Protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, continue to draw attention – and not in a good way. This time, they have disrupted a longstanding St. Louis Thanksgiving tradition called Guns-n-Hoses. This annual boxing match takes place the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and features a head to head match up of representatives from local fire and police departments.
Not only is the event a lot of fun, it raises money for Backstoppers – an organization that helps to financially care for the families of fallen first responders.
How has the situation in Ferguson disrupted this event? Due to recent events, many local emergency responders who otherwise would have trained to participate have been instead overextended with extra overtime shifts. Police officers are pulling extra shifts to deal with local unrest, leaving them with little time to train for a charity boxing match. Due to rumors of renewed unrest in the event of an announcement from the still convened Grand Jury, officials are unwilling to commit first responders to an event when they may be needed on the streets.
Congratulations, protesters. You're making a difference in St. Louis every day. But remember that different isn't always better. Sometimes it's just different.
