Ferguson protests of 2014 were demonstrations that erupted following a police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, near St. Louis. On Aug. 9, 2014, Darren Wilson, a white police officer, shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, during a confrontation. A number of Ferguson residents, many of them African Americans, soon gathered in protest. People protested both the shooting and what many believed was a history of unfair treatment of Black residents by white authorities. The protests at times involved damage to property, and national media broadcast images of protesters pitted against police clad in riot gear. The events stirred widespread discussion about the use of deadly force by police, relations between police and minority groups, and racial discrimination in law enforcement.
The Michael Brown shooting.
About midday on August 9, 18-year-old Michael Brown and a friend were walking down the middle of a Ferguson street when they were stopped by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The officer ordered the pair to walk on the sidewalk, but the two refused to do so. Details of the events that followed remained unclear.
Police officials later stated that Brown—who stood 6 feet 4 inches (193 centimeters) and weighed 292 pounds (132 kilograms)—had struck Wilson and attempted to take the officer’s gun. The initial struggle took place within the officer’s vehicle, and officials said that Wilson was in fear for his life. Witness accounts varied, but some indicated that Brown had his hands up in a surrendering position when he was killed. Other accounts indicated that Brown had been charging at the officer. Brown’s body lay in the street for more than four hours. Angry crowds gathered, delaying the work of medical examiners who had arrived to collect Brown’s body.
Protests begin.
On the evening of August 10, hundreds of residents gathered near the site of the shooting to honor the slain teenager. As the demonstration grew, police officers wearing helmets and carrying shields arrived at the scene. Later in the evening, some of the protests became boisterous, and some protesters hurled objects at police. Police, in turn, fired tear gas into the crowds. Looters ransacked several stores, and dozens of protesters were arrested. A number of journalists covering the events also were arrested.
On August 16, after several days of protests, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency in Ferguson. He set a curfew in the community between the times of midnight and 5 a.m. Nixon lifted the curfew on August 18.
Several law enforcement agencies were called in to assist Ferguson police. Such authorities included the St. Louis County Police Department, the Missouri Highway Patrol, and troops from the Missouri National Guard. When county police arrived wearing riot gear and backed by armored vehicles, the events sparked media coverage about the “militarization” of police departments.
The Ferguson protests continued for weeks. Demonstrators chanted “hands up, don’t shoot!” in reference to the alleged positioning of Brown’s hands when he was killed. People from other St. Louis-area neighborhoods and activists from around the country joined the protests.
Details revealed.
Police officials had initially refused to name the officer who shot Brown. The refusal led to an outcry among demonstrators. On August 15, the police revealed that the officer in question was Darren Wilson, a five-year veteran of police forces in the county.
Also on August 15, police officials released security footage—recorded minutes prior to the deadly confrontation—that appeared to show Brown stealing cigars from a convenience store and threatening the store’s manager. According to police, Wilson was unaware of Brown’s alleged theft at the time he stopped Brown.
The results of a private autopsy (medical examination of a body) were released on August 17. The autopsy showed that Brown had been struck by bullets six times, including twice in the head.
Reactions.
Many observers were critical of the protests and defended the actions of the police. Some pointed to the convenience store video as evidence of Brown’s tendency toward violent or unlawful behavior, though records revealed that Brown had no criminal history. Many supporters of the protests refused to believe the police account. Many people argued that the shooting of an unarmed person was unjustified, regardless of the circumstances.
Many observers considered the Ferguson events representative of a wider problem between minority communities and law enforcement. Supporters of the protests cited evidence, including arrest warrant statistics, suggesting patterns of racial discrimination by St. Louis County law enforcement. Observers argued that an aggressive police presence had contributed to feelings of helplessness and anger among Ferguson’s African American residents.
Legal proceedings.
On August 11, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) opened an inquiry to determine whether Wilson’s actions had violated Brown’s civil rights. Later that month, a St. Louis County grand jury convened to determine whether charges should be filed against Wilson. A grand jury is a group of citizens who decide whether there is sufficient evidence of a crime to try a person in court. On November 24, the grand jury chose not to indict (bring criminal charges against) the officer.
In October, a federal judge ruled that Ferguson police officers had violated the civil rights of protesters. Officers had told people at the protest site that they had to keep walking and that they would be arrested if they stood still for more than five seconds. The judge ruled that the police had violated the protesters’ constitutional rights to peaceful assembly.
In March 2015, a U.S. Department of Justice inquiry cleared Wilson of violating Brown’s civil rights. The department found that witnesses’ claims that Brown had been surrendering when he was shot were not credible. Also in March, a separate Justice Department investigation found that Ferguson police had regularly violated the constitutional rights of African Americans. The report noted that Black residents had been ticketed and arrested in far greater proportion than their share of the city’s population. In March 2016, the Ferguson City Council voted to approve a settlement with the Justice Department. The agreement called for the community to implement broad reforms of police procedures and court practices.
In June 2017, a federal judge approved a $1.5-million civil settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit that the family of Michael Brown had filed with the city of Ferguson. The lawsuit had accused the city of fostering an environment that encouraged police harassment of African Americans and led to the unreasonable use of force against Brown.
Other developments.
In September 2014, Ferguson and other area communities implemented amnesty (pardon) programs to help nonviolent offenders clear their arrest warrants and arrange payment plans for fines. Throughout the autumn of 2014, protests continued in Ferguson and other areas near St. Louis.
On November 24, protests flared anew after prosecutors announced the grand jury’s decision not to indict Wilson. Some protesters threw objects at police and set a number of buildings and vehicles on fire. Wilson resigned from the Ferguson Police Department on November 29.
On Aug. 9, 2015, protesters gathered peacefully in Ferguson to commemorate the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death. Late in the evening, however, looting and gunfire marred the demonstrations. One man was arrested after he shot into a crowd, and another was wounded by police after firing at officers in police vehicles.
