On the 9th of August Michael Brown, Jr. an unarmed 18 year old African-American male, died after being shot at least 6 times by a Ferguson police officer bringing the reality of Racism and Police Brutality to the forefront of everyone’s minds. Just a few days later Mya Aeten-White, a Howard University Graduate turned activist in the wake of the shooting also shockingly received a gunshot to the head, but thankfully survived.
You can keep up to date with the protests and events occurring in St. Louis through Mya’s instagram @spookwrites. She was kind enough to recount the events for CultureMad below.
On August 9, 2014 my life changed. I was on my way home from work when I heard that a teenager had been murdered by a police officer about 10 minutes away from my house. I showed up in Ferguson at West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive around 2:30 that afternoon. I looked on as a crowd began to gather and the family members of the man (named Michael “Mike Mike” Brown, Jr.) rushed to the scene. As bystanders began to exchange conversations with witnesses and the day drew longer, the tensions started to build. Michael was left there on that ground and not even his own family could do or say anything to defend his dignity. This was the day I realized that things were going to be drastically different in my city of St. Louis, MO.
I stayed outside with the group of citizens until about 8 or 9 o’clock that night, and when I returned home my heart was heavy. I’d seen and heard officers of the law cursing and laughing at concerned citizens. I had seen the family members of Mike Brown disrespected and not given even a bottle of cool water while they stood in the stifling heat of August. I knew that I had to be a part of the community members seeking justice and information in the murder of this young man, Mike, who was unarmed, on his knees, and had his hands in the air before being shot 6 times by an officer who has been described as “having a bad day.” Each day after, I had returned to Canfield Drive speaking on the issues of our community and how they could be solved. I questioned police officers who had thrown tear gas at innocent and peaceful citizens/ I informed members of the crowd that unless an officer was in full uniform (this means with a nametag on) they were not on duty officers. I came back day after day for at least 12 hours a day encouraging my community to remain positive and standing in solidarity—I wanted justice, but did not want to see the crowd become overwhelmed with emotion.
Just four days into my participation in the rallies and protests against the murder of Mike Brown, I was walking back to my car after a long day at City Hall and at the Canfield Area. I heard gunshots and felt a stinging sensation in the front part of my head. I yelled out, “I think I’ve been hit!” There were other people standing around who asked where I thought I was hit—I responded, “my head!” The only things I thought about were if others had been shot, that I did not want my mom to receive a frightening phone call, and that I needed to thank god for all of my blessings, I thanked god simply because I knew I had been shot in the head but was still able to move and talk. I was taken to an area hospital where the bullet was surgically removed the next day.
It has been exactly one week since my surgery and I am out of the hospital and still spreading the word about the injustices being done here. I want to be clear with people about the realities of police brutality and lack of justice served to marginalized communities. This is an issue that has come up time and time again in America, and people want to see a true change. Everyone should feel safe in their neighborhood walking down the street—everyone should feel safe when interacting with those put in a position to protect and to serve. However, in the disenfranchised and marginalized communities of America there has been an air of distrust between law enforcement and community members. We (my generation, Generation Y) are seeking to create a world where this does not happen. We want to see justice served across the board to everyone no matter their race, creed, color, or occupation. I have high hopes for the people of St. Louis County, and the city of St. Louis as a whole—I have high hopes that we will get justice for Mike Brown and the future progress of our dealings with law enforcement.
