All language subtitles for 13.Days.In.Ferguson.2024.WEBRip

Police are confirming
a male subject

And he put his hands in the air,

and he started to get down.

But the officer fired
several more shots.

Several thousand people
have gathered here

behind Captain Ron Johnson,
the man who is in charge

of trying to keep security.

We lost a young man,
Michael Brown,

in heartbreaking
and tragic circumstances.

He was 18 years old.

My name is Cedric
the Entertainer.

Ron Johnson and I both
grew up near Ferguson,

and we've been friends
for decades.

That's why Mike Brown's death

and what followed hurt
so deeply.

It's been ten years,

and this can't continue
to be our truth.

I was standing
outside the barber shop.

I heard a lot of gunshots.

Kind of startled me.

It's common to hear gunshots,
but not like that, you know.

The use of deadly force
by the police

is once again
under investigation.

An officer
in Ferguson, Missouri,

shot an unarmed Black man
to death that sparked protests

along with calls for answers.

My phone started
ringing like crazy.

Killed him for no reason.

It's just crazy to know
that it was residents

and young folks and old folks

and everybody who's having
to see this situation.

Oh, no. Oh, no.

Oh, I didn't know
the police shot him.

Yeah, police did.

I had just attended
a Black troopers conference

in Milwaukee when I got
the call on August 9th.

Well, the initial conversation
was just that there had been

a young man who
had been involved

in an officer-involved
shooting, had lost his life,

and our officers were
responding to assist

Ferguson Police Department
at the scene.

And so it really didn't set
off any bells and whistles

because I wasn't given any
facts of what had happened.

I got a second call that
the crowds had gotten bigger.

I got the third call.

We're sending more officers
because the crowd is

getting angry,
because the young man

is still lying in the streets.

No justice, no peace!

It was a hot summer day.

I was getting ready
for a show that evening,

and I got a message.

I pulled up my Twitter,
and the first picture I see

is the picture of Michael
Brown's stepfather holding

a sign saying that
Ferguson Police Department

had murdered his unarmed son.

All this unpacked trauma
just started to release itself.

You know, I had experienced
police brutality in my family,

and before I knew it, I just
had tears coming down my face.

And next thing I know
I was on West Florissant.

When we pulled up,
Mike's mother ran past me,

and she was like,
is it true, Mike?

And I'm like, I...

I don't know.

And I followed,
running behind her,

and I see all these people.

And I'm like, all right.

We didn't see what
the world seen.

When we got there,
Mike was covered up.

But it was key things.

It was a hat that we had shared.

You know, I had gotten
married a few months earlier.

He was my best man.

The flip-flops that, you know,
we bought together,

two of them was in the street.

This is a kind of big guy up
under this little sheet,

you know.

The people that had
got rage like me

got a lot of that feel from...

From him laying
on the ground for so long.

This kid laid there
for four hours.

I got up there about...
Almost four hours

after Michael Brown had
been shot.

The fire department's hosing

Michael Brown's blood
off the street.

Michael Brown's mother
marched down the street

with a group of other people,

and they dropped some
rose petals on the street

where his blood still was.

The officer said
Michael Brown's mother was

there at the scene
and really distraught.

I was probably eight or nine
when I remember getting home

and my mother saying, well, if
you want to change something,

maybe you ought
to become a policeman.

And so it kind of rekindled
when I got older.

My mother was a schoolteacher.

She taught in
the Ferguson-Florissant

School District
her whole career.

Ferguson was really known
as a place that had

a little more stricter rules.

There was even discussion
for years to build

a wall to separate Ferguson

from the neighboring all-Black
community of Kinloch.

As we became the age
where we would drive,

you know, she would
often tell us,

don't even go that way
if we could.

Go around it.
Don't go through Ferguson.

August 9th,
it was kind of the norm.

Didn't think much of it
until probably that night

when I started to
see protests erupt

from people being frustrated.

The police force was huge.

You know, even before
it became national news,

it was like, boom.

There was the social media news.

Immediately called my daughter.

I need to know where you are,
what you doing.

Are you going over there?

She knew people that
lived over there,

so her reaction is going to be
like, yo, I'm jumping in it,

you know,
which is super St. Louis.

It's just... we in it.

Police are confirming
a male subject

was shot and killed by police.

Dozens of police officers
were called to the scene.

Rick Wallace,
CBS News, St. Louis.

This really is the space.

