Ferguson unrest

This article is about the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown. For coverage of events immediately surrounding the shooting, see Killing of Michael Brown.

2014 Ferguson unrest
Part of the Black Lives Matter movement
and reactions to the Killing of Michael Brown
Police officers using tear gas on protesters
DateFirst wave:
August 10–25, 2014[1]
Second wave:
November 24[2] – December 2, 2014 (2014-12-02)[3]
Third wave:
August 9–11, 2015
Location
Ferguson, Missouri, U.S. and St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Caused byFirst wave: Killing of Michael Brown
Second wave: Darren Wilson not indicted
Third wave: Anniversary of shooting
MethodsWidespread rioting, vandalism, looting, arson, and gunfire.
Arrests and injuries
Death(s)1 (Michael Brown)
Injuries10 members of the public injured[4][5]
6 police officers injured[6]
Arrested321 members of the public[5][7][8]

The Ferguson unrest (sometimes called the Ferguson uprising, Ferguson protests, or the Ferguson riots) was a series of protests and riots which began in Ferguson, Missouri on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by FPD officer Darren Wilson. The unrest sparked a vigorous debate in the United States about the relationship between law enforcement officers and Black Americans, the militarization of police, and the use-of-force law in Missouri and nationwide. Continuing activism expanded the issues by including modern-day debtors prisons,[9] for-profit policing,[10] and school segregation.[11]

As the details of the shooting emerged, police established curfews and deployed riot squads in anticipation of unrest. Along with peaceful protests, there was a significant amount of looting and violence in the vicinity of the site of the shooting, as well as across the city. Media criticism of the militarization of the police in Ferguson after the shooting was frequent.[12][13] The unrest continued on November 24, 2014, after a grand jury did not indict Officer Wilson.[14] It briefly flared again on the first anniversary of Brown's shooting.[15] The Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded that Wilson shot Brown in self-defense.[16][17]

In response to the shooting and the subsequent unrest, the DOJ conducted an investigation into the policing practices of the Ferguson Police Department (FPD).[18][19] In March 2015, the DOJ announced that they had determined that the FPD had engaged in misconduct against the citizenry of Ferguson by, among other things, discriminating against African Americans and applying racial stereotypes in a "pattern or practice of unlawful conduct."[20][21][22] The DOJ also found that the Ferguson city council relied on fines and other charges generated by police for funding municipal services.[23]

  1. ^ Aja J. Williams (August 25, 2014). "Johnson: 'Peace is being restored in Ferguson'". Ksdk.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  2. ^ "Fires, chaos erupt in Ferguson after grand jury doesn't indict in Michael Brown case". CNN. November 25, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  3. ^ "Looking Ahead After Ferguson Protests: What Happens Next?". Huffington. December 2, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2015. Though the fierce protests in Ferguson, Missouri seemed to have died down in the last week or so...
  4. ^ "Number of people arrested, injured continues to rise in Ferguson". KMOV.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "3 shot during Ferguson protest; 5 arrested for looting". Yahoo! News. April 29, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference CBC.Injuries was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference WashPost.Breakdown was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Staff Reports. "More than 50 arrested at Ferguson police station on 'Moral Monday,' other events elsewhere". stltoday.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  9. ^ "Civil Rights Attorneys Sue Ferguson Over 'Debtors Prisons'". NPR News. NPR. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  10. ^ "How Ferguson's tickets, fines violated rights of blacks". CNN. March 7, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  11. ^ "School Segregation, the Continuing Tragedy of Ferguson". ProPublica. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference USAToday.Military was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference WashPost.Military was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Davey, Monica; Julie Bosman (November 2, 2014). "Protests Flare After Ferguson Police Officer Is Not Indicted". The New York Times.
  15. ^ Frumin, Aliyah (August 12, 2015). "State of emergency extended in Ferguson". MSNBC. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  16. ^ Phelps, Timothy M.; Muskal, Michael (March 4, 2015). "Federal report largely backs Darren Wilson in Ferguson police shooting case". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  17. ^ Department of Justice Report Regarding the Criminal Investigation Into the Shooting Death of Michael Brown by Ferguson, Missouri Police Officer Darren Wilson (PDF). United States Department of Justice (Report). March 4, 2015. pp. 80–82. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference WSJ.JusticeDept was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ "Federal civil rights charges unlikely against police officer in Ferguson shooting". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  20. ^ "Ferguson Police Department Report". The New York Times. March 4, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  21. ^ Apuzzo, Matt (March 3, 2015). "Justice Department Finds Pattern of Police Bias and Excessive Force in Ferguson". The New York Times. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  22. ^ "'Hands up, don't shoot' was built on a lie". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  23. ^ "The Ferguson Kleptocracy". Marginal Revolution. Retrieved September 2, 2016.