By Sarah Wie
On August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, Michael Brown was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, a police officer of the Ferguson Police Department. The clashing circumstances and speculations surrounding the shooting resulted in continual protests and civil unrest in the U.S. and abroad, and it has brought the law enforcement’s relationship with African Americans and the police use of force doctrine into the spotlight.
Michael Brown and his friend Dorain Johnson were walking down the street when Officer Darren Wilson drove up to them and told them to go to the sidewalk. Brown and Wilson engage in a quarrel when Wilson shot Brown in the arm. Brown and Johnson began to flee in separate directions, and Wilson pursued Brown and shot him six times in the front, with the last shot delivering death. Brown was unarmed. The events during the quarrel between Wilson and Brown have been disputed, with some saying that Brown was simply trying to free himself from Wilson’s tight hold in the police car, while others claim that Brown was aggressively attacking Wilson within the police car. Evidence has shown that Brown had stolen a pack of cigarillos prior to his meeting with Wilson, though there is no solid evidence whether Wilson was aware of the fact of Brown’s robbery.
Nevertheless, this shooting of the unarmed African American teenager by police officer Darren Wilson sparked protests and fueled the unrest in Ferguson and throughout the nation in all media: from headline news, to the dark depths of social media. The hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter along with other social justice campaigns for support of Michael Brown spread quickly throughout various social media immediately following the grand jury’s decision to not indict Darren Wilson for his actions. Peaceful and violent protests, riots, and lootings continued (and still continue) for weeks (right after the grand jury’s decision came out) and have resulted in night curfews. The responses of the police to these protests have also raised some serious concerns such as the concern over insensitive tactics and a completely militarized response by the police. This shooting has resulted in not only unrest in Ferguson, but also has awoken our entire nation to the still-existing racism and prejudice that continues to plague our society; this time, our society may actually change for the better for all races.
