It’s been almost a decade since the police killing of Michael Brown.
On the spot where his body lay for 4½ hours, loved ones placed candles, stuffed animals and flowers Thursday night to memorialize his death and honor his legacy, as well as call for an end to police brutality.
The event was held on the 10th anniversary of the day Michael Brown graduated from high school. Eight days later, he was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer.
Michael Brown’s father, Michael Brown Sr., helped organize the event. He said every day is different for him when it comes to the grief he's faced since losing his son.
When asked what he hopes the continuing effect of his son’s legacy will be, Brown said, “That people will never forget and will understand that he has a father that’s standing strong, 10 toes down for what’s justice.”
Brown started a nonprofit, Chosen for Change, in his son’s honor to provide support to families who have experienced a traumatic loss. He said he’s frustrated to see the problem of police brutality against Black people persisting.
“There’s still a whole lot of work to be done,” Brown Sr. said. “I would definitely say that he’s still working from the grave because I am him, he is me.”
Michael Brown Jr. was killed on Aug. 9, 2014, when he was 18 years old. Brown, who was Black, was killed by a white officer. His death sparked protests that lasted for months.
Rashad Timmons attended the memorial Thursday and works closely with Brown's family in honoring his legacy and fighting racial injustice. He said police violence and racism affect everyone and don’t give people a fair opportunity at life.
“To keep coming out to doing the ritual of honoring him, memorializing him, commemorating him, really pushed against that impulse of erasure and is a testament to the fact that his life matters,” Timmons said. “He deserved full and abundant life.”
Chris Phillips lived in the same neighborhood where Brown was killed. Phillips said the killing inspired him to start making a film about how communities are affected after police killings and the national influence of his death.
“I lived here, this street,” Phillips said. “I walked across this spot to get to my mailbox. It’s very close to home for me, and as a Black man to see another Black man who had his whole life ahead of him … I think about everything I’ve done from 18 to now.”
Melanie Randels, the executive director of Chosen for Change, said the memorial was important to those affected by Brown Jr.'s death.
“I think sometimes we become desensitized to these types of tragedies,” Randels said. “Even though we can look on the news and see them, and they are still happening, sometimes we can forget the pain, we can forget the memory.”
She said there’s still much change needed when it comes to police brutality, mentioning names including Sonya Massey. She recalled a conversation she had with Brown’s stepmother.
“We just said and at the same time that we’re tired of saying their names,” she said. “We’re tired of the marches. We’re tired of it all.”
Timmons, one of the people at the gathering, said Brown’s legacy has inspired many people, including him, to fight for justice.
“I hope his legacy continues and provides an invitation for us, all of us, to really fight for a world that he deserved, a world where he was not given premature death and abbreviated life, but one where he should have received a prosperous life, one where he was able to bloom in the fullness of who he was as an individual,” Timmons said.
