Violent protests broke out in Ferguson, Missouri after a grand jury announced its decision last night not to indict white police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. Amidst the chaos, activists engaging in and promoting nonviolent forms of protest are hoping the violence and destruction of property in Ferguson and beyond will not be the focus of the conversation in the aftermath of the grand jury's decision.
“I pray that the focus of the nation will not be as such that we value the property [destroyed] over the life of Michael Brown and the Michael Browns of America,” said Rev. Osagyefo Sekou of the First Baptist Church of Jamaica Plain, who has received attention nationwide for his work in Ferguson since Brown was fatally shot in August of this year.
Sekou has been teaching nonviolent civil disobedience to individuals and groups in Ferguson, and says that the violent response is a result of failed system.
"Young people who have been alienated and isolated and betrayed at every level of government and by the grand jury felt they had no choice but to vent their rage in attacks on property,” he said, referencing the violence breaking out in response to the grand jury’s decision.
And while Sekou and other organizers emphasizing nonviolent forms of protest hope the violence will subside, they say they'll continue working towards their mission.
“The main focus of our work has been to bring justice for Michael Brown and for the Michael Browns of America,” said Sekou.
You can listen to the full interview with Rev. Osagyefo Sekou below:
