Report of Amnesty International
Submitted to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
In Conjunction with the Universal Periodic Review
1 Introduction
1.1 Methodology
The report is based on the original report, On the Streets of America: Human Rights Abuses in Ferguson, by Amnesty International. Amnesty International sent a team of human rights observers, trainers and researchers to Ferguson and collect various information.
Different from the original report, the report would concentrate on the nature of human rights violations in Ferguson and the indication of the violations in the United States. The report believes the human rights issue in Ferguson is a widow to reveal the current human situation in the United States rather than an accidental and separated tragedy.
1.2 Background
The human rights violations start from the death of Michael Brown and permeate through the whole Ferguson Unrest.
1.2.1 Death of Michael Brown
Michael Brown, an unarmed African American young man, was shot six times by police officer Darren Wilson in a store in Ferguson and died immediately, Missouri on August 9, 2014.
1.2.2 Ferguson Unrest
Protests and civil disorder began the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri. Protests and rioting lasts for over 2 months to ask justice for Michael Brown, equality for the black American, freedom to protest and the security in community. Due to the wrong response from the Police in Ferguson,
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
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.
Despite the important racial progresss our society has made since Emmett Till’s death, from the civil rights era, to present increase of police brutality has still left the Black/African American community in shadows of segregation. The second most recent shooting of teenager Michael Brown has left citizens in ongoing battles with law enforcement officers of Ferguson, Missouri. New Statement (2014) reports, Missouri police similarly attempted to retain control of the narrative, claiming Brown had stolen cigars, and then paying for them, and then claiming he was a bad child and attacked the officer who shot him” (New Statement, 21). Brown autopsy reveals he was gun less and shot six times. Police brutality is not solely about Ferguson, Emmett Till, or the civil rights movement, but it is simply about the history of capitalism and police brutality in America and having many forms of it.
The shooting of sparked a nation-wide movement not only demanding justice for Mike Brown, but also protesting the racial discrimination deeply embedded in the criminal justice system as well as various institutions in the larger American society. Furthermore, jfdkjfjdakljk something about international recognition. Similar protests and riots have been springing up in other cities since 1960s, and police killings of unarmed black men happen once every 28 hours (Kahle, 2014). However, Michael Brown’s killing has led to the most sustained uprising against police violence in at least two decades, centered among the African American residents of Ferguson, and has rallied significant nationwide support as well as international attention (Kahle, 2014; Taylor, 2014). The killing of Michael Brown is by no means an isolated event, and presence of racial tensions, especially in the St. Louis area, was already present long before. The large-scale pushback that the killing of Michael Brown has set in motion, then, seems to have been the last straw, prompting the eruption of decades of pent up frustration at a racist and oppressive system. That being said, what are the previous straws that have slowly pushed the black community in Ferguson to the breaking point? What are the factors that have caused these tensions to boil over and erupt into such a large-scale upheaval? This paper will explore some of the
In Ferguson, Missouri there was a shooting that resulted in law enforcement siding the oppressor rather than the 18-year old whose life was taken in the incident. Michael Brown’s killer never faced consequences for his actions, which resulted in a protest that practiced civil disobedience, but resulted in violence by the people destroying the community of Ferguson. Many protesters used this event as a chance to speak up because they were always silenced. These people couldn’t understand the consequences of their actions. Many feared saying anything that the individual had witnessed because signs
Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed on August 2014, by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in Ferguson, Mo. Brown, an 18-year-old African-American was fatally shot and killed in the street shortly after robbing a convenience store. The disputed circumstances of the shooting of the unarmed young man sparked existing tensions in the majority-black community and law enforcements in Ferguson, Mo. The event received considerable attention in the U.S. and elsewhere, attracted protesters from outside the region, and generated a powerful debate about the relationship between law enforcement and African Americans and the police use of excessive force. The shooting prompted protests that shaken the area for weeks. The announcement of the grand jury that they decided not to indict Mr. Wilson set off another wave of protests. Many police officers have defended Wilson, pointing out that officers patrolling violent neighborhoods risk their lives, while demonstrators saw the case in terms of racism and police brutality. However, Brown’s killing and the following events in Ferguson became a national controversy touching on much larger national issues of race, justice, and police brutality. While the specifics of the Brown shooting involved is not clear, the situation would have been dramatically different had Wilson worn body camera which would have recorded the actual event. With new body camera technology
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
To begin the police has caused many unnecessary deaths throughout the United States. More than 920 people have been killed by the police in 2015 (“5 Facts about Police Brutality in the United States That Will Shock You”). In Ferguson, Missouri 18 year old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson. Mr. Johnson a witness at the scene, says that his friend was shot once from behind and then turned to face the police officer while raising his arms in the air. According to Mr Johnson, the officer fired several more shots at Mr. Brown before he fell to the ground (“Ferguson protests:What we know about Michael Brown 's last minutes”). Although Mr. Brown was fleeing from the officer, there was no need for the officer to shoot Brown.
