US Faces ‘Epidemic’ of Police Killings Since Michael Brown’s Death

The United States has seen a spike in police killings since a white Ferguson, Missouri police officer shot and killed African-American teenager Michael Brown last year, US advocacy group Don’t Shoot Coalition Co-Chair Denise Lieberman told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — “The violence did not start last year with Brown’s death, it just brought attention to the epidemic [of police killings] across the country,” Lieberman said.

To commemorate Brown’s death on August 9, 2014, the Don’t Shoot Coalition alongside churches and activist groups will hold events across the St. Louis, Missouri region between August 7 and 10.

Brown’s death at the hands of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson triggered mass protests across the country and ignited a national debate around racial inequality and the use of force in the policing of minority communities.

More outrage erupted over Brown’s death in November 2015, when a grand jury failed to indict Wilson, and later in March 2015, when the US Department of Justice cleared Wilson of any civil rights violations connected to the event. Wilson resigned from the Ferguson Police Department in November.

A Justice Department report into the Ferguson Police Department found systemic civil rights abuses against African-Americans in the community.

Lieberman said the United States has witnessed an unnecessary loss of life, as more than 1,000 police shootings of civilians have occurred since Brown’s death. She added that Brown’s death has opened people's eyes to police violence across the United States and led to a national and international movement against it.

In addition to commemorating Brown’s death, she said, this weekend’s events are “to demand justice not just for Brown but for [Sandra] Bland, [Freddie] Gray, and all other victims of violence.” Bland and Gray are two prominent examples of police brutality against African-Americans.

“In addition to remembering Brown’s life and mourning with his family, we are also using this weekend to reaffirm our commitment to demanding justice for these tragic losses of life,” Lieberman said. “Not just for Brown but for all the other lives.”

The United States has seen multiple protests prompted by high-profile and well-documented cases of police brutality over the past year. In April, Baltimore was swept by days of protest and riots after 25-year-old African-American Freddie Gray died of a spinal cord injury, received while in police custody. Six police officers have since been charged in connection with Gray’s death.