Ferguson Hires PR Firm That Appears To Be Staffed Only By White People

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

By DANIEL STRAUSS Published AUGUST 18, 2014, 4:58 PM EDT

The city of Ferguson has retained the public relations firm Common Ground Public Relations to help its communications department in light of the ongoing turmoil in the St. Louis, Mo., suburb and the firm appears to be staffed entirely by white people, according to the photographs of staff members on its website.

Common Ground is "assisting the city of Ferguson's media relations department with the large volume of media queries," Common Ground's Nina Kult told TPM. "We're just assisting in handling the large volume of queries."

The "Meet The Team" page on Common Ground's website seemed to only display Caucasian employees. When asked how the apparent lack of diversity on their team might factor into Common Ground's work for Ferguson, given the heightened racial tensions there over the death of 18-year old Michael Brown, Kult declined to comment directly on that aspect of their work.

"We're just handling media relations as of very recently and that's really all we're doing. We're just handling media queries and that's all I can really say right now," Kult said.

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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/city-of-ferguson-public-relations-common-ground

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[valerief]

1. Well, the media is controlled by a handful of whites, too. nt

[pepperbear]

33. I'm not sure that the whiteness of the PR firm is the first problem..

it's the fact that the city feels the need to hire a professional propaganda factory in the first place.

[951-Riverside]

2. They should have done with the State did and hired this fella

[IMG][/IMG]

That way they can continue beating in people's skulls but not look racist doing it

[UpInArms]

12. Ron Johnson is not a racist

he's a decent human being and you really have no business attacking him in that manner. I wish you would do some self-checking on your facts.

We are all entitled to our own opinions, we are not justified in "creating" our own facts.

[951-Riverside]

13. Umm where did I say he was?

[UpInArms]

15. your post

"That way they can continue beating in people's skulls but not look racist doing it"

[warrant46]

23. Me thinks you read too much into that

[DRoseDARs]

25. Don't know about beatings, but you must've fallen on your head.

He is implying that racists are using the captain as cover so they can say they aren't racist.
He. Is. Not. Calling. Cpt. Ron. Johnson. A. Racist.

I don't agree with his premise, but you are out of your gourd.

[UpInArms]

32. wow! now you are implying that Nixon is racist?

did not fall on my head - so I guess you are also implying that my thought processes are what?

Just happen to personally know the governor and Johnson - and you are way off.

[DRoseDARs]

35. You really aren't paying attention and not even pretending to care.

Everyone else and their Athlete's Foot fungus could read and comprehend what was posted. You just want to play dumb here. Good luck with that. I'm sure it will get you far in life.

[Cha]

3. I got a tip for them.. Arrest Darren Wilson.

thank you, Don

[xocet]

22. That is exactly the one thing that they will not do....

Anything short of eye-witness-taken video (from three separate angles) of Wilson kneeling, covered in blood, fervently praying to Sumerian deities with a severed head in his hands would not generate an arrest at this point, and, if an arrest were to occur by mistake, the previous scenario would be the minimum evidence required for a conviction.

At this point, it is hard to believe that there is even a remote possibility that justice will be served in any fashion in this case. The country will be lucky if they don't shoot anyone else in attempting to squelch the protests and calls for justice.

About the only good thing that could happen due to this event would be a new federal law that all civil/governmental authorities who have in principle a right to wield lethal force would also be required to run live video feeds from both body cameras and gun cameras to an independent-review-board-type organization's archiving system - this would prevent the police from making up stories to protect their own when they violate someone's rights etc.

[bravenak]

27. Agreed!

Thank you. Arrest the killer, calm the town.

[LloydS of New London]

4. well THAT'LL help!

[SoapBox]

5. Some idiots never learn.

All I can do is shake my head...this is another of those, are you really this stupid, moments.

[barbtries]

6. so their way of handling media inquiries

is just to repeat that over and over? it made me laugh. hell the police dept could have done that. woe to the taxpayers of ferguson, MO. i'm sure they'll be stuck with the bill.
aaarrgh. this whole thing is making me edgy.

[justiceischeap]

16. Which means more traffic stops and arrests of black folk in Ferguson

they'll be paying for the PR firm with their backs.

[barbtries]

24. no doubt

the people running that town need a day of reckoning.

[jonjensen]

7. no uncle toms?

They should talk to fox not news but republican propaganda network who can find them a uncle tom. As rupert murdock says I just open up my bill fold and there they are!

[warrant46]

21. That's for sure

Just look at who murdock has hired

[47of74]

8. Ahem

And also



And finally

[Anansi1171]

31. Just for the sake of levity...

...if Jesus were part of the Enterprise crew, would that make them exempt from the Prime Directive?

Ok, back to the revolution - MAXIMUM WARP!

[L0oniX]

9. Naturally...

fucking asshole racist morans

[thesquanderer]

10. Could be that's the only kind of PR firm that might take their business (n/t)

[LarryNM]

11. When the Establishment wants to Defend Their Wrongful Actions

they head for the Propaganda Orgs.

[Doctor_J]

14. Sounds like a perfect situation for Michael Steele or Armstrong Williams

they have no shame

[Ruby the Liberal]

17. They failed PR 101 by even accepting the gig.

An all (?) white PR firm called in to quell racial tension after a white cop shot an unarmed black teen 6x, twice in the head?

I think that is the LAST firm I would ever consider. They lack the common PR sense their profession demands.

[muntrv]

18. Fergie, you're doin' a heckuva job!

[elias49]

19. Do you think 'the firm' should be 70% Black? Like Ferguson?

Or would just a few minority members be ok. And what percentage?

Really not trying to be snarky, but doesn't it bring up the whole "token" issue?
Maybe it's insensitivity. Maybe it was a strictly business decision.

[Ruby the Liberal]

28. Do you not get

that from a purely PR standpoint, putting a half-dozen white women as the "face" of their message might not be the best image campaign? This has nothing to do with quotas and I truly ache for you if that is what you read in this.

This firm should be fired for even accepting the gig.

[elias49]

34. Oh grow up.

Idealism is wonderful if you're young and ache for the uneducated. But please don't ache for me. Instead, find me a PR firm that you think would be appropriate. Take all the time you need.
And try to read for understanding.

[warrant46]

20. It's the Clorox Move

It is designed to "whiten up" the place.

[Unknown Beatle]

26. Meet The Team

[cosmicone]

29. I don't see anything wrong with that

I don't think there are any minority PR firms in MO that could put a positive spin on killing unarmed teenagers without puking.

[1StrongBlackMan]

30. At my University, we recently had a diversity teachable moment ...

we were in a meeting when it was announced that we have a program entitled: SCHOOL OF INFORMATION SCIENCES, TECHNOLOGY AND ARTS (SISTA).

Every Black person in the meeting started chuckling and most of the white folks were like . Then, one of the senior Administrators (a Black female) let everyone in on the joke by asking (out loud), "Is this where all the sistas meet?"

The look on the white folks face was priceless, as they recognized the easily avoidable gaffe.

If they had run the title by ONE Black person, it would have saved them a measure of embarrassment.