raise tensions and stir chaos," the President said.

Missouri's Governor says there will be no curfew in Ferguson, but he has called in the National Guard to keep the peace.

It follows more than a week of violence on the streets, as people continue to demand answers in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

A private autopsy shows Brown was shot at least 6 times by Officer Darren Wilson, back on August 9.

Monday, Newschannel 3 spoke to a Kalamazoo woman who has ties to Ferguson to get her family's take on the situation.

Born in St. Louis, Dr. Carla Campbell-Jackson and her family moved to Kalamazoo some 5 years ago for business reasons.

She's also a Vice President for the Kalamazoo chapter of the NAACP.

But there are much bigger reasons she felt the need to travel to Ferguson over the weekend.

"It was just mind boggling to see the hurt and frustration," she said.

She says that's why she took her 8-year-old son Bradley there over the weekend.

"We don't support any of the violence, any of the looting, or the rioting, but we do understand the plight of some of the young people down there," she said.

As she was born and raised in St. Louis, Dr. Campbell-Jackson decided that going to Ferguson was the perfect way to show her son the right way and the wrong way to confront issues of race.

The sights, however, were not altogether benign to the eyes of an 8-year-old.

Despite being froma well-off family with two loving parents and a private-school education, at 8 years old, Bradley seems to have a fear of police.

"It has to be a much larger issue," Dr. Campbell-Jackson said when asked about it. "Sometimes we're hesitant to talk about what really goes on, and it takes something catastrophic like this before the dialogue even commences."

Which is why she introduced Bradley to the police.

"They seemed nice," he said of the officers to whom his mother introduced him.

Before Bradley has to go back to school, his mother says they're going to make another trip to Ferguson.

He says he wants to donate clothes and school supplies to some of the kids who aren't as well off as he is.

They also want to continue to encourage an open dialogue on race relations.