I mean, you're thinking we're
right here in the middle

of this complex, and to have
this incident happen here

and to have the body
be here for so long.

It is tough being here.

When you walk down the sidewalk
and look to the left

and look to the right,

there's still this sense
of pain.

You could feel all of that
in here right now.

You know what I'm saying?

On August 10th, I actually
got called to the scene.

I was there representing
the Highway Patrol.

And I stood on the street,
and I looked down

and didn't speak
a word to anyone.

There was just
an immediate fear.

And not a fear for me,

but a fear for our community.

Put your hands up!

I was thinking about
the East St. Louis race riots

and that massacre in 1917

and that, sadly, here we had
come full circle, yet again,

with the death of a young,
unarmed African American male

at the hand of a policeman

that also was a result
of decades

of bad public policy that
led to the overwhelming rage

and resentment that you
saw from the young people

in the streets.

You guys are the aggressors!

You guys are the ones
that pushed us!

I remember interactions as
a teen in the Ferguson area.

I grew up in that area
off of West Florissant.

It was shocking.

Streets were cut off.

It was chaos.

You can feel
the tension bubbling.

What was the next step
going to be?

It's crazy.

QuikTrip was on fire.

A big fire too.

I mean, it was a gas station.

That was the second day.

Literally the second day.

The whole sky was red.

You could see the flames
from miles away.

They were just
shooting up in the sky.

There were people everywhere.

You could hear the gunshots.

Over there!

We weren't coming down
because of the danger

that were there
right at that moment.

Watching the QuikTrip
being burned

reminded me of my childhood.

I grew up in the '60s,
and I saw this before.

The anger, the violence,

the rage,

all the emotions that
could possibly come

out of a situation like this.

You must disperse immediately.

There was a tear gas canister

that came out into the crowd,

and it landed in the middle
of the crowd, exploded.

And the people began
running every which way.

Turn around.

Why do you have guns on us?

My boss said that
the governor was going

to have a press conference.

I was standing next to the
St. Louis County police chief,

and he said, "Ron, do
you know why we're here?

What is the governor
going to do?"

And I said, "I have no idea."

The governor walks in the room.

We need to address some
very immediate challenges.

That's why today,
I'm announcing that

the Missouri Highway Patrol,
under the supervision

of Captain Ron Johnson,
who grew up in this area,

will be the directing
the team that

provides security in Ferguson.

Now, what I'm announcing
today does not affect...

That's a wild job, right?

A job where you go, like,
look, I'm just here to be

a part of the situation
and help out.

And someone goes, hey, you,
you're running things now.

I want to introduce,
for you to make

a few comments,
Captain Ron Johnson

of the Missouri State
Highway Patrol.

It felt like an
unprepared moment

where somebody could pass
a buck, and if things go awry,

and then it's not on my watch.

And so we are going
to have a different approach

and have the approach that
we're in this together.

And say what?

Yeah, come on out front.

Speak to the camera.

And, you know, you don't know
until you're in the middle

of a press conference.

Just imagine, you just
kind of standing there,

like, with everybody else,
and as a matter of fact,

Captain Ron Johnson is
taking over right now.

Come again?

I left the press conference
after finding out,

and I was in a vehicle
with three other troopers.

And so I called my wife.

I told her that the governor
had just announced that he was

going to make a change
in leadership

and that he had put me
in charge of Ferguson.

And my first reaction was, why?

You know, why you?

And it wasn't because I
didn't think he was capable.

It was just I've watched
two days of what's going on,

and it was kind of scary.

The troopers in
the car were trying

to listen to the conversation.

And I said, yes, he picked me.

And she said, well,
use your inside voice,

and why did he pick you?

And I said, OK, I love you,
and I'll talk to you later.

And so then I hung up the phone.

This is the Highway Patrol.

Disperse immediately.

For him to be the man
called upon to actually have

to understand both sides of it,

to communicate both sides of it,

is a very unique person.

My greatest fear was that he
was going to be the fall guy.

When I got home last night,
before I got into bed,

like I do each and every night,
I prayed,

and I prayed for
a different morning today.

I found out that I was
going to be in charge

during this press conference.

And, you know, I remember
one reporter saying...

What are you going
to do differently tonight?

Are you still going
to roll in there

with armored vehicles
and police in, you know,

full body gear?

Or are you going to have...

Well, of course,
I wanted to say,

well, I just found out
15 minutes ago,

so I don't really have a plan.

