Brian Fletcher—a Ferguson councilman, former mayor, and one of the town’s most vocal supporters—died Sunday. He was 56.
Fletcher served as mayor of Ferguson from 2005 to 2011. After the fatal police shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown drew international scrutiny and instability to the St. Louis suburb, Fletcher, a 28-year politician, ran for office in Ferguson again, defeating Bob Hudgins to become Ward 2 Councilman last year.
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“I was considered the old guard so to speak, the establishment candidate, having been the immediate past mayor,” Fletcher told SLM last year. By electing a former mayor over a well-known protester, he added, “I think that the message sent was that the public is willing to accept change, but they also wanted people who have some knowledge and experience.”
The City of Ferguson officially announced Fletcher’s death on Monday, adding that it came “unexpectedly.” Mayor James Knowles called Fletcher “one of the true champions of the City of Ferguson.”
“During the most difficult time in our city’s history, Brian worked tirelessly and selflessly to bring people together in the spirit of a shared love for our community,” Knowles said in a statement.
Those who didn’t know Fletcher by name are likely still familiar with the movement he started to bring positive attention and financial support to Ferguson after Brown’s death in August 2014. The “I Love Ferguson” campaign donated more than $100,000 to businesses damaged during civil unrest by selling yard signs, shirts, and coffee mugs with the message, “I (heart) Ferguson.”
See also: Strength in Adversity: The Ferguson Food Community Comes to the Table
Fletcher, an alumnus of Riverview High School, was retired from AT&T, where he’d worked at Vice President of the CWA Local, served on the Ferguson-Florissant School District board, and spent 16 years as a Democratic committeeman. He was also a former Country Club Hills alderman.
Before the one-year anniversary of Brown’s death and the protests that followed, SLM asked Fletcher what message he had for people outside of Ferguson:
“We are going to be, in a few years, a model example of how a community that has had these kinds of difficulties has been able to turn around if our citizens will stick with us and give us some time.”
Contact Lindsay Toler by an email at [email protected] or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
