RACISM + POLICING

Remember Ferguson… Nine Years Ago?

May we never forget, and may we always seek to protect innocent lives from police violence

Plaque of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on the sidewalk where shooting incident occurred | Wikipedia

On August 9, 2014, an 18-year-old teenager was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri. Michael Brown’s murder shined a light on the police violence faced by Black people in this country every day, and nine years later, no one has been punished for Brown’s murder.

This post is essentially an article I wrote nine years ago, the night after the St. Louis County prosecutor returned the grand jury’s verdict of no indictment against Officer Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. The Department of Justice also refused to file federal civil rights charges.

Despite nationwide pleas for accountability, no one has ever been punished for Michael Brown’s death. When I reread this article today, nine years after the murder of Michael Brown, I was struck by the fact that it’s an article that feels like it could have been written today. As you read this article, it will be obvious that very little has changed over nine years. That, in itself, is a sad commentary on the progress of police and racial justice in America.

Here’s what I wrote in 2014