Ten Years Since Michael Brown Jr. Was Shot and Killed At the Hands of the Ferguson Police, Everytown, Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Renew Call for Reform and[...]

NEW YORK - Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots network, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, issued the following statements today on the ten-year-mark of the shooting and killing of Michael Brown Jr., an 18-year-old Black teenager, by a white Ferguson, Missouri police officer.

"Ten years after Michael Brown Jr.'s tragic death, our fight to protect Black communities is far from over," said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. "We'll continue to demand stronger gun safety laws, hold police accountable, put an end to the police gun violence that takes the lives of Black men like Michael Brown, Jr. We must dismantle the structures of white supremacy that continue to enable tragedies like this - and we won't stop until every community is treated with the justice and respect they deserve.

"We cannot solve America's gun violence crisis without also addressing police gun violence," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. "Ten years after the murder of Michael Brown Jr., we must recommit ourselves to common-sense policing reforms that will save lives and restore trust."

"Like Michael's, the lives of Black children and men are too often cut short at the hands of law enforcement actors who disregard and devalue their lives," said Sharon Williams, co-lead of the St. Louis chapter of Moms Demand Action, and a fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network. "We are committed to working with the community to build trust and recovery in our Black communities. Today, we are shedding light on the work of Michael Brown Sr. and Chosen for Change, honoring their son's life with a commitment to supporting survivorship, and healing community wounds. Every single life stolen is a life too many."

In an average year, police fatally shoot 30 people in Missouri, and across the country, police shoot and kill nearly 1,100 people annually. Black people are victims of police gun violence at a disproportionate rate, and Black people are nearly three times more likely to be shot and killed by law enforcement than their white counterparts. According to Mapping Police Violence, in Missouri, Black people are over four times as likely to be killed by police as white people.

Missouri has some of the weakest and most extreme gun laws in the country, which have repeatedly led to racist and vigilante shootings across the state, and has resulted in the state having the seventh highest rate of gun deaths in the country.

To honor of Michael Brown Jr.'s life, and the lives of Black people unjustly killed by law enforcement in the United States, the Missouri chapter of Moms Demand Action and chapters across the country will be participating in programming over the weekend, including the All Roads Lead to Ferguson Unity Walk today, organized by the Michael Brown Sr. Chosen For Change organization, a non-profit organization led by Michael Brown Jr.'s father, that provides holistic grief support and outreach programs to families who have experienced a traumatic loss.

Michael Brown Jr.'s killing led to widespread protests throughout the country and a demand for reform and accountability when it comes to police gun violence. On the ten year mark of Michael Brown's killing, Everytown re-committed to its policy platform on Gun Violence by Police, which includes the following policies:

1. PASS THE FEDERAL GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a sweeping approach to hold police accountable, end discriminatory practices by law enforcement including racial profiling, and help build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. This bill, which was named to honor George Floyd Jr., a Black man murdered by police officers in Minneapolis in 2020, was first introduced in 2020.

This bill would, among other things, help ensure that law enforcement officers who violate their oaths to protect and serve their communities are held accountable, require training for federal law enforcement officers on racial profiling as well as the duty to intervene where another officer is using excessive force, and set use of force standards, and improve law enforcement transparency, including through dashboard and body cameras for federal law enforcement officers, data collection on police misconduct, and public reporting requirements for use of force incidents.

2. ADOPT STRONG USE OF FORCE STANDARDS

Police violence is gun violence, and to prevent future tragedies, it is essential that law enforcement agencies adopt meaningful use of force policies, which encourage de-escalation, utilize early intervention systems, and ensure that abusive officers are held accountable.

Research suggests that implementing specific use-of-force policies can save lives. One 2016 study of 91 large police departments found adoption of use-of-force reform policies-bans on chokeholds and strangleholds, use-of-force continuum, de-escalation, duty to intervene, restrictions on shooting at moving vehicles, and warning before shooting-was associated with fewer people killed by police.

Police should be barred from using deadly force in nearly all circumstances-unless it is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily harm. Nevertheless, many states, including Missouri, have an unacceptably low threshold for allowing use of deadly force-including to effect an arrest or prevent the escape of a suspect that does not present a threat.

3. INCREASE TRANSPARENCY ABOUT USE OF FORCE, POLICE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The existing data on police use of force, personnel data, and law enforcement misconduct cost is insufficient, and inconsistent across states. Records of public complaints against officers, misconduct investigations, and the discipline imposed as a result, if any, should be accessible to the public. Agencies should be required to publish regular reports about officer use-of-force and misconduct investigations. Additionally, to improve transparency into the circumstances leading to the use of force, reduce use-of-force incidents, and lower civilian complaints, officers in the field must be required to use activated body-worn and vehicle-mounted cameras.

4. ADOPT ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES FOR POLICE MISCONDUCT

REFORM "BILL OF RIGHTS" LAWS AND IMPROVE DISCIPLINARY PROCESS

Many states, including Missouri, have Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights (LEOBR) statutes that can make internal discipline nearly impossible and can severely undermine accountability through civil legal and community oversight mechanisms. LEOBR protections include restrictions on investigations into misconduct, limitations on discipline, limitations on transparency and civilian oversight, and destruction of evidence of misconduct. Eliminating these special protections will help to hold police accountable for abusive conduct. Police departments should be required to use formal early intervention systems that can identify problematic behavior before it becomes serious misconduct.

ELIMINATE QUALIFIED IMMUNITY AND ADD STRONG REVIEW BOARDS

Congress and state lawmakers should pass legislation removing police immunity for misconduct that violates citizens' rights. Several states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, and New Mexico, have recently passed legislation limiting the breadth of the qualified immunity defense to civil actions arising from, among other things, officers' excessive use of force.

Internal police reviews must be transparent and separate civilian boards must have independent authority to investigate complaints, make findings, and make binding recommendations.

5. EXPLORE ALTERNATIVE DISPATCH PROGRAMS

Cities and towns should invest in building alternative dispatch programs that can take law enforcement out of situations where arrest is not appropriate, removing the risk of police violence and better serving people in crisis with mental health and social services. These programs have been launching and growing rapidly across the country over recent years. Community activism can be instrumental in pressing local officials to invest in this critical work.

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