ST. LOUIS, MO, AUGUST 26 (RIA Novosti) – The recent police killing of an unarmed African-American teenager showed that Barack Obama’s election as the first African-American US president did not solve the country’s race problems, funeral attendee Zakiyyah Mahasin said after the service.
“We thought Barack Obama was a hope for change and God showed us with his failure that it takes more than one man to make a difference – it takes years and every man. It’s been demonstrated all over the globe that’s what it takes,” Mahasin, a retired railroad worker, told RIA Novosti on Monday.
“This is the first time in St. Louis’ history where we have risen up, and when we rose up – the whole world heard us. Now we have to keep the momentum going, get justice for the cop, who did the killing and change everything from police brutality to corrupt politicians,” Mahasin stressed.
Thousands of mourners attended the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church on Monday for a funeral service for Michael Brown shot dead by police officer Darren Wilson as he walked with a friend on the afternoon of August 9.
Following the killing, Ferguson, a downtrodden suburb of St Louis of some 21,000 residents, has been riven by often-violent protests with the demonstrators, demanding the arrest of the white police officer.
The incident raised also the issues of racial discrimination, human rights violations as well as an increased militarization of law enforcers criticized for bringing military tactics to civilian protests.