But I said...

We're going to start from today.

We're not going to
look back in the past.

I think I was at home.

I wasn't even out there
when they announced it.

And I started
seeing him out more.

We were there when he addressed

hundreds of protesters.

Say what you gotta say.

And just do it in peace.

Just do it in peace.

When I really had the
chance to really see him,

I seen what type of
role he was playing

and was trying to build policing

and community together.

I love you all.

We love you.

I wasn't ready for
that conversation myself,

but I understood why he was...

He took that position
to do that.

And immediately,
he was well-received

by the folks here.

He's connected.

He's connected to us,
and we were happy.

When I got in that car,
I knew that there

was a planned march.

And so I told the troopers...

I said, let's go to where
this march is going to begin.

And we got one mission
in the mind.

And what's that mission?

No justice...
No peace!

No justice...

By the time Captain Johnson
came into that role,

we were always out in the
streets with the young people.

I knew that what they originally

tried in the militarism
that was happening,

they didn't expect the
resistance that they were

getting from the young people.

That's on innocent people.

I knew someone was
coming, but I did not

know it was Captain Johnson.

We were lining up to march,

and I saw him
standing on the side.

I walked up to her,
and I said, well,

I'm here because I want
to march with the group

as they walk down
West Florissant.

And she immediately said,
I'd rather you not.

And I could see in his
face that he was hurt

and surprised and disappointed.

And I said, no,
I really want to march.

And she says,
I'd rather you not.

Young people were being
assaulted by tear gas

and snipers on roofs and
tanks that we didn't even know

were in St. Louis.

We were
in the streets in response

to what I consider
to be justified rage.

It's more than Michael Brown.

You take away their child
and then you tell them,

you can't do nothing
about it, we're

going to leave him out
here like a carcass,

people gonna react.

And the uniform
that he was wearing

meant that if I was walking
with him, that I would have

lost the trust of
the people that I had

promised to be
in the streets with,

and I could not risk that.

I just need justice for my son.

And that's right.

I need... I need
justice for my son.

Yes, sir.

Yes.

My biggest thing is,
it always been the uniform,

you know.

The uniform always changes
the conversation, the role.

That's how that was for me
in the beginning, you know.

I understand our
police are not bad.

I understand that it's one
person that killed my son.

It took me a while to get
there, though, you know.

But that uniform used to...

Yeah, you got that uniform on,
I ain't messing with you,

you know.

I left that press conference,

and maybe my head began to swell

in thinking it was all about me.

When she denied me the ability
to march, it humbled me.

And I remember looking
at her with tears in my eyes

because I knew I had no plan.

And I said, pastor...

I said, this is all I have.

I need to march.

And my recognizing
that although he

was in the uniform
of law enforcement,

he was also in the skin
of a Black man.

And I knew without even
having to have him say it,

I saw in his eyes how
hurt he was that he

wasn't going to be able
to take off either one

of those identities.

She looked at me
and said, I want

you to march in front with me.

- Hands up!
- Don't shoot!

- Hands up!
- Don't shoot!

- Hands up!
- Don't shoot!

- Hands up!
- Don't shoot!

Hundreds of protesters took
to the streets of Ferguson

last night, but now accompanied

by law enforcement, including

Missouri Highway Patrol
Captain Ron Johnson.

I met Captain Ron Johnson
marching

in the middle of the street.

It's peaceful, so I
think it's been going good.

They would always send
a Black face out to talk

to us to get our attention.

And we respected Ron Johnson
because he was a Black man.

So we talked to him.

And his intentions
may have been pure.

He was open to conversation.

But meanwhile, while those
conversations was happening,

Ferguson and St. Louis
County were coddling

and preparing
a strategy to do all

these unspeakable things to us
the minute he walked away.

So I'm here to talk
about two things.

First of all,
the name of the officer

involved in the
shooting and then

about a robbery that
occurred on August 9

immediately preceding
the altercation

and shooting death
of Michael Brown.

And I'm going to be releasing
the video footage

of a robbery,
a strong-arm robbery,

with use of force that occurred

at a local convenience mart.

The officer that was
involved in the shooting

of Michael Brown was
Darren, D-A-R-R-E-N,

Wilson, W-I-L-S-O-N.

The family was outraged this

morning when the video was

released, along with the name

of the officer who shot Brown.

Many people here
in the community

felt this was being done to
suggest that Michael Brown

had been involved
in some kind of a crime,

and many residents felt that
this was a way for the police

to justify their actions.

