FERGUSON, Mo. _ A vigil Tuesday morning to mark the two-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death started quietly with music in the Canfield Green Apartment Complex at the spot where Brown was killed by a police officer just before noon on Aug. 9, 2014.
Three children and their grandmother who goes by the name Momma Fatou, began drumming using African drums and shakers in front of a banner for The Michael Brown Chosen for Change Foundation.
As they played, more people began congregating alongside several dozen teddy bears and other stuffed animals piled in a line in the center of Canfield Drive to mark where Brown died.
Organizers with the Michael Brown Chosen for Change Foundation planned about 90 minutes of music, reflections and poetry Tuesday before conducting 4 { minutes of silence. The number of minutes represented the number of hours Brown's body lay visible on the street in the apartment complex after he was killed.
Brown's death by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson stirred protests and rioting after various narratives emerged about the circumstances surrounding his shooting. His death sparked an investigation that cleared Wilson of wrongdoing. But it also forced a consent decree between the U.S. Department of Justice and the city of Ferguson, and a national conversation about unfair policing of African-Americans. Locally, it led to the creation of the Ferguson Commission, which created a blueprint to challenge inequity in St. Louis.
On Tuesday, as the children beat the drums and shook the shakers, the crowd grew into a mix of mostly familiar faces and groups. There were members of the Brown family, including Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., and Brown's mother, Lezley McSpadden. Michael Brown's tearful grandmother held a poster asking people not to forget her grandson.
About two dozen members of the media took photos and video. There were several politicians and civic leaders, including Michael McMillan, local head of the Urban League, filming the event. The Rev. Larry Rice interviewed people for his Christian television network. The group WeCopwatch, now a nationwide group that videotapes police actions to maintain accountability, was there _ though police were nowhere in sight.
After the children finished with their drums, Momma Fatou, whose given name is Artie Jennings Hamilton, addressed the crowd. She reminded attendees that the sound of the drum was a call to act in African culture.
"Today you are here to celebrate the second anniversary of Michael Brown's death by someone in a policeman's outfit who did not have the comfort of this community in his mind," she said.
She said local police cruisers still line Interstate 70 in north St. Louis County at the start and end of every month to ticket and profit off nearby poor African-American communities. She said African-Americans still fear for the safety of their children because of inequitable police departments without representation from black or Hispanic officers.
As the vigil progressed, about 120 people gathered together. One of them, Janice Brown, Brown's cousin, said she and her teenage daughters, a niece and a goddaughter, first made a stop at a nearby memorial stone erected last year.
"We shed some tears there," she said of losing her cousin, whom she called "Mikey Mike."
She wants him remembered in a positive way, she said. "Even though it was a horrific ordeal, I want his legacy to be a positive legacy and how things are trying to change. We're not totally there yet. It's slow because still not everyone believes that some people are not treated fairly. I just think we really need to focus on total equity."
Former state Rep. Betty Thompson said she was there to fight for unity. Over the weekend she had been honored with the Michael Brown Social Justice Award by the Chosen for Change Foundation.
"Not only do we have to fight the crimes of racism and bigotry, we have to fight black-on-black crime," she said.
Thompson lost both a son and a grandson to such violence. Each was a victim in separate armed robberies.
"We've got to stop the violence," she said.
Just before noon, several members of the Brown family, along with Thompson, sat on chairs before the line of stuffed animals. There was a poem read and further pleas to remember that Micheal Brown's death was a wake-up call for change. T-shirts worn by many in the crowd showed a portrait of Brown with the words "Chosen for Change."
Michael Brown Sr. spoke briefly about his son.
"My son built families up, opened the eyes of the world and let them know this ain't right," he said. "This color is not a disease. This color is beautiful. Black is beautiful."
Minutes later the crowd went silent for most of the 4 { minutes. During the silence one woman stood with both arms raised heavenward. With 10 seconds to go, a countdown began through the crowd. The voices got louder, and several fists were raised.
"Who do we love?" a man shouted.
"Mike Brown, Mike Brown, Mike Brown," the crowd chanted back.
"We do this for who?" the man shouted.
"Mike Brown," the crowd shouted back.
As they said his name, Janice Brown broke into sobs and hugged another woman.
"Why are they crying?" asked a small child.
A DJ cued a song with the words, "We gonna be alright."
