*This post does not reflect the views of Her Campus.*
A friend of mine described this event as history in the making, and anyone who has a Twitter account can see their timelines filled with pictures, facts, and opinions of what had happened. There was a shooting last Saturday, August 9th in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri. But not any ordinary shooting—a police officer shot and killed an unarmed 18 year old young man, Michael Brown.
Michael Brown
Brown was walking to visit his grandmother when the shooting took place. There are varying accounts of why he was shot. According to the St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, Brown had attempted to push a police officer into his squad car and take his gun after a physical confrontation erupted between the officer, Brown, and his friend Dorian Johnson.
On the contrary, according to an eyewitness account from Johnson, he and Brown were walking down the street having a conversation and not blocking any traffic when a police car pulled up. He said the police office yelled at them to get on the sidewalk. The police officer began to drive away for a few seconds and then reversed back to the young men, almost hitting them. As the office thrusted the door open, it ricocheted off of them, and hit the officer. Johnson says that the officer was upset and grabbed Brown by the neck through the window, choking him. As Brown tried to get away, the officer was trying to pull him in the car and threatened to shoot. As the first shot went off, Brown began to bleed and the two young men began to run. The officer got out of his vehicle with a weapon drawn and shot at Brown again. Brown began to lower to the ground with his arms raised in the air, and the officer continued to shoot, until the young man was dead.
The name of the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown has not been released for the protection of him and his family, and the FBI has stepped in to do their own investigation.
Although Brown no longer has a voice, his community does. People have gathered at the site where he was murdered to protest, where they chanted “Don’t shoot,” “I’m Michael Brown,” “No justice, no peace” and “killer cops have got to go.”
Brown’s Stepfather holding a sign in protest
However, these peaceful protests have turned into rioting, looting, and even the extreme of setting a gas station on fire. Along with journalists who have already been arrested, the mayor announced that those protesting will be arrested as well. FAA declared the air space over Ferguson a “no fly zone” until August 18 and President Obama addressed the nations by saying, “we should comfort each other and talk with one another in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.”
Family, friends, and residents mourning at the site where Michael was killed
The discussion doesn’t end in Ferguson; young people across the nation are using social media as an outlet to express their opinions on what has happened. Utilizing hashtags, they have created trending topics, one being “#IfTheyGunnedMeDown”. According to MTV News,
“The shooting has raised questions about police brutality and the rights — or, perhaps, lack thereof — of young black men and women in public spaces as well as the media’s portrayal of them in the aftermath of Brown’s killing and that of other young people of color like Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Oscar Grant, Renisha McBride, Sean Bell and more”
Social media users are posting pictures of themselves, side-by-side, portraying themselves in casual, stereotypical “hip-hop” poses and then themselves succeeding in scholarly or extra-curricular activities. Join in on the debate and search hashtags such as:
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown
#michaelbrownshooting
#FergusonShooting
Photo Credit:
http://www.mtv.com/news/1897755/iftheygunnedmedown-hashtag-mike-brown-media/
http://www.mtv.com/news/1897468/michael-brown-shooting-timeline/
http://www.people.com/article/vandalism-looting-following-vigil-for-unarmed-teen