Johnson was not aware that
the police chief was going

to be releasing that video.

The community was angry,
and it seemed like my word

wasn't good at that point.

There was some
applause when you were

appointed to this position.

Then I hear you say that you
weren't included in the release

of the information,
although you're

in this high-profile position.

I find it utterly disgusting.

And this is all
figurehead stuff.

What do you gotta say to that...

Well, I can tell you
that's not the case.

And I tell you, there's going
to be a serious conversation

when I leave here.

You see, you know,
the people fighting back,

and it just kind of felt like
we will fight this machine.

And I think that that was...
That's a spirit that you love

to see in people, like,
this idea that, I am truly,

truly fed up.

- Hands up!
- Don't shoot!

Hands up!

Don't shoot!

There was a convenience
store where Michael Brown Jr.

Had gone in,
and a group said they were

going to burn down the store.

Then nightfall came,
and this large group

descended on the store.

We could hear gunshots.

There were three
or four SWAT teams

on the hill behind me,

and hundreds
of officers were there,

ready to go down the street
and confront the rioters that

were breaking into the store.

And I began to have many
challenges with those officers

that I was leading.

I wanted them to know
that I was a policeman, too.

And I said, well,
tell the SWAT team to suit up.

I could hear the officers
behind me saying,

maybe he's OK.

Finally, he's acting
like one of us.

I was being a selfish leader.

I was going to send
them down that hill

because I wanted them
to believe in me,

see me as one of them.

But then I looked down
that hill and said,

someone down that hill
could lose their life,

and someone behind me
could lose theirs.

I could take a pencil and
paper and value that store

and value all the assets in it,

but there's no pencil and paper

that could value
those lives that

were breaking into that store
and those officers behind me.

And I remember saying to
the SWAT leader, stand down.

I can't express all the names
and the comments that I heard.

And I stood there,
and I took it.

But I knew that I had
done the right thing.

I remember coming home
from work after being

at the protest and just crying
and feeling like, you know,

it had sucked to be
a Black man in America.

Because you had the media
constantly calling

Mike Brown a thug.
Yeah.

You had the media also
saying the protests

are just looters and riots.

All the negativity
made it seem like what

we were doing at some point
was kind of for naught.

You know, a lot of these
mom-and-pop businesses were

concerned as the looters were
going in and out last night,

taking stuff
from their business.

And they were saying,
where were the police?

Why didn't they intervene?

You know, you come home
and you have a wife who's

asking you a thousand questions
and asking you if you're OK,

and you have to say yes.

I knew things were
intense for him.

Ron would just get home 3:00
in the morning, not say much,

get into bed, and just curl up
in a fetal position, literally.

And you can't even
tell her the pain or even

some of the comments that
people are throwing your way,

and whether it's the
comments from other policemen

or whether it's the comments
from the protesters.

Tears are rolling
down your face,

but you can't whimper because
you don't want her to hear it.

And so you are alone.

And his back was
usually to me, so I

would just go and hug him.

And I don't know if
he ever fell asleep.

And once I made sure
Lori was in the bed,

I'd go in our bathroom
and pray because I didn't

want her to hear my prayer.

And, of course, you're praying
that God watches over her.

And if there's a life that you
have to take, let it be mine,

but I don't want any
blood on my hands.

Don't let there be
blood on my hands.

Lori was in this
home by herself.

And my fear was that
someone would find out

where I live and
attack our home,

that she would be
confronted with what

was going on in Ferguson.

And that was a fear as I
walked the streets of Ferguson.

We'll just come back here.

After dark is when
things got tense and scary.

Move, dammit!

Move, dammit!

I don't know if
he's going to get shot

by someone rioting or maybe
someone in law enforcement

not liking him.

That... those were my thoughts.

I was afraid for...

For him.

This is what heroes are made of.

This is a person that
is trying to solve

and help a problem that is,
you know, beyond the scope.

You understand everybody
point of view, right?

Understand the
culture and community.

- Hands up!
- Don't shoot!

- Hands up!
- Don't shoot!

And also understand
that as a police officer,

we got a job to do.

This was on every news
channel, every TV in St. Louis.

You could go nowhere
and not see it.

And so I'm sitting
in my barber's chair

that I've been in for years,
and my dad comes on to the TV.

You know, I'm kind of excited.

I tell my barber...

