Michael Brown Research Papers

In the Ferguson, Missouri case involving a white police officer (Darren Wilson) shooting an unarmed African American teenager (Michael Brown), the worldwide media immediately claimed that the officer shot Michael Brown for no reason besides the color of his skin. Many rumors and assumptions spread like wildfire after white police officer Darren Wilson was found innocent by a judge of having purpose to shoot Brown.

All across the nation, in the news the black community has been making their voice heard, in regards to white police brutality, and murder against the unarmed black community. Many of these brutal attacks and flat out murders of unarmed black people haven’t been largely prosecuted, some officers have even been acquitted of any wrong doing or murder. This has led to outrage in the African American community at large. The shooting of an unarmed black teen named Michael Brown caused the racial strain in this country to break.

Beginning in late summer, this country became bombarded with stories in the news about police officers involved in some types of controversy. The controversy that started it all was an incident that happened in Ferguson, Missouri. Since August, there has been much discussion and public debate over whether a police officer’s use of deadly force against an unarmed teenager was justified. On August 9, 2014 a young man named Michael Brown was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson after he was stopped for walking in the middle of the street. Was the shooting of an unarmed teenager in Missouri an example of police using excessive force? Who decides what force is recommended or when it becomes excessive? To determine both these questions, we first must define what constitutes specific circumstances as excessive force. Officer Darren Wilson was not guilty of using excessive or lethal force if he felt his safety or the safety of others were in danger or if Michael Brown had surrendered peacefully and without resisting arrest.

Racial injustice against people of colour is an immense, ongoing issue that has not only targeted lives but has also taken many innocent lives. In America, these racial divisions date back to the days of slavery, where black people were denied of their basic human rights because of discrimination. In present day, some individuals view America as a post-racial environment, due to such victories as electing a black president; but the brutal, fatal and unjust events in Ferguson, Missouri prove that these divisions are still present. On August 9th, 2014, an unarmed, 18 year old black teen was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. The events that led to the death of Michael Brown occurred on an early morning where Mr. Wilson stopped Michael Brown and a friend after leaving a convenience store. An altercation occurred which prompted Mr. Brown to flee and officer Wilson to begin shooting. The death of Mr. Brown caused the city to stand up against police brutality through peaceful protest, looting, and even violence, to gain justice for Mr. Brown and his family. As the protests grew, the police used military tactics such as, tear gas, to “maintain order” during the unrest of the city. In recent, news the grand jury decided that Officer Darren Wilson was not responsible for the death of Michael Brown, which led to a larger public outrage not only in America, but also across the

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has made his cases arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver. An underrated player for most of his career Brown really elevated his game in 2014 when he became Ben Roethlisberger’s best option. Brown has been a beast in his NFL career, destroying almost every defensive player sent his way. His lightening quick speed and incredible hands make him one popular superstar, though you know a lot about the man, there’s a lot about Brown’s life that you probably don’t know. I’m just an infraction and here are 20 facts you probably didn’t know about Antonio Brown.

John Brown’s son was actually the one to convince him to acquire weapons and start up a militia. He left behind his wife, his twentieth child, and all of his lawsuits to join his son in Kansas. The Browns traveled to Lawrence on December 7, 1855 in order to meet with another militia and discuss their plans. This group in Lawrence was attacked after Brown left, and he wanted to take revenge. John Brown quickly became a wanted man and continued to evade the law for quite some time. More than fifty people died in 1856,

2. Intent. Again, it would seem clear that, by firing the gun at Art, Charlie intended to

One community that stands out the most for the conflict between law enforcement and their community is Ferguson, Missouri. On August 9, 2014 Darren Wilson, 28, a white Ferguson police officer fatally shot Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African-American male (McLaughlin). This case started one of the biggest uproar the nation has ever seen between community and law enforcement. When the incident first occurred there were many pieces of information missing to paint a scenario of how and what occurred between Brown and officer Wilson. Apparently Michael Brown was walking home late at night when officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown got into a confrontation that lead to Wilson shooting Brown, the case goes

shot. After doing ballistic tests on the rifle the police found a palm print of Oswald's on the

