Sign Petition on Behalf of the Family of Michael Brown: Missouri police fatally shoot unarmed Teen (711 hits)
Dear JeniFa
Just days ago, a Ferguson police officer racially profiled and fatally shot unarmed, Black, 18-year-old, Michael Brown as he walked to his grandmother's residence with a friend.1 Eye witnesses report that the police officer, who has yet to be identified, fired several shots at Michael as the teen stood in the street with his hands in the air. The family and local community members are calling his death an execution.
Racially-motivated police violence has no place in law enforcement. Join us in demanding a rigorous investigation, prosecution, and firing of all officers involved in this tragic police killing. It only takes a moment.
Dorian Johnson, Michael's good friend, who experienced the entire police killing from just feet away, spoke out today.2 Detailing the entire police attack, Dorian reveals the officer's malice from start to finish, with the officer's first words to the teens, "get the f—k on the sidewalk." As the officer's aggression escalated, and he fired the first shots into Michael, the teens ran in fear for their lives. As Michael stood in the street with his hands in the air, the officer fired the fatal shots. Michael's last words were, "I don't have a gun, stop shooting!" He was set to start college just two days later.
Take action to secure justice for Michael's family and ensure that all involved officers are prosecuted and fired. And when you do, please ask your family and friends to do the same.
Law enforcement officials are working hard to construct a false narrative and make it harder to hold the officers accountable, even refusing to interview the primary eye-witness of the police killing.3 Enough is enough. This tragic police killing is representative of the systemic police abuse affecting Black communities in Ferguson, Missouri, and across the country.
Last year, Black Missouri residents were 66% more likely to be stopped by police, and more likely to be arrested, even though white residents were more likely to be found with contraband.4 And despite representing just a third of Ferguson's population, Black people are 86% of those stopped by police while driving.5 Decades of entrenched police violence and racial profiling policies targeting Black youth on the basis of dehumanizing stereotypes has led to the brutal police murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Thanks and peace,
— Matt, Rashad, Arisha, Jamar, Lyla and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team August 12th, 2014
