Tonight, a St. Louis Grand Jury refused to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the brutal killing of 18-year-old Mike Brown.1 On August 9th, the nation was horrified to learn that Mike Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, was targeted and killed by police as he walked down the street with a friend. Now, Mike Browns killer may never be held accountable — unless President Barack Obama and US Attorney General Eric Holder take action. The Department of Justice is investigating Mike Browns death and has the power and responsibility to arrest and prosecute Officer Wilson under federal criminal charges. We need widespread public pressure to ensure our national leaders step in where Missouris politicians have failed, and secure justice for Mike Brown immediately. Join us in increasing pressure on President Obama and Attorney General Holder to hold Officer Wilson and MO law enforcement accountable, and to move forward systemic reforms to help end discriminatory police violence. Numerous eye-witnesses say Mike Brown was brutally murdered — fatally shot more than 6 times as the 18-year-old stood with his hands in the air.2 Officer Wilson reportedly never even checked to see if Mike was breathing; he never even called an ambulance — and Wilson and other members of law enforcement left Mikes body uncovered and on the street for hours.3 The grand jury responsible for charging Officer Wilson was set up to fail from the very beginning. Officer Wilson could have been arrested the day he killed Mike Brown, but instead St. Louis Prosecutor Robert McCulloch — with Governor Nixons shameless endorsement — chose to convene a grand jury without recommending any charges.4 In 23 years, McCulloch has never convicted a police officer for a shooting.5 And Governor Nixon refused to intervene despite widespread evidence of misconduct.6 Even now, Gov. Nixon has the power to pressure McCulloch to arrest Officer Wilson and secure a special prosecutor — but he has chosen to ignore the calls for accountability and instead ramp up Missouris police presence. With Missouri in an official state of emergency and the National Guard standing by, police are preparing to crackdown on peaceful protesters, just as they did in August when law enforcement patrolled the streets in armored tanks, clad in riot gear and firing rubber bullets and flash grenades at families protesting for justice.7 Todays non-indictment and Governor Nixons failure to lead, reaffirms that justice for Mike Brown and an end to anti-Black and brown policing across the country requires additional federal intervention. We must come together as a nation to build a united front for justice. Tell President Obama and Attorney General Holder to ensure Officer Wilson is held accountable for killing Mike Brown. No parent should ever experience the agony of losing a child to police violence — only to be denied justice for their devastating loss. We send our love and support to Mikes parents — Lesley McSpadden and Michael Brown Sr. — and join them in grieving during this unimaginably difficult time. Their courage and resilience has inspired a much-needed, powerful movement to end racial profiling and systemic police violence across the country.8 And todays decision is not the end, our movement to secure justice for Mike Brown and an end to the suffering of children, families, and entire communities targeted by anti-Black and brown policing continues. You and nearly 1 million ColorOfChange members and our allies pressured the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into Mike Browns death and the practices of St. Louis and Ferguson police.9 And every day since Mike Brown was killed, courageous Black and brown youth in the St. Louis area have come together in the face of militarized police violence — risking their lives, jobs, and freedom — to honor Mikes life by building long-term organizing power in order to secure justice in his name.10 In the past few weeks, St. Louis organizers trained more than 600 people in non-violent civil disobedience and peaceful demonstrations are planned across the country tonight at Department of Justice offices and police departments. 11 Call on President Obama and Attorney General Holder to show the necessary leadership to hold Officer Wilson, Ferguson, and St. Louis law enforcement accountable for targeting and brutalizing Black Missourians. The media and local law enforcement have gone to great lengths to criminalize Mike Brown and the courageous people who are risking their lives to envision and demand a better America. Its the same old hoax we see every time a racist vigilante or police officer kills a Black person: 1) law enforcement tries to justify the killing by claiming the officer acted in self-defense and 2) the media helps to hide the truth and manipulate public opinion by using dehumanizing racial stereotypes that smear the victims character. The reality is, law enforcement kills Black Americans at nearly the same rate as Jim Crow era lynchings.11 And Mike Brown was killed by the same discriminatory police violence that forces Black parents across the country to sit their children down and explain that, unlike their white peers, the very color of their skin is enough to make police feel threatened. Ferguson is everywhere. The ongoing calls for justice for John Crawford, Eric Garner, Tanesha Anderson, and so many others, serve as painful reminders that those who are supposed to serve and protect are killing us.12,13,14 We are in a historic time and what President Obama and Attorney General Holder do in this moment will have a major impact on the future of racial profiling and police brutality in America. The fight to secure justice for Mike Brown is critical to creating the space for structural reform to ensure law enforcement respect the lives, safety, and dignity of all communities. Now, Governor Nixon and McCulloch will say a jury has spoken and its time for Black folks to be quiet and disband our police accountability movement. But we can push back against this derisive narrative and make it clear that enough is enough; we will not sit quiet until there is accountability for Mikes killing and an end to the nationwide crisis of police violence. We have a moral obligation to hold our leaders accountable for ending the nightmare of discriminatory police killings and denied justice. Join us in calling on US Attorney General Holder to define his legacy by arresting Officer Wilson, convening a grand jury, and affirming the value of Black lives. Thanks and peace, — Rashad, Matt, Arisha, Lyla, Jamar and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team November 25th, 2014 1. Grand Jury Does Not Charge Ferguson Officer in Michael Brown Shooting, New York Times 11-24-14 act.colorofchange.org/go/4361?t=9&akid=3921.1624931.c4RhyQ
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 04:14:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015