Perspective on Ferguson from Hedy Epstein - a Survivor of Nazi Germany

I compiled this in 2014 at the height of the Fergusson riots.  Hedy Epstein has now died but she was an example to all, as she took part in the protests against racism in Fergusson

The Struggle Podcast

Hedy Epstein on Ferguson, Fleeing Nazi Germany and Palestinian-African-American Solidarity

November 30th, 2014

Interview with Hedy Epstein who lives in the St. Louis area a few days after the Ferguson grand jury let off the policeman in the killing of Michael Brown.  Epstein herself was arrested in August at a protest in St. Louis.  

Hedy Epstein on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla

We also talk about her background, fleeing Nazi Germany as part of the Kindertransport, her job for the Allies after the war, her awakening to what Israel was doing to Palestinians in 1982, her trips to the West Bank and retaliation against her.  

POSTSCRIPT:  After finishing up we realized we needed to talk about a person who was murdered in Gaza, Vittorio Arrigoni.  Be sure to listen AFTER the end.  Interviewer Stanley Heller

Hedy Epstein, 90-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor, Arrested During Michael Brown Protest

The Huffington Post  | By Alana Horowitz

Posted: 08/18/2014 8:45 pm EDT 

Hedy Epstein, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor, was arrested on Monday during unrest over the death of Michael Brown,KMOV reports.

Hedy Epstein as a childhood survivor of the Nazis and part of the Kinder transport

Epstein, who aided Allied forces in the Nuremberg trials, was placed under arrest in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, "for failing to disperse" during a protest of Gov. Jay Nixon's decision to call the National Guard into Ferguson. Eight others were also arrested.

"I've been doing this since I was a teenager. I didn't think I would have to do it when I was 90," Epstein told The Nation during her arrest. "We need to stand up today so that people won't have to do this when they're 90."

Epstein is currently an activist and a vocal supporter of the Free Gaza Movement.

Tensions rose in Ferguson on Monday night after Nixon announced that the National Guard had been called in to help run the command center while police handled the protests.

Several people were arrested as protests ramped up, including Scott Olson, a photographer working for Getty Images.

President Obama addressed reporters on Monday and condemned the arrest of journalists covering Ferguson in the days since Michael Brown was shot and killed. He said he would be monitoring the National Guard presence to make sure it is "used in a limited and appropriate way."

"There is no excuse for excessive force by police," Obama said.