FERGUSON, Mo.—Activists, celebrities and supporters convened in Ferguson, Missouri, during the first several days of August to commemorate the life of Mike Brown Jr. and to stand in solidarity with his family.
It has been 10 years since the 18-year-old young, Black man was gunned down on August 9, 2014, by Darren Wilson, a White former Ferguson police officer. The teen’s death sparked worldwide protests against police brutality, inequality and injustice and was one of the catalysts for the Black Lives Matter movement.
When Officer Wilson was not indicted for killing Mike Brown Jr. on November 24, 2014, months of protests and civil unrest erupted in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, and throughout America.
When Mike Brown Jr. was killed, his father committed himself to helping other grieving parents who have lost loved ones to police violence. Michael Brown Sr., with his wife, Cal Brown, established the Chosen for Change organization in his son’s honor.
As the organization grew and more resources were needed to support their efforts, the Browns started the Black Ball Gala in 2021 to sustain their organization’s mission and programs.
This year’s ball was filled to capacity and held at the Missouri History Museum. St. Louis’s first Black woman mayor, Tishaura Jones, attended the function. Mayor Jones issued a proclamation to Mike Brown Sr. and his wife for the sacrifices and commitment they have made for families in St. Louis and other cities in the U.S. The mayor declared August 9, The Chosen for Change Day in St. Louis.
The Browns could not hold back the tears when they were given the proclamation. “We don’t do this for honor or rewards, we do this for ‘Mike Mike’ and all the families that need support.” said Cal Brown
At the Black Ball, Mr. and Mrs. Brown honored both of their mothers and their seven children for understanding and enduring the struggles of life with them while they helped others. “I remember my mother telling me one day I was going to be a preacher or a teacher.
I was like how’s that when I don’t say much? Look at me now, (he chuckled) I am talking and will keep talking and standing for my son,” said Mr. Brown
The days of commemorative events also included an exhibit at Ferguson’s Urban League facility that chronologically highlighted many events that occurred during the unrest and moments in Mike Brown Jr.’s life.
The Ferguson Urban League building sits on the site where a Quik-Trip service station was burned down hours after the teen’s death, which was at one time referred to as “Ground Zero” during the unrest.
There was an ancestor’s wall and display for all the protesters that have died in the past 10 years. People wept and hugged each other as they walked through the exhibit.
“Mike and Cal, you were chosen for this work and the difference between you and all of us is that you accepted the challenge. We all are chosen, but the question to ask ourselves is, will we accept the challenge,” said Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, a Ferguson activist, and president of the Children’s Defense Fund.
Mike Brown Jr.’s mother, Lezley McSpadden-Head, has also been working to keep her son’s memory alive over the past decade.
David Banner, a hip-hop artist, music producer and community activist, delivered an inspiring and thought-provoking message at the Black Ball Gala.
“Ferguson, St. Louis, Missouri, the Brown family, I want to tell you that you all have done something that you need to be proud of,” said Mr. Banner.
“Although Mike lost his life, you were all a beacon of freedom. You all started something that I don’t know if you understand … as much pain as we are going through that energy of Mike, it did not die. It broke and went into the hearts and souls of millions of people all over the world. I think about this all the time,” he added.
What has changed?
Before Mike Brown Jr.’s death, Ferguson police had a history of polarization, harassment and the use of unreasonable force against Black people, which became more prominent during the uprising.
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) conducted a civil rights investigation of Ferguson revealing that racial profiling, ticketing, municipal fines, and arrests without probable cause were a major source of revenue for the city. After the investigation, the DOJ issued a consent decree for the city of Ferguson in April 2016.
The decree was a court-enforced agreement between the U.S. government and the city and its purpose was to ensure the constitutional and legal rights of the community were respected and not violated and that the Ferguson Police Department developed protocols to increase confidence with citizens. Years later, not much has drastically changed, depending on who you ask.
Fran Griffin took part in Ferguson demonstrations 10 years ago and today is a 3rd Ward Committeewoman. “They (the city) are not accepting the recommendation from the Neighborhood Police and Steering Committee (NPSC).
The City was told by the DOJ to form a community group that looks at policies that directly impact the Black community in a negative way and to make recommendations so things can change,” she told The Final Call.
Ten years later, violent police interactions are still making headlines.
On July 6, a 36-year-old Black woman named Sonya Massey was shot and killed in her home. by a White sheriff’s deputy named Sean Grayson in Woodside Township near Springfield, Illinois. He shot Ms. Massey three times in her face.
“It really hurts to say that nothing has changed in 10 years, except the bodies keep dropping,” said Melissa McKinnies, a Ferguson frontline activist.
According to Statista in the Mapping Police Violence report, there were 1,200 people killed by police in 2023 and as of August 12 of this year, 1,163 people have been killed by police. The Mapping Police report is from public records, obituaries, databases and media reports.
The report states that this is the highest number of people killed by police in the United States since 2013, one year before Mike Brown Jr. was killed.
During a Black Lives Matter Grassroots Black Media Briefing on August 6, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) joined the discussion and shared her sentiments about the continued problem of police killings and the need to continue to fight for justice.
“I look at how almost a decade has passed since we’ve lost Mike Brown and we’re still fighting, and we’re still hurting. I remember at one point saying in 2019, it was the year they broke the record for the number of police killings in this country and I knew I wouldn’t say it the following year.
I was really hoping I was wrong, but in 2020, millions of people took to the streets for the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. It’s been over a decade, and we are still being killed … we must continue to fight and we still have to do the work,” said Rep. Bush.
In 2014 the population of Blacks in Ferguson was approximately 75 percent of the 21,000 residents. According to Data USA, in 2022 the percentage of Blacks was 72.15 percent.
The police department had 53 officers with three being Black in 2014 and the six-person City Council had two Black members. Since 2014, there have been five different police chiefs, one of them was White.
There have been eight different Black city council members and the city elected its first Black woman mayor, Ella Jones. As of 2024, there are two Blacks on the city council, a Black police chief and approximately 60 percent of the police department is now Black.
Demonstrations also took place on Aug. 9 outside of the city’s police station on the 10th anniversary of Mike Brown Jr.’s death. The demonstration reportedly resulted in the serious injury of a police officer, according to several media reports. For most of the night, protests remained peaceful, reported the Associated Press.
