Michael Brown’s Murder Ten Years Later
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
On August 9, 2014, eighteen-year-old Michael Brown Jr . was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. Wilson confronted Brown and Dorian Johnson, who were walking in the street, and demanded that they walk on the sidewalk.
Accounts suggest Wilson parked his SUV in front of the teens, at which time an altercation between Wilson and Brown developed through the vehicle’s window. During the altercation, Wilson fired his revolver twice.
When Brown and Johnson tried to flee, Wilson left his vehicle to pursue them. At some point afterward, Wilson shot and killed the unarmed teen.
Witnesses claimed Brown shouted, “Don’t shoot!” before the officer fired his weapon. Wilson claimed he felt threatened by Brown. The local grand jury agreed, refusing to press charges against the officer.
Brown’s uncovered body was left in the street for four hours in the August heat.
The community quickly protested the shooting and the grand jury’s decision. Protestors called for the demilitarization of police, an investigation into systemic racism within the Ferguson Police Department, and policing reform to foster a better relationship between the police and the community.
Associate Pastor Rev. Josh Privitt from St. Peter’s United Church of Christ was a new minister in a new town when the news broke about Brown’s death. “The night I heard about Mike Jr.’s murder and the ensuing community presence, I remember feeling on the one hand out of sorts or distant, and on the other hand unsure of what exactly my role would be,” he said.
He continued, “I was new to full-time ministry, new to the church I serve, and new to Ferguson. I had just finished seminary and had done anti-racism study and work before starting at St. Peter’s UCC, but studying/learning and doing are different.”
In 2015, the Department of Justice released a damning report , citing that in “nearly every aspect of Ferguson’s law enforcement system,” the African American community was impacted more disproportionately than any other community. African Americans make up 67% of the Ferguson population, but they accounted for 93% of the arrests between 2012 and 2014.
Good Faith Media is attending events this week in Ferguson, Missouri to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Brown’s murder. We have been working with St. Peter’s United Church of Christ and Invested Faith to bring attention to the efforts of church members and citizens to transform Ferguson and the greater St. Louis area.
After Brown’s death, St. Peter’s reached out to the family and made arrangements for Mike to be buried in the church’s cemetery. Church member Claire Rell recalled that St. Peter’s was already trying to “break the silence” on racism in the community before Brown’s death.
Rev. Privitt said St. Peter’s decided after Brown’s death to “keep doing” what they had already been doing. The church’s resource center houses nonprofits that help the community through various ministries.
St. Peter’s Senior Pastor, Patrick Chandler, told GFM, “Brown’s death made the church realize just how essential and necessary the resources and organizations coming into the center…were so desperately needed to bring healing to the community.”
Now, ten years after Brown’s death, Ferguson continues to work through the trauma of August 9, 2014. Chandler responded to GFM earlier this week, “It (Brown’s death) has brought people closer together. It has divided people even further. Regardless of your feelings on the subject or the facts of what happened on August 9, 2014, and in the following days, it has been a source of trauma bonding for members of the Ferguson community.”
Speaking on policing, Chandler offered, “The Civilian Review Board and the Neighborhood Police Steering Committee, for example, have led to the potential for increased policing accountability (Though— we are not seeing the improvements that we should be by now).”
Chandler continued, “I think the divisions are much worse now than they were ten years ago— certainly than when I arrived nine years ago. We have had way too much turnover in Police Chiefs; the current one likes to remind people that ‘he doesn’t have to be here,’ and we still recycle or employ bad cops who should no longer be cops.”
As Ferguson prepares to remember Michael Brown this weekend, Chandler did offer some hope. “This is an important anniversary and one that must always be remembered,” he said. “The Ferguson community (and in part St. Louis) will always remember the murder of Mike and subsequent uprising that followed. Ferguson will forever be shaped by the events of August 9, 2014, but it does not always have to be defined by them.”
Privett told GFM the anniversary brings a lot of emotions, but more than anything, it’s “a reminder that the work of making the world a better place is long and hard work and that we shouldn’t stop doing it.”
Moreso, Privitt added, “Remember that Mike Brown Jr. was someone’s son, who was looking and working towards a better future, and who should not have been killed. Remember that more work is needed to make communities fair, welcoming, and just for everyone. Remember that we have to care for each other, listen, be willing to admit when we’re wrong, learn and grow. For white folks, this means acknowledging that racism still exists and working to combat it constantly.”
As Good Faith Media joins the Ferguson community, St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, and others worldwide to commemorate Michael Brown Jr.’s death this weekend, we want to challenge you to engage in the struggle for equality and justice for individuals and communities often marginalized and forgotten.
As a human being, a Jesus-follower and a United States citizen, I will never forget Michael Brown. If a young unarmed black man can be shot by police (the very agency sworn to protect) and justice left unanswered, then we are all in danger of systems more interested in maintaining hierarchies than genuinely loving our neighbors.
Say his name: Micheal Brown, Jr.
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This was sort of the Ur-Lie that appeared to unlock in the left the understanding they could just make up their own narrative, regardless of facts. As we can see, ten years later, the lie is still going strong.
After assaulting a shop owner, Michael Brown attacked a police officer and tried to take his gun. He was shot attacking the officer.
and yet ten years later, we still have democrats in congress trying to portray him as a victim.
Burn this bitch down......How many days did Browns father spend in jail for inciting the riot that burned his city?
Rioting was only a punishable offense on one day this century
And insurrection was never used to describe the actions that occurred that were actual insurrections.
Are they planning 10 year commemorative midnight shopping sprees and smores at the buildings they burn?
Nothing says Black Lives Matter than violence, injuries looting and arson ($2 billion). All Lives Splatter!