The unlawful death of unarmed, African American teenager Michael Brown in Missouri elicits chaos and outrage amongst the nation.
On the seemingly ordinary day of August 9th, Michael Brown, eighteen-year-old and recent high-school-graduate, took a trip with a friend to the local Quiktrip convenience store. According to USA Today, Brown was completely unarmed and had his hands raised high above his head when he was shot to death by Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson.
Witnesses to the scene have said that Brown’s last words were, “I don’t have a gun,” before he was showered with bullets by the local cop. St. Louis County Police Officer Joe Belmar’s words contradicted with that of the eyewitnesses.
In a press conference, Belmar did concede that Brown was unarmed, but added that he not only physically assaulted the officer, he also grabbed for the other’s gun. Later on the day of the news conference, a beautiful candlelight vigil was held for the boy, which drastically turned violent. Participants in the vigil became so outraged and overwhelmed with emotion from the wronged death of their neighbor that they began vandalizing and looting more than a dozen local businesses. After the frenzied rampage, St. Louis detained over 30 people and journalists reporting on the scene, with only two officers enduring injuries.
As time slipped by in the town, more and more civilians expressed their outrage to the police and city leaders. In retaliation for the fatal shooting, people sent a number of death threats to the force and even gathered in front of the Ferguson Police Department, furiously demanding justice for Brown; several people were taken into custody. Each day, protests rapidly became larger and so out of control that the overwhelmed force resorted to the use of tear gas for dispersing crowds who refused to protest peacefully. More protests ensued and the use of tear gas and police brutality continued.
Through social media outlets such as Tumblr and Facebook, these protests and Brown’s case gained recognition in not just the county of St. Louis, but Washington D.C. and the world. On Monday, August 19th, President Obama announced his decision of dispatching Attorney General Eric Holder to oversee the unrest in Ferguson. “The gulf” between the minorities and law enforcement must be addressed with respect for all sides, stated the President. Other prevalent political figures such as Reverend Al Sharpton traveled to Missouri and shared their opinions on the tumult that has spread. Trayvon Martin’s mother even chimed in on the situation. Her moving, another mother whose son was killed, letter she wrote directly to the mourning Brown family was published in Time magazine. The beautiful letter also moved the rest of the nation.
Although news stations have begun to report less on the case and protests, and many politicians have pushed it to the back of their minds, Ferguson is still occurring. The people of Ferguson have refused to allow the death of their neighbor Michael Brown conclude without justice, and neither should the nation.