People across the country participated in a peaceful protest against police brutality in response to the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed teen who was killed after an officer shot him multiple times.
Starting at 7 p.m., vigils were held all over the United States as part of National Moment of Silence. This comes days after people began calling for a memorial via social media, using the hashtag #NMOS14.
Although Brown’s shooting happened in Ferguson, Missouri, where people have been demonstrating for days, community activist Feminista Jones–who started the hashtag–pointed out how police brutality is a national problem.
“It’s not just Ferguson. Police brutality is pervasive. It’s happening in so many cities,” she told USA Today. “We’re having a national moment of silence — one chord, one silent voice — to honor not only Mike Brown, not only Eric Garner, but all victims of police brutality, especially those who have lost their lives.”
Communities are gathering in just about every major city in the U.S. tonight, including: Washington D.C., Baltimore, Boston, St. Louis, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Charlotte. New York City held two vigils: one in Harlem and another in Lower Manhattan. These aren’t the only vigil sites though, as even many more cities across the country are participating in the national moment of silence.
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Those that couldn’t make it out for the vigil have been able to show their support via social media, where moments from the rallies have been shared. Many people are lifting their arms in surrender, silently pleading, “Don’t shoot.”
Whether every-day citizens or notable figures, thousands of people poured into public places to show their support for the movement.
[protected-iframe id=”a366f55814b47fedea32d81a33522dc5-32316310-45106734″ info=”//instagram.com/p/rsqKKON6Op/embed/” width=”612″ height=”710″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]“Hands up, don’t shoot” #NMOS14 #Ferguson in Union Square pic.twitter.com/HMhFfCgdGr
— Lainna Fader (@lainnafader) August 14, 2014
Crowd has swelled to thousands for moment of silence in Boston. #NMOS14 #HandsUpDontShoot pic.twitter.com/D8fNZAvYpM — Collin Rees (@collinrees) August 14, 2014
Some socially conscious parents and care takers have also made sure to bring their children out to participate in the vigil. In Detroit, this little boy even held up a sign demanding, “Respect My Innocence.”
The youngest supporter here. His mom said she wanted to show her two young sons “the power in numbers.” #NMOS14 pic.twitter.com/GO2uwiuOcP
— Katrease Stafford (@KatreaseS_freep) August 14, 2014
Favorite pic of the night. “I am Michael Brown.” I love this kid. #NMOS14 #Chicago pic.twitter.com/HelVHByyKd
— AislinnSolButterfly (@solbutterfly) August 15, 2014
Meanwhile one Twitter user had to get “Community” star Donald Glover together over his opinion that Twitter activism is often ineffective.
Yeah, Twitter activism is so wack. #NMOS14 #Ferguson @donaldglover pic.twitter.com/O1TYcLpTVN
— Glen Coco (@MrPooni) August 15, 2014
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