Protesters back to Ferguson one year after Michael Brown's killing
Family
and friends of Michael Brown, Junior gathered with activists and
community members in Ferguson, Missouri on Tuesday (August 9) to mark
the two-year anniversary of his death. They held a memorial for the
unarmed black 18-year-old who was shot and killed by a white police
officer on the street where the incident happened on August 9, 2014.“Today is a sad, sad day,” the teen’s father, Michael Brown, Sr., told the crowd.
But while he mourned his son’s death, he also paid tribute to the fact that the killing energized protests that brought attention to the long-troubled relations between police and minority residents of many major U.S. cities.
“If not for Michael Brown, this community would not be here today,” said attendee Clifton Kinnie. The 19-year-old added, “We wouldn’t be fighting for some of the positive change that you’d like to see.”
Brown’s death sparked months of sometimes violent protests both in Ferguson and around the United States following subsequent police killings of unarmed black men in several other cities.
The teen’s family has created a foundation named after him. It’s website says the organization aims to empower, engage, and build leadership and self-determination in grieving families regardless of ethnic background or race.
One local resident who came out to show her support for the family said the past two years have been difficult at times in Ferguson, but that change must come.