Ferguson, Mo. residents gathered Tuesday night to erect a monument to Mike Brown, a black teenager shot by a police officer, in honor of the third anniversary of his death.
Dozens of people placed teddy bears, heart balloons and candles at the place where Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson fatally shot Brown during a struggle between the two, reports STLToday.
“I’m really delighted to see people come out here, it shows they haven’t forgotten,” activist Meldon Moffitt said of those who joined the event. “As long as we support each other, all these lives — Mike Brown, Isaiah Hammett, Kajieme Powell, all of them — will be remembered.”
People driving by the site shouted messages of encouragement to those gathered. Moffitt, who protested in the original demonstrations in 2014, told residents that the site was “ground zero” and must never be forgotten.
“The wound is still fresh,” said Tammie Holland, a Ferguson resident. “Leslie [Brown’s mother] has to drive by here everyday and has to see this spot and be reminded of what happened. I can’t imagine her pain.”
Wilson’s fatal shooting of Brown sparked numerous riots through out Ferguson. Characterized as a “war zone” by one protester, the city was rocked by fires, looting and acts of violence. Despite the narrative that Wilson shot Brown while his hands were up in the air, an autopsy report found that Brown probably didn’t have his hands up in the air at the time of the shooting. A Department of Justice investigation also revealed that Brown might have charged Wilson during the struggle.
The Black Lives Matter movement continues to hold up Brown up as a victim, with many of them tweeting out in honor of his death Wednesday.
“I consider this a historical site,” activist Chad Jackson said of the site. “Look what happened in all those other places. We haven’t gotten any justice yet and we can’t stop until things change.”
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