Celebrates His Legacy In Inspiring Movements for Justice

August 9, 2019, New York – Five years after the murder of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:

“Five years ago today, Michael Brown, an 18-year old Black teenager, was shot and killed  in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. The white police officer responsible for his killing, Darren Wilson, was never held accountable. Today, and every day, we mourn Mike Brown’s death and in his honor, we recommit to dismantling the ideology of white supremacy and the policies of state violence  that took his life, denied his family justice and tore apart a community.

While mourning his loss, we also recognize the powerful legacy that Brown has left behind. The community uprising in response to his murder and our system of racist policing has changed the country – and the world – forever. In addition to the landmark Department of Justice report highlighting the systemic police abuse and exploitation that  Black residents have known all along, the Ferguson uprising and Movement for Black Lives have sparked some of the most principled, innovative, and transformational organizing in this country’s history, despite a tremendous backlash. And by drawing and building upon international human rights standards, it has reminded advocates and activists that systems of oppression around the world are linked and that our liberations are intertwined -- across movements and across borders.

At the Center for Constitutional Rights, we are deeply inspired by the community uprising born in Ferguson five years ago. But Mike Brown should still be here. As lawyers, activists, and community members, we reaffirm our commitment to the lives and liberation of all Black people. Mike Brown Forever.