HATE CRIMES: FERGUSON SHOOTING

Running Head: Hate Crimes

Community Problem Report: Hate Crimes

The University of Texas at El Paso
RWS 1301
October 31, 2014
Marina Chong

Instructor: Moushumi Biswas

HATE CRIMES: FERGUSON SHOOTING

Abstract
The incident in Ferguson has created an insecure environment where the citizens dont feel safe
with the government and law enforcement. According to a news report, this incident was not a
surprise for the local community in Missouri. For many years, Missouri has attracted many of the
nations racists, including neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan; it is also home to many Republican
politicians. The St Louis County, where the city of Ferguson resides, is a living legacy of
Southern white resistance to desegregation. The Council of Conservative Citizens its a group
in St. Louis that promotes hatred of blacks, Jews, homosexuals and Latino immigrants, while
promoting only white rights. After the Michael Brown shooting, the Ferguson community has
been protesting and creating civil disorder against the police, demanding equal rights for
everyone. The protesters are asking for a punishment for Darren Wilson, the police officer who
shot Michael Brown, who hasnt received any consequence for his unjustified actions.

Keywords: Hate crimes, racism, Ferguson, Michael Brown, Darren Wilson, protests

HATE CRIMES: FERGUSON SHOOTING

Ferguson shooting
The afternoon of August 9, 2014, an event occurred in the city of Ferguson, Missouri which
ended with the attention of the entire nation. This problem begins with the shooting of a young
African American who was killed by a white police officer. The main problem of this event is
that, according to the autopsy made to the teenager, the 18 year old man was unarmed when he
was shot; this created tension in the community between citizens and law enforcement because
the shooting was ruled as racism-based. Protesters demand justice for this young man, and for
the police officer to be punished for his crime. The aftermath of this tragic event, were protests
not only in the state of Missouri but also through many US states.
Ferguson Scandal
Michael Brown was an 18 year old man who graduated from Normandy High School in
Ferguson, Missouri. According to his high school teachers, Michael Brown was an outstanding
student that never caused any problem. He was to attend Vatterott College to become an engineer
in August 11. His high school friends said that he wanted to create his own business when he
graduated. The afternoon of August 9, 2014, at noon, Michael Brown was walking in the middle
of the street with his friend, Dorian Johnson, when a white police officer, Darren Wilson, told
them to move off the street onto the sidewalk. There was a struggle between Brown and Wilson
where Wilsons gun fired hitting Browns arm. Brown and Johnson ran away from the police
officers car, where Johnson was able to get away and Wilson persuaded Brown. At some point,
Wilson fired his gun, hitting Michael Brown six times and fatally wounding him, while he was
unarmed. The evening of the same day, residents of that area where he was shot, brought flowers
and candles to the spot where he was killed. Witnesses state that an unidentified officer with his

HATE CRIMES: FERGUSON SHOOTING

dog under his control let the dog urinate in the memorial. Later, police officers crashed the
memorial and took it down. This created anger in the citizens and made them uneasy. The
Ferguson Police Department released a security video tape that showed Michael Brown I a
grocery store stealing a box of cigars. People took this as a cover up and an excuse for what
Wilson did and reacted with violence. On August 10, there were memorial made for Brown in
peace, but some of the people were uneasy after the police took down the memorial. The police
assembled approximately 150 officers, all of them in riot gear. The people began looting
businesses and confronting police officers that blocked some areas of the city. A gas station was
set on fire, and that led to over 30 arrests. On August 11, police officers started using tear gas
and rubber bullets against the crowd. Some of the people protesting threw rocks at the police
which the police responded by firing the tear gas upon those protesting, which included state
Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal. The night of August 12, a SWAT team arrived and tried to
disperse the crowd. Police officers used smoke bombs, flash grenades, tear gas and rubber
bullets. CNN cameras recorded an officer yelling at a group of protesters calling them animals
and other insults. A peaceful protester was shot on the head non-fatally; she criticized the police
for not investigating her case in a timely manner.
Many reporters were arrested, including The Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery and The
Huffington Post reporter Ryan Reilley, when they were only enforcing their right of freedom of
the press to cover news. The FBI sent people to investigate the situation and the case. The
Attorney General Eric Holder was appointed to the case, he said he would look closely into the
case and even though he is the Attorney General of the United States he was also a black man
and he was going to take this more personally. During the investigation, they discovered
Browns blood inside Wilsons car, which indicated struggle in the car.

HATE CRIMES: FERGUSON SHOOTING

On October 22 there was a leak on Darren Wilsons testimony. Wilson said that he saw the two
men walking on the street and noticed that Johnson, Browns friend, matched the description of a
suspect in a strong-army robbery. Wilson called for assistance and tried to get out of the car
when Brown punched him in the face through the open window. He said that he had no other
choice than to draw his weapon because Brown was very strong. Brown reached for Wilsons
gun, so Wilson fired and shot him in the arm. His shoulder radio was knocked off during the
struggle so decided to give chase behind Brown. After he got out of the car Brown faced him and
started running toward him and Wilson fired his gun hitting him four times including a fatal shot
to the head.
There was an autopsy made by the local medical examiner, his report said that Brown was shot
in the front part of his body, with multiple gunshot wounds to the head, torso and right arm. The
report stated that the gunshots had to been fired from a short distance, and the gunshot wound to
the top of his head was consistent with Brown either falling forward or lunging towards Wilson.
A second autopsy was conducted by a medical examiner from New York, at the request of the
family. According to this report, Brown was shot six times; four bullets hit his right arm, one
entered his right eye in a downward trajectory, and one entered through the top of his head.
According to the medical examiner, the rounds were fired from a distance of at least one to two
feet. The doctor who assisted the medical examiner in the autopsy stated that a wound to the
right arm was consistent with Brown having his back to the officer or in a defensive position.
The US Attorney General Eric Holder ordered a third autopsy. Military coroners released the
autopsy results to federal authorities that showed that he was shot six times, but declined to
release more information.

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Witnesses stated that Brown had his hands on the air when Wilson fired his gun. This caused
controversy in the citizens of Ferguson.
A state grand jury is considering charges against Wilson, but he has not been convicted yet on
any crime. The Justice Department is investigating the Ferguson Police Department for possible
civil rights violations, including whether officers used excessive force and engaged in
discriminatory practices.

Conclusion
People need to be aware of what is happening in the world and how racism not only affects the
victim of the crime but the community as well, like in this case. People shouldnt jump into
conclusions and rule crimes like hate crimes or dismiss crimes without proper evidence. Given
that this situation does not have a solution, the people should work in maintaining order and get
informed of what is happening.

HATE CRIMES: FERGUSON SHOOTING

References
Duthiers, V. (2014, January 1). Leaked Information on Ferguson Probe Angers Attorney
General. Retrieved October 26, 2014, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/leaked-informationon-ferguson-probe-angers-attorney-general/

Ferguson Shooting. (2014, January 1). Retrieved October 26, 2014, from
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/13/us/ferguson-missouri-town-under-siege-afterpolice-shooting.html?_r=1

Rachel, C. (2014, January 1). Ferguson Shooting Timeline. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/08/us/ferguson-brown-timeline/

Rachel, D. (2014, August 29). Ferguson Shooting Timeline. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/14/michael-brown-ferguson-missouritimeline/14051827/

Helsel, P. (2014, August 13). Michael Brown Autopsy: Missouri Teen Died of Gun Shots.
Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brownshooting/michael-brown-autopsy-missouri-teen-died-gun-shots-n179151