After facing quite a bit of racial invective in Rosebud on Tuesday, a group of marchers braced themselves for more of the same as they marched westward through Osage County on Wednesday.
But the crowd they encountered in Linn was mostly peaceful and curious, with only a few hecklers lining the roadway.
About 50 participants of all ages and races have joined the NAACP's 135-mile march - called the "Journey for Justice" - from Ferguson to Jefferson City.
W.T. Edmonson, a Jefferson City resident, said he joined the march not only because he supported its message, but also because he felt it was an opportunity for him to participate in a historical event.
"There is a message here, that has to be made, that it is not okay to arbitrarily kill black men for minor charges," Edmonson said.
Edmonson said he feels the problem is systemic, rather than the fault of an individual police officer. He said the marchers are calling upon political leaders at all levels of government to address laws that many need to be changed and to fix shortcomings in police training.
"There's a mentality in police officers that shows they feel the need to come in with force, even before they know what the situation is," he said.
Edmonson, 62, said he wasn't old enough to participate in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and '60s.
"This is a new movement that is going to change this country, the way Martin Luther King's movement did," he said. "And to be alive now - and to see what is going on in this country - and not to stand up and speak out, is something I couldn't do."
Edmonson said the Michael Brown situation may have provided a spark for the latest movement, but he said young black men have been slain by police officers time and again. He noted the grand jury's recent decision is something the legal system must address.
"We have to speak to what's going on in this country, in general," he said.
Although the marchers did see a few supporters along their route through Linn, several onlookers clearly disapproved, as well. A few shouted invective like "Get a job." Others held up signs.
Several small clusters of Missouri State Technical College students lined the route.
"I just wanted to see why they are marching," said Logan Steinkamp, an 18-year-old student at the school. "I think it's going to be a part of history. I wanted to watch it and (record it) on my phone."
Steinkamp watched the march from the cab of a friend's pickup truck. The young men said they supported law enforcement.
"I feel white or black, purple or yellow, breaking the law is breaking the law," said Luke Roberts, 21 years old. "Wrong is wrong."
Brad Boeckmann of Linn came out to view the marchers and show respect to them.
"I don't agree with their views. But I respect their American rights to voice their opinions," he said. "And I thought the display in Rosebud was disgusting. That was just blatant racism, and it just proved the marchers' point that racism exists.
"After I saw that, I wanted to show that not everyone here is like that."
^
Teach-in on tap tonight at church
The national NAACP will host a teach-in at 7:15 p.m. today at Quinn Chapel AME Church, 529 Lafayette St.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is in conjunction with the NAACP's "Journey for Justice" march from Ferguson to Jefferson City.
Quinn Chapel said the event will teach "legal strategies pertaining to justice."