In the article, Ferguson Police Committed Human Rights Abuses, Rights Group Says by Carey Gillam, an international human rights organization said that police in Ferguson, Missouri committed human rights abuses when they tried to stop a peaceful protest about the death of an unarmed black teenager by a white officers in August. Amnesty International said that the U.S. authorities should investigate Ferguson law enforcement because of alleged abuses during the weeks of racially based protests (Gillam, 2014). A grand jury is placed with the task of deciding if Officer Wilson should be charged with Michael Brown’s death. In anticipation of unrest due to the probability that Officer Wilson wouldn’t be charged, Missouri police had stocked up on riot gear.
Brown continued to show aggressive force towards the officer in which Wilson, the officer, fired shots killing Brown. Officials decided to not arrest the officer and suspended him with pay until an investigation was complete. To the population, Browns death was seen as another result of a hate crime and the news spread quickly around the St. Louis area. But this time things were different (Edwards, pg10). Citizens decided to take matters into their own hand. Rioters swarmed the streets and began burning cars, destroying local businesses, and stealing goods. It was like a scene from the Rodney King riot that took place in 1992. Rioters went on a rampage for days burning down nearly 25 buildings, 2 police cruisers, 12 cars, and over 80 arrests made (note: many of the personnel who were arrested did not reside in the state of Missouri, meaning others traveled to St. Louis just to partake in the riots). Overall, $4.6 million in damages were caused. Protesters flooded the streets for nearly a year in hopes of getting justice for Mike Brown (Edwards, pg11-13). And On March 4, 2015, another court decisioning ruled in favor of the
The shooting left the Blacks in the city of Ferguson in a state of outrage. Anger raced through the veins of the citizens which prompted a series of demonstrations, which spread rapidly across the country. Brown’s death sparked protests and discussions about race and the abuse of police power in society. Protests began to flare after the Ferguson police officer was not indicted. St. Louis grand jury brought no criminal charges against Darren Wilson, who shot Michael Brown fatally in nearby Ferguson. The decision of
The people of Ferguson were outraged at the racial injustice which transpired in their city. Too many young black men had had their lives taken too soon by the police. Michael Brown’s death was another added to the list surely not the last and the people knew this. Change was needed and that burning need for it is what started the riots. The citizens of Ferguson were fed up with how the people of the country were treated by law enforcement and decided to make a stand. Ferguson would be thrown in the spotlight for “what’s wrong with America”. The police and the people of the country had a broken bond. Those entrusted to protect the people were no longer trusted.
In August 9th 2014 an unarmed teen by the name of Michael Brown was shot and killed by an officer who felt he was threatened by the unarmed teen, who later didn’t have much evidence to back it up. Hours after the killing, people started roaming the streets with posters quoting “black lives matter, no justice no peace.” After hours and hours of peaceful protests the streets of Ferguson turned to chaotic devastation when a group of people noticed the police officer was not put into custody. Riots broke out and destroyed majority of the city, many have speculated that's the reason behind recent police brutality today. Following the act, the courts officially decided that it was not the fought of Darren Wilson, but rather a misconception of the public’s view, and the lack of evidence. Also, Police Brutality, first recorded from the labor workers of the Pullman strike brutally beat the peace striking workers without any morality served. After the brutalities of the Pullman strike, the Textile strike was enacted. Immigrant workers protested peacefully against the owners of the company, which
Like most of the police around the world, the Ferguson police are charged with among others, the responsibility to maintain law and order. However, this is not always the case – many times the police force has been accused, and rightly so, of professional misconduct, corruption in the line of duty, violation of human rights (to life, movement, expression, demonstrate peacefully, and so on), and total disregard of their own local and international code of ethics.
To say Ferguson, Missouri has seen its share of racial discrimination and mistreatment would be an understatement. As hard fought a battle the civil rights movement was, many cities and suburbs, including Ferguson, remain clouded with unfair treatment of black residents based on their race. Decades of racial discrimination, oftentimes supported, even fueled by politicians, bankers, and real estate agents catapulted Ferguson into the downtrodden suburb it is today. It was the enabling of politicians and the city’s wealthier, white population who refused to allow blacks into their communities to live or for black children to attend school with white children.