Michael Brown’s father demands prosecutor reopen Ferguson investigation
With the death of his son still resounding five years later, Michael Brown Sr., is continuing to demand justice and accountability from those he says are responsible
On the five-year anniversary of the police shooting death of Michael Brown, the late-teen’s father, Michael Sr., is demanding that St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell reopen the investigation.
“I am demanding evidence to be reanalyzed, and accountability to follow,” Brown said at a Friday press conference in Clayton, Mo. “As a father, I vowed to protect my children, and on August 9, 2014, that wasn’t the case. I could not protect him that day and it breaks my heart. I will stand and fight until the day I die for justice.”
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According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Brown, said that Brown Jr. was “murdered in cold blood,” by “a coward with a badge,” referring to then-Ferguson, Mo., policeman Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Brown, the suspect of an attack and theft from a nearby grocery store. The incident drew international attention and helped to spur the Black Lives Matter movement.
In November of 2014, a grand jury declined to indict Wilson after reviewing evidence of the shooting. A federal investigation later found that Brown’s civil rights had not been violated.
At the press conference, Brown. also stated that he has already spoken to Bell about reopening his son’s case, and that his demands are not meant to “attack” or “ambush” Bell at all.
“I definitely don’t feel like (Bell) owes me nothing, but I do think that he needs to do his job,” Brown Sr. said.
Brown also told reporters that he feels not enough has been done since his son’s death, and that there are several, scheduled community events coming to commemorate the teen this weekend. The goal of the eventful weekend, as Brown stated, is to “rehumanize” his son, whose corpse lay on Canfield Drive for more than four hours following the shooting.
“Black and brown bodies are [still] being found on the ground,” Brown said. “Until we start getting more communication on the police side — I’m not going to say we’re not at fault on certain things — but I think the badge and the uniform is what scares our people. I still cringe.”
Bell has yet to respond publicly to Brown’s request, however, according to the Post-Dispatch, he released a prepared statement earlier in the week, addressing the issue.
“Our office is doing everything we can to understand the underlying issues that contributed to the tragic death of Michael Brown,” the statement said. “We are working every day with the community and law enforcement to implement policies and reforms that meaningfully address those issues, and help this community and this region heal.”
