Days after GlobalGrind traveled to Ferguson, Mo. to speak with residents about obtaining justice in the face of gross civil rights violations in their community, Ferguson, Mo. police finally released the name of the officer who killed Michael Brown.
But the release didn’t come without what we now know to be the criminalization of the 18-year-old — Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson jointly released information regarding the robbery of a small convenience store near the spot where Officer Darren Wilson claims Brown attacked him, suggesting that Brown robbed the store just minutes before he was killed.
The action was met with major pushback from residents who believe Brown was not worthy of death, even if an investigation proved he did steal cigars from the store.
“Do I deserve to be shot in my back?” Ferguson resident Cheri Isaac asked GlobalGrind after saying she too has stolen in the past. “Do I deserve to lift my hands and have someone kill me like a dog? These times aren’t over with? This is what I have to explain to my kids.”
The demonization of the teenager continued. A surveillance video of a black male who authorities say is Brown surfaced, a toxicology report for the teenager was questioned, and just this week, news outlets scrambled to obtain Brown’s juvenile record — it was later revealed that Brown was not convicted of any felonies.
Listen as Missouri residents, political leaders (including Antonio French), and famous activists like Dick Gregory voice their frustration with the historic criminalization of black bodies, even after they are dead.
“Stop lying on the dead, tell the truth on the living,” said Netta, an activist from St. Louis.
Watch the video, which includes commentary on the violation of civil rights in the days after Brown’s death, above.
