ST. LOUIS – The Missouri History Museum has spent two years collecting artifacts from the unrest in Ferguson, but there's a conspicuous absence of items provided by Ferguson City Hall.
The museum has artwork from boarded-up windows, protesters' gas masks, empty tear gas grenades and even clothing worn by protesters in the weeks following Michael Brown's shooting death by a police officer. But Ferguson officials have yet to contribute anything to the collection.
City Hall spokesman Jeff Small said that the city isn't involved because it hasn't been formally asked to participate, and, moreover, it has nothing to offer. "At no point did the city ever maintain any collection of items," Small said.
Mayor James Knowles said he would help, but hasn't personally been contacted by the museum about the collection since the end of 2014.
Activists and museum researchers say they'd be surprised if the city has nothing of historical significance.
Museum director of collections Chris Gordon said that the city "might not understand some of this material may be of interest to us."
The museum is also recording oral histories of the events in Ferguson from people who lived through them. Gordon said that about 10 such interviews have been recorded.
Emily Davis, a Ferguson activist who contributed artwork to the collecting initiative, said it's difficult to believe City Hall isn't in possession of items that might be considered artifacts. Davis said she thinks the city simply doesn't want to remember the events between Aug. 9, 2014 — when Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot — and November 2014, when a grand jury declined to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the killing.