I'm like, hey, you
know, that's my dad.

And he immediately
says, hey, you may

not want to say that too loud.

And I kind of got taken
aback a little bit.

I'm like, why, man?
This is awesome, you know.

I would tell everybody in
the shop, that's my dad.

We can... we got somebody.

And he said, man, there's a lot
of mixed feelings about that,

and I don't necessarily think
you want to hear what they

may have to say about him.

I was worried about
Ron's safety at times.

Some people in the crowd really

are upset with the police,

and I don't know how
this is going to go.

And I have pictures of him
surrounded by protesters,

and they're all really wanting
to hear what he has to say.

There was also two different
Fergusons during the day.

You could bring your kids
down to that protest.

And then things would
change at night.

Nighttime would be
crazy and frantic.

Good afternoon.

I want to first start
by thanking all the elected

officials and faith leaders.

The governor decided
to put in a curfew.

So to protect the people
and property of Ferguson,

today, I signed
an order declaring

a state of emergency and
implementation of a curfew.

Of course, the rioters
didn't like that.

You are violating
the state-imposed curfew.

At 12:01, we'll be here.

We got the same
ammunition you got.

We live.

The governor has
enacted a curfew

to allow us to provide safety
for the citizens of Ferguson,

but also to maintain
the right of the people.

They say the revolution
won't be televised

And, of course,
when the curfew came,

they were still on the
streets of West Florissant.

They attempted to send
on the command post,

and they got really close.

There were bricks
in the street that

would stop the police
armored vehicles

from getting down the streets.

And it was a really tense night.

Back off! Back off!

Then at that press conference,

after we brought some calm,
I said that I was disappointed.

And tonight...

It started with
prayers and messages

of unity, peace, and justice.

Took a very different
turn after dark.

Those words were
taken by the governor

as I was saying I was
disappointed in his actions

to put in the curfew.

But I was really speaking
to the people that

were on the streets,
the rioters,

and I was disappointed in them.

My boss called.

And he said, Ron,
we can tell that you're...

You're tired.

And I said I was fine.

He says, well, your comments
about the governor's curfew

last night, we think you made
that by accident because you

were tired and not really
thinking about what

you're going to say.

And he said, we're going to have

someone else do all the
speaking from here out

at the press conference.

What's going on.

Thank you all very
much for your time.

At that point,
I felt that maybe...

What was next?

Was the next call going
to be, "You're going

to lose your command"?

Can I get my picture
taken with you?

Yes.

How you doing, man?

How you doing?

Nice to meet you.

I met Ron pledging Kappa,
and that's when

I developed the laugh, too.

The smooth...

It's a laugh that
is very infectious.

And even though, you know,
he's right in your age group,

he was one of those people
that had life by the reins.

He had cool clothes, you know.

Yeah.
You hate to give it up to him.

But, yeah, I mean,
you gotta give it.

He was the model and
what you want to follow.

Well, I was a man first,
and then a Black man

and then, of course,
all those other things.

A father, a son,
a friend, an uncle.

Being a trooper is actually...
Was far down on the list.

Those other things
are what makes me.

You know, my mom is 83 years
old, from the old school.

And she would say,
you know, son,

you have to be careful on what
you say because everybody's

not going to like that.

And she was worried
about my life.

And to hear your mother
say that is really tough,

and... and you have to
say, hey, everything's OK.

No one is treating me bad.

And she would ask me,
well, what about the guys

that you work with?

You don't want to make them mad.

And I would say that they're OK,

even though everybody wasn't.

I get a phone call
on a Thursday.

They said, look, they're
trying to find a place to hold

a rally for Mike Brown.

Would you be willing to do it?

I said, yes.

Put your hands together.

Hey!

If you know you're
blessed tonight,

you oughtta make some noise.

The place was full inside.

The property was full
around the church.

I've heard that they didn't want

the police to say anything.

I know Captain Johnson.

He's a good man.

And I knew he wanted
to say something.

So I made a decision.

I tell you what I'm going to do.

I just saw Captain Johnson.

I had this speech written
that I was going to say,

and it kind of had
those perfect points

that you need to say as
a law enforcement officer.

But there was something that I
should have done day one when

I was put in charge of Ferguson.

Good evening.
Good evening.

I told myself
that this was going

to be the last
time that I talked,

that I needed to reveal
my soul as a man.

That wasn't written.

