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Father of Mike Brown: "If I Could Have Stood Between Officer Wilson’s Gun and My Son, I Would Have."
November 12, 2014 | 1:45 PM
The parents of Michael Brown – the black teenager killed by a police officer while walking, unarmed, in Ferguson, Missouri this summer – are in Geneva this week, as a United Nations committee reviews the United States' compliance with the Convention Against Torture, and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The following is a statement delivered by Mike Brown, Sr., at a briefing on Tuesday to members of the U.N. Committee Against Torture. Read more about this week's review here.
My name is Michael Brown, Sr.
I come before you today representing the voice of my son, and of parents and children of color across the country.
On August 9, 2014, my son Michael O.D. Brown, Jr., was shot and killed by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson.
Michael was my only son, his death has devastated my family, and our community. People have vilified him partly because of his color, partly because they placed no value on his life.
We understand that whatever the grand jury decides in Missouri, it will not bring Michael back. We also understand that what you decide here may save lives.
If I could have stood between Officer Wilson's gun and my son, I would have, because no father wants to see his child dead in the streets.
We agree with the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's recommendations and call to action for the United States to:
- Make a commitment to address racial discrimination in a comprehensive and coordinated manner and