The Story of Michael Brown

By Alex Wen on August 20, 2014

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The shooting of Michael Brown has been dominating social media and the news recently, and for good reason. It’s a case of profound injustice.

Michael Brown, an unarmed, 18-year-old African American male was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer. This is the only undisputed fact. The police department has issued a statement that conflicts with eyewitness reports and it’ll take more investigation time before the full truth is revealed. However, this incident has an eerie resemblance to other incidents: Michael Dunn, Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant.

Below are select pieces on the Michael Brown incident.

This is a local news story on the initial incident.

The St. Louis County Police Department is in charge of the investigation. The Ferguson Police Department has refused to release the name of the officer that killed Brown. This has caused controversy.

There’s conflicting statements about what the police said happened and what eyewitnesses reported. Eyewitnesses reported that Michael Brown was never struggling for a gun in the police car, the police say otherwise. Source.

Background

Ferguson’s police chief and mayor are white. Of the six City Council members, one is black. The local school board has six white members and one Latino. Of the 53 commissioned officers on the police force, three are black, said Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson.

The above quote is from the LA Times. The Michael Brown incident is an event that’s revealed an issue that’s been boiling under the surface of Ferguson and many other areas similar to it. As of the 2010 Census, Ferguson was 67.4% Black and 29.3% White. This is a dramatic and rapid shift in demographics from the Ferguson of 1990, when the town was 73.8% White and 25.1% Black. Three of the 53 police officers of Ferguson are Black. When power (and we give police a lot of power) does not reflect the demographics it serves, key questions arise. To claim that race is not a factor, is to be colorblind to the facts or willfully ignorant of the systems in place. It doesn’t help that Blacks are arrested at a rate disproportionate to the population as USA Today stated:

Last year, black residents accounted for 86% of the vehicle stops made by Ferguson police and nearly 93% of the arrests made from those stops, according to the state attorney general. FBI statistics show that 85% of the people arrested by Ferguson police are black, and that 92% of people arrested specifically for disorderly conduct are black.

The St. Louis American goes into more detail on greater systematic issues that have sparked this incident. Struggling economy and poor education systems do not help.

Police Action

There were protests. The police reacted by the rapid militarization of their police officers and attacked the people they supposedly serve.

Senator Rand Paul on the militarization of police:

Not surprisingly, big government has been at the heart of the problem. Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies—where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement.

The Police at Ferguson resemble the military. This is not a coincidence, it’s something that’s been a problem across the nation. The SWAT Team has and continues to tear gas journalists. They then arrested reporters and Antonio French , an alderman. The FAA declared a partial no-fly zone, preventing news helicopters (although this is common for high profile incidents) and rubber bullets have been used alongside the teargas. Source.

How can they get away with this? There’s no accountability. All of their actions after the initial incident only serve to reinforce their problematic mentality. The relationship between police and citizen is unhealthy and should not be tolerated. Before funding military-grade weapons, it might be more helpful to equip cameras on dashes and officers. As long as the officers continue to act as if this is a war, an officer versus citizen dynamic, nothing positive can be accomplished. It’s true that police officers are humans too. They make mistakes and have one of the most stressful jobs in the world. But we give them weapons and authority above normal citizens because there is an expectation they will protect and serve. The threats, the tear gas, the militarization, none of those indicate an intention to protect or serve.

Edit: Improvement.

Movement

Don’t Shoot. Starting in Ferguson, but spreading across the nation, the slogan of “Don’t Shoot” encapsulates the frustration of the circumstances surrounding Michael Brown’s death.

#IfTheyGunnedMeDown. Spurred by how the media portrays Black youth, Twitter users are expressing their frustration by posting pictures of themselves.

 

 

This Tumblr has compiled most of the posts. More information on the movement via ABC News.

#NMOS14. Vigils have been held throughout the nation to memorize Michael Brown.

To dismiss the strong reaction to Michael Brown’s death is to dismiss how the incident is a reflection of a greater problem. These movements attack the heart of what caused Michael Brown to suffer and what causes every young Black youth to suffer. They are born into a society that fights against them. Suspension rates and drop out rates, among other things, are all higher with African Americans. They have been antagonized and set up to fail. Unfortunately, this reality only surfaces when a national tragedy occurs. It’s important to use this time-frame to hold meaningful discussion, conduct useful reporting and instill lasting change.

Reaction

Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder, choice quote:

At a time when we must seek to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the local community, I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message.

Read the full statement here.

Statement by the White House:

The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is suing to obtain Michael Brown shooting report. Source.

Hip-hop reacts to the events.

As with most national news, there is backlash towards how the media has portrayed the incident. This Reddit post by a St. Louis resident states that the national attention has deviated from the facts. It’s a problematic opinion, but still a popular one. What does this say about the big picture?

It’s important to understand that this is not a coincidence, Ferguson is not a unique case. Michael Brown’s death is not just an unfortunate event. It’s simply a reminder of the systems in place that continuously oppress African Americans. Unfortunately, Michael Brown joins a long list of Black Americans suffering at the hands of aggressive law enforcement. This case is also a demonstration of the dangers of how law enforcement is structured. Yes, there were rioters, but that does not give permission for the police to treat Ferguson’ s residents as enemies of the state. They are to enforce the law, not be it.

Law enforcement and the justice system may find the guilty person and charge them accordingly. However, as long as the underlying issues are not addressed, our Nation will be stuck in a cycle of oppression and hate.

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