Wilson backed up his cruiser and blocked them. An altercation ensued with Brown and Wilson struggling through the window of the police vehicle for control of Wilson 's gun until it was fired. Brown and Johnson then fled, with Wilson in pursuit of Brown. Brown stopped and turned to face the officer, then Brown moved toward him. Wilson fired at Brown several times in total, all shots striking him in the front, with the possible exception of the two bullets fired into Brown 's right arm. In the entire altercation, Wilson fired a total of twelve bullets; the last was probably the fatal shot. Brown was unarmed and moving toward Wilson when the final shots were fired. Witness reports differed as to what Brown was doing with his hands when he was shot, but none of the witnesses who said that Brown had his hands up in surrender were later found to be credible. At 11:47 a.m., Wilson responded to the call of a baby with breathing problems and drove to Glenark Drive, east of Canfield Drive. About three minutes later and several blocks away, Michael Brown was recorded on camera stealing a box of Swisher cigars and pushing away a Ferguson Market clerk. Brown and his friend, Dorian Johnson, left the market at about 11:54 a.m. At 11:53, a police dispatcher reported a "stealing in progress" at the Ferguson Market and described the suspect as a black male wearing a white T-shirt running toward QuikTrip. The suspect

A young man’s brutal death at the hands of the police is found justified in a court of law due to his “suspicious” appearance: a black hoodie and his hands in his pocket. An elderly woman is fatally shot in her home for her relation to a suspected criminal. A married man with two toddlers is choked to death after a minor traffic stop by an officer who later claimed that his unarmed victim was wielding a gun. These people all have a few commonalities: the color of their skin, their presumed guilt at first sight, and their ultimate unjustified death administered by the law force. These are not uncommon occurrences. Due to the staggeringly disproportionate rate of African-Americans killed by the police, and the underlying rampant racial profiling, police brutality towards blacks in America must be called to light.

Aside from the Single Bullet Theory, the Warren Commission also declared that Lee Harvey Oswald conducted the assassination alone. Shortly after the assassination, some witnesses on Elm Street as well as the employees of the Texas School Book Depository informed the police officers on the site that they thought the short came from the sixth floor of the building. The police soon found a rifle and three bullet shells in one of the rooms on this floor. One witness, Howard Brennan, even provided the police officers with a description of who he thought the assassin was. According to Brennan, the man he described held a rifle out of a corner window on the sixth floor of the building around the time the assassination occurred. The police officers

Wilson reported that he was back in service and radioed untits 25 and 22 to ask if they still needed assistance in searching for the suspects, Seven seconds later, an unidentified officer said the suspects had disappeared. Wilson called for backup at 12:02, saying Unit 21. Put me on Canfield with two. And send another car. Reports of what happened next differ widely between sources and witnesses, but Brown ended up shot dead by Wilson. At noon on August 9, Wilson drove up to Brown and Johnson in the middle of Canfield Drive and ordered them to move off the street and onto the sidewalk. Wilson continued driving past the two men, but then back and stopped close to them. ("Shooting of Michael

While the Justice Department was examining the Mike Brown case they found assessments that showed the Ferguson police department and courts had deep seated racism (Halpern, 2015). The local police target African American males and arrested them disproportionately and fining them excessively (Halpern, 2015). The finding lead to believe that Wilson didn’t violated any protocols but yet he was apart of corrupt and racist system (Halpern, 2015). If Wilson was taught in the police academy to target African American males for because they are most likely to be criminals than it’s not his fault or he’s not being racist. The system trained him to target blacks so he is just following the orders that were given by the police department.

Firstly, Michael Brown is not just an innocent victim as the African American community portrays. Shortly before Brown’s encounter with Officer Wilson, a 911 call had been placed from the Ferguson Market and Liquor store on 9101 Florissant Avenue reporting a robbery. Unfortunately, it is unknown whether or not he had a juvenile record. Brown’s record was not released because Cynthia Harcourt, the St. Louis County juvenile office’s attorney, said the “court of public opinion does not require the release of juvenile records” and that “simple curiosity was not an adequate reason to violate the privacy of Brown and his family” (“Broken Record”). Not releasing Brown’s records creates bias in favor of Brown, leading people to assume that the shooting was racially motivated.