Don’t shoot!

We, the undersigned, as young and concerned members of St. Louis’ African-American community, are writing to show our solidarity with the family of the slain Michael “Mike Mike” Brown Jr. and those who oppose and are victims of violence and injustice in the community. The death of another unarmed young man at the hands of a law enforcement officer only illuminates the many dangers that we as African-American youth face daily in our own neighborhoods.

We have reached a critical moment in our region and country, where our young African Americans are not valued, heard or loved. This is the direct result of a complex set of injustices: underperforming school districts, the removal of high-level African-American school district leaders, the decreasing presence of African Americans in elected office, high youth unemployment rates, and blatant police brutality and abuse.

Our people are justifiably hurt and angry, yet passionate and ready for action. We do not condone the looting and lawlessness pervading the streets of Ferguson, but we fully empathize with the feeling of powerlessness. We also do not condone the excessive violence exercised against citizens of Ferguson in recent days by police officers, which includes assaults on pregnant women, unarmed men and families enjoying their own backyard with tear gas, rubber bullets and physical force.

We demand justice for Mike Brown and the citizens of Ferguson. We are engaging our region’s youth with a safe and relevant platform to voice their thoughts and ideas and turn them into constructive action and justice. Theirs are the most important voices.

Furthermore, to empower the people of Ferguson, we call for the following:

By September 30, 2014, a full and impartial investigation will be underway, supervised by the United States Department of Justice; and, pending the outcomes, the swift and transparent prosecution of any and all officers involved in the murder of Michael Brown.
By January 31, 2015, recruit and hire at least 10 more African-American law enforcement officials in Ferguson.
A significant decrease in racial profiling in Ferguson, which will be indicated in the annual Missouri Attorney General Report.
To be established by June 31, 2015, a civilian police review board that has oversight powers over police officials (i.e. the power to independently review and constrain decisions that lead to militarization of our tax-funded policing community, and the power to mandate community policing strategies).

Join the #DontShoot Campaign! Your actions are simple:

Take a video of yourself saying one of the phrases:
1. I want to go to college #DontShoot
2. When I’m riding down the street #DontShoot
3. When my son is standing at the bus stop #DontShoot
4. This is my community too #DontShoot
5. If I don’t look like you #DontShoot
6. Make up your own – six seconds or less!
7. Post it to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
8. Tag #DontShoot #MikeBrown #Ferguson
9. Tweet others (especially celebrities and national news organizations) to make their own video and retweet yours.