It wasn't until that I thought
I was going to lose something,

that something was going to
be taken away from me, that I

stood up and had the
courage to say that I was

sorry that you lost your son.

I want to start off by talking
to Mike Brown's family.

And I want you to know
my heart goes out to you,

and I say that I'm sorry.

I wear this uniform,
and I should stand up

here and say that I'm sorry.

And so I said that.

This is my neighborhood.

Yes, sir.

You are my family.

You are my friends.

And I am you.

That night and that day was
the hardest day that I had.

Because once I said that I was
sorry that they lost their son,

a lot of people in
uniform, different police

chiefs and those
that I were leading,

said that I chose a side.

And many said that I shouldn't
be in charge anymore,

that I had ruined things.

But I needed to stand for
the person that I was.

And I knew that I was a
better person than that.

And I had seen Michael Brown
Jr.'s mom, Lesley, one day

at our command post
and looked her in the eye

and didn't have the compassion
or the courage to say,

I'm sorry you lost your son.

I was going to say it this day.

And if this community or America

would say that, you should
have said it sooner,

they were right.

But then I also
talked about my son.

I'm going to go in my
son's room, my Black son...

Who wears his
pants sagging, wears

his hat cocked to the side,
got tattoos on his arms.

But that's my baby.

I wanted this world to
know who this man was.

Well, this is the
cemetery where my father

and brother are both buried.

I guess it's ironic that I would

come here the day after that
speech at Greater Grace.

You know, I really thought that
I was failing after that day,

but a sense I needed to
come here and kind of

speak with them...

Yeah.

And, you know, tell my father,

hopefully you're proud of me.

I believe I had failed because
I didn't stand up day one

and show compassion to Mike
Brown Jr.'s mother and father.

I knew that I was walking
in faith with my God each

and every day, but I needed
to feel that these two were

walking beside me in spirit.

If my days were numbered
as the commander,

I wanted to feel that
these two were proud of me.

I think, you know, it
puts it all in perspective.

Brown was struck by six bullets.

We've got one to the
very top of the head.

We've got one that entered
just above the right eyebrow.

Those two appeared to have
hit Brown last and were fatal.

Death was nearly instantaneous.

Missouri's governor is sending

the National Guard
to bring peace and order

to the city of Ferguson.

Move away.
You're going to get hurt.

You hear the tear gas
canisters going off.

You hear the sirens.

It is a very frightening scene.

When a person is
policing a community

and they just don't have no idea

what the people are about.

You know what I mean?
So...

It looks like a mini
military force just moving

in and clearing the street.

I think that I'd say that's
the super difference of being

able to fire so many shots at
someone, too, because you just

don't have an opportunity
to see yourself in any aspect

of that circumstance.

We all good.

All this time that
I've been a policeman,

maybe I hadn't been
true to myself,

and I hadn't been
honest of who I was

and that maybe I
took on a persona

that this uniform made me,
this uniform validated me.

And so I began to
look at myself.

The public had this
other impression of me

of just this policeman, that I
didn't understand, that I had

never walked or
lived a similar life

because I was different,
because I wore that uniform.

I was with some
officers, and they

kind of looked at
me when I said,

yes, I'm not wearing a vest.

I can't fear people that
look like me, people

from this community.

Captain Johnson.

I caught him on the news,
and you can tell...

I mean, I don't know if
anybody's ever paid attention.

But if they have
on their Kevlar,

their shirts just
go straight down.

Well, his shirt looked like
it was just free-floating.

And I was like, hm, he
doesn't have on his vest.

When you took the Kevlar
off, you know, I was like,

that's actually probably
the wisest thing you can do.

I'm giving you
respect by doing this.

Like, listen, I'm coming over
here without all the pomp

and circumstance of the job.

Ron, where's your vest?

Why didn't you have
on your vest?

I think whatever
reassuring words

he said, the hug or
whatever, it made

me feel comfortable
that he's going

to put it back on tomorrow.

He didn't.

U.S. Attorney General Eric
Holder arrived in Ferguson,

Missouri, on Wednesday.

- My man.
- It's going good.

Last night looked
a little better, huh?

I had the support from
the attorney general here,

and I took that as support
from the president.

It felt good.

The schools were closed,
and so there was a makeshift

daycare for young kids.

I was asked if I could
come to the daycare.

So I went, and sitting
down with my legs

crossed on the floor
with all of these kids.

And, of course, they're asking
a lot of questions and,

"Do you like donuts?"

And those kind of things.

