Michael Brown

People

Michael Brown

Outcome

unknown

On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson were walking in the middle of a street when Wilson stopped them. An altercation ensued at Wilson's patrol car, and Wilson fired his weapon, striking Brown multiple times. Witnesses claimed Brown had his hands raised in surrender when he was shot, while police maintained he was attacking the officer. Brown's body was left in the street for approximately four hours. Brown's death sparked immediate protests in Ferguson that intensified when a grand jury declined to indict Wilson on November 24, 2014. The phrase "Hands up, don't shoot" became a rallying cry, and Brown's name became synonymous with the growing Black Lives Matter movement. The Ferguson unrest continued for months, drawing national attention to police violence against Black Americans and the militarization of local police forces. A subsequent Department of Justice investigation cleared Wilson of civil rights violations but found that the Ferguson Police Department had engaged in a pattern of racial discrimination against African Americans. The investigation revealed that despite making up 67% of the population, African Americans accounted for 85% of traffic stops, 90% of citations, and 93% of arrests. The DOJ's findings led to a consent decree requiring sweeping reforms of Ferguson's police practices. Brown's death sparked immediate protests in Ferguson that intensified when a grand jury declined to indict Wilson on November 24, 2014. The phrase "Hands up, don't shoot" became a rallying cry, and Brown's name became synonymous with the growing Black Lives Matter movement. The Ferguson unrest continued for months, drawing national attention to police violence against Black Americans and the militarization of local police forces. A subsequent Department of Justice investigation cleared Wilson of civil rights violations but found that the Ferguson Police Department had engaged in a pattern of racial discrimination against African Americans. The investigation revealed that despite making up 67% of the population, African Americans accounted for 85% of traffic stops, 90% of citations, and 93% of arrests. The DOJ's findings led to a consent decree requiring sweeping reforms of Ferguson's police practices.