After five days of sometimes intense protests in Ferguson, Missouri, Thursday night saw the memory of shooting victim Michael Brown honored in nearly 100 cities during peaceful vigils from New York to St. Louis, Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Orlando. In a nationwide event organized by blogger Feminista Jones around the #NMOS14 hashtag (national moment of silence), protesters gathered and bowed their heads while remembering the unarmed 18-year-old who was shot multiple times and killed by a police officer on Saturday in an incident that has gained global attention.
One of the most re-tweeted images from the evening was of a huge crowd gathered in New York’s Times Square, which was posted by everyone from Diddy to Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) and Macklemore. Following days of clashes between heavily armed police and protesters in Ferguson, Thursday night brought a calm to the St. Louis suburb after the state highway patrol came in to take over security following days of tension between angry Ferguson citizens, the media and local police. Replacing the disturbing sight of police dispersing crowds with tear gas and force were images of state patrol officers walking peacefully with the protesters.
Related: A Timeline Of The Michael Brown Shooting
Friday (August 15) is also expected to produce a major revelation in the case when the name of the officer who shot Brown is released. Along with more details on what precipitated the shooting of Brown, the teen’s family and supporters have been urging officials to name the officer.
Here are some of the most images from the vigils:
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Chances are you want to learn more, or take action on what is happening in Ferguson, so we’ve put together some ideas for you.
+ What is happening in Ferguson has drummed up a lot of talk about racial bias. If you have an idea for a digital tool that would help you and your friends have productive conversations about bias, you should take part in Look Different’s Challenge. There’s $10k prize at stake!
+ Get educated and check out Look Different’s Implicit Bias Quiz. It’s important to know exactly why we are talking about Ferguson, and that might mean examining our own hidden biases.
+ Take the conversation offline. Talk with your friends about their feelings about what is happening in Ferguson, and the shooting of Mike Brown. Use this as an opportunity to connect and learn from each other.
– Nadeska Alexis
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