The family of Michael Brown, the unarmed Ferguson, Missouri teen who was fatally shot by Officer Darren Wilson has released a statement with their lawyers after the name of the officer who shot him was released.
If you’ve been watching the news reports, you would have seen that at the time Officer Wilson’s name was given to the world, police also released photos from an alleged attack and “strong arm robbery” that they claimed took place before the shooting.
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Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson addressed the surveillance video of the “strong arm robbery” they initially claimed was Mike Brown in a press conference. He said, “I released the surveillance tape because I had to,” noting he was getting several freedom of information requests about the video. Jackson said the officer who shot Brown stopped him and another teen because they were walking in the street, not because of a robbery a few minutes earlier. Jackson said the officer was aware cigars had been taken in the robbery of a store nearby, but did not know when he encountered Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson that they might be suspects. He stopped them because they were walking in the street, Jackson said.
Shortly after this second press conference, Michael Brown’s family released a statement of their own expressing their outrage that the police chief would use this tactic to try and smear Brown’s name. They accused Ferguson PD of attempting to “assassinate the character” of Brown, by releasing the robbery info at the same time as they released the name of the shooter.
Check out the full statement from Michael Brown’s family and attorneys below:
Michael Brown’s family is beyond outraged at the devious way the police chief has chosen to disseminate piece mil information in a manner intended to assassinate the character of their son, following such a brutal assassination of his person in broad daylight.
There is nothing based on the facts that have been placed before us that can justify the execution style murder of their child by this police officer as he held his hands up, which is the universal sign of surrender.
The prolonged release of the officer’s name and then the subsequent alleged information regarding a robbery is the reason why the family and the local community have such distrust for the local law enforcement agencies.
It is no way transparent to release the still photographs alleged to be Michael Brown and refuse to release the photographs of the officer that executed him.
The police strategy of attempting to blame the victim will not divert our attention, from being focused on the autopsy, ballistics report and the trajectory of the bullets that caused Michael’s death and will demonstrate to the world this brutal execution of an unarmed teenager.
Benjamin L Crump, Esq.
Anthony D. Gray, Esq.
Daryl D. Parks, Esq.
So the Ferguson police basically did what authorities normally do when a Black victim is gunned down by a white aggressor. The formula is always the same–they do everything they can to assassinate the character of the victim. It’s almost as if the victim is on trial instead of the assailant.
Remember when photos of Trayvon Martin surfaces of him throwing up “gang signs” and smoking marijuana? That was clearly an effort to create a thug persona for him, maybe even making the jury think it was a bigger possibility that George Zimmerman was attacked. And it was a similar situation for Renisha McBride. Her blood alcohol level was a part of the investigation and her character was questioned. Was she trying to rob Theodore Wafer? Or was she just shaken up, hurt and needing help? It’s no surprise that the authorities would try the same tactic for Mike Brown.
What do you think of the police’s decision to release the false video?
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