NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 10 (RIA Novosti) – Civil rights leader Cornell William Brooks has called for ongoing efforts against police brutality in the United States, one month after a police officer shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson.
“The news crews have gone home, and Michael's name is no longer making front-page headlines,” said Brooks, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). “But the NAACP is still focused on securing justice for Michael, ending racial profiling, and erasing the culture of police brutality in our communities.”
Police were criticized for using military-grade gear and heavy-handed tactics to quell often-violent protests in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis of some 21,000 residents, after Brown, 18, was shot and killed on August 9.
“Police brutality and racial profiling go beyond Ferguson, plaguing communities nationwide. Even if the press isn’t talking about these issues anymore, we can't afford to stop,” added Brooks.
A grand jury of three African-Americans and nine whites is hearing evidence about Brown’s shooting and is expected to decide whether to charge lawman Darren Wilson by mid-October. The inquiry hinges on whether Wilson, 28, fired in self-defense.
