WS Chronicle

“The Scripture declares, ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.’ You are hearing the voice of Rachel, the voice of Mike Brown’s momma and daddy, the voice of Trayvon’s momma, of Lennon Lacy’s momma, the voice of people from California to Missouri to North Carolina to New York, crying and refusing to be comforted and saying, ‘We can no longer just allow funeral after funeral after funeral, and killing after killing after killing to go on.’ No! America must render a verdict on herself that it’s time to address the continuing inequalities in our criminal justice system. We, God’s people, cannot be comforted; cannot be satisfied until justice comes; until the breaches are repaired; until the terrible pain leads to the power of transformation; until we are one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all; until parents like me of young black boys don’t have to worry about them being killed by the foolishness of gangs or the frightening possibility of police brutality and shooting. We cannot be comforted until everyone’s humanity is respected and everyone’s life valued. We cannot and will not be comforted until then.”

NC NAACP President William Barber

“The failure even to try Mike Brown’s killer for any form of homicide sends a terrible message to the thousands of citizens who have suspended their daily lives for the past four months to demand accountability, and to a nation of young people who are watching to see whether their lives matter to a system that claims to pursue justice for all.”

Action NC

“We stand committed to continue our fight against racial profiling, police brutality and the militarization of local authorities. The death of Michael Brown and actions by the Ferguson Police Department is a distressing symptom of the untested and overaggressive policing culture that has become commonplace in communities of color all across the country.  We will remain steadfast in our fight to pass the End Racial Profiling federal legislation.” 

Cornell William Brooks, National NAACP president and CEO

“This is not a proud day for America.  We uphold the justice system and legal structure that has helped to guide the course of America and many of the rights we all enjoy today.  But nothing is perfect.  When we abandon the very foundational tenet of justice for all, we abandon a core part of who we are as a nation.” 

Urban League President Marc Morial

“This is about Michael Brown’s murder, but it’s not just about Michael Brown’s murder.  It’s about a national ghetto policy – guns in, drugs in, jobs and services out, contained with military occupation like South African apartheid. This federal ghetto policy is true whether you’re in Ferguson, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Birmingham, Milwaukee or wherever.  It’s the federal government’s national ghetto policy.”

Rev. Jesse Jackson

“Instead of letting this decision divide us, we should ask ourselves how we can prevent tragedies like this from happening again. That is the best way to honor a young man whose life was taken too soon.”

A. Shuanise Washington, president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

“The activism demanding police accountability towards communities of color has been nothing short of amazing and it must continue. To many Black people, this shooting had a recurring theme that re-ignited the emotions and indignation of millions. It is the same tragic story that spans from slavery to include Emmett Till, Tanisha Anderson, Rodney King, Trayvon Martin, Rekia Boyd, Tarika Wilson, Jordan Davis, Renisha McBride, Eric Garner and many, many more.”

Race Forward / Colorlines