On August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, Brown an 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, 28, a white Ferguson police officer. The disputed circumstances of the shooting and the resultant protests and civil unrest received considerable attention in the U.S. and abroad, and have sparked debate about law enforcement's relationship with Americans and police use of force doctrine.

On command and direction of President Obama you are the lead negotiator who has been sent into the community to ease tensions and resolve perceived unrest. It is your job to identify the lead participants and stake holders some of whom may not be immediately visible and come up with a working solution.

The fact that the president has sent you in doesn't mean that you must "fix" everything rather you are to give all the stakeholders a chance to move forward and to hear their voice (stories).

The stakeholders include but are not limited to:

1. Law enforcement;
2. The family of the deceased;
3. Protestors
4. Non-protestors; and
5. The media

You must identify and the viewpoints of these stakeholders.

That is what are the stories that these various groups have based upon news articles and reports (I will send you a CNN link for this). Remember stories don't have to be true it is just what one person or group believes.

You must also indicate what steps you would take to resolve the conflict. Who would you call in? What would you say to them to build rapport with them? What do you think are their must haves as opposed to their wishes? Is there something that can be given as we saw in Robert Cialdini's talk on "The Power of Persuasion"?