But when I got ready to leave,
they gave me this sock puppet.

At the end of the day,
I would display a table,

cover it up with a sheet,
and underneath

would be any weapons
or Molotov cocktails

or whatever we took
from the rioters.

But the day that I had
gotten this sock puppet

was the day that we had
not taken any weapons

from the streets of Ferguson.

And then I had officers
pull that sheet away,

and the only thing that was
there was that sock puppet.

And I tell you,
isn't it a better sight that

can bring a smile to our face?

Next day, there was
peace on the streets.

The mood here has
definitely changed compared

to just a couple of days ago.

People are very calm,
very relaxed.

You actually see people
embracing each other.

A lot of people are
carrying red roses.

It's just a much different,
much less confrontational,

much friendlier atmosphere.

I have no fear.

I believe we're
headed toward peace.

And that was one
of the last days

that we had an encounter
on West Florissant.

Last night's protest over
the deadly police shooting

were much smaller and quieter.

If I knew that a sock puppet
could bring peace that quick,

I'd have gone and met
those kids a lot sooner.

No one believes Ferguson's
problems have been solved,

but the city is slowly
regaining its footing.

I figured it out day by day.

There was no book
that was ever written.

I had never been trained and we
had never dealt with anything

like this in our lifetime.

Some of our lives have
purpose as we walk this Earth.

Some of our lives have
purpose when we're not here.

True.

Today it's the first
time that I've actually had

a chance to read this plaque.

"May 20, 1996 to
August 9, 2014."

"I would like the
memory of Michael

Brown to be a happy one."

"He left an afterglow
of smiles when life was done."

"He leaves an echo,
whispering softly down

"the ways of happy
and loving times

and bright and sunny days."

"He'd like the tears of
those who grieve to dry before

"the sun of happy
memories that he left

behind when life was done."

"When life was done."

He's 18.

We die at alarming rates
to law enforcement,

to overpolicing,
to predatory policing,

to systemic injustice.

We die.

It's not like we get
a slap on the wrist

or a traffic ticket
here and there.

We literally lose our lives.

My folks are
traumatized by racism.

When these things happen,
the world moves on,

but Black folks have to still
put and piece things together.

And so that is what's happening

within the Black community,

as it always has.

All I want is peace.

Please, take a day of silence.

I saw this decay.

I said, we have to do something.

You know, we can't just let
this building sit here, burn

to the ground as a show
of everything that's wrong.

And we have to turn it
into something positive.

We had over 80% Black businesses

to build this building,
a community center

rising out of the ashes.

We chose to double
down in an area

that could really use the...

The rebuilding to bounce back
from a traumatizing experience.

What happened with Ferguson
is collective-based trauma.

It's not only individual
level, but it's

also at a community level.

We are all Michael Brown!

And then if you're not able
to process that in a way

that is healthy, that will

impact you 10 years later

and even impact your children.

And so it's very important
that we do the work.

Since August 9, 2014,
I have been running,

and I had to put
myself in a place

where I can try to
heal a little bit.

I'd never be healed.

I had to get therapy,
my whole family get therapy.

I'm not going to say that this
trauma don't come in spurts.

And I got three
grandbabies now, you know.

Well, I got one in the oven.

I got two, you know.

So I have to lead
by example for them.

And I'm humbled to be
here with Mike Brown Sr.

He moves forward for his son.

I promised this community that
I would move forward for it,

but I also move forward to
make this better for my son

and my daughter
and my grandkids.

We can have partner
and share this mission

of change that's
going to make us all

grow and make our city better.

And I think if we can
make our city better,

others will gravitate to it.

Others can learn
from it, and they

can make our country better.

It surprised me when I
realized it was 10 years.

Michael Brown was one
of those pivotal moments.

Unfortunately, we had to
live through so many others.

Even still, to this day,
they're still just problematic,

but it's also an
opportunity for awareness

and to push for change.

I think we could work together.

You know, I don't see
a problem with it.

We share the same
self-interests, you know,

and that's saving these
Black boys and girls.

So that's something
we can talk about.

You know, we can
do some one-on-ones

and organize something
and build it.

You know, I'm willing
to sit down and have

that conversation with you.

Mike Brown Jr.'s life

has changed this country

and will make life better
for people that live it today

and people that are unborn,
whether they realize it

or not or whether
they accept it or not

or give it credit or not.

Ah.

Come on, man.

All right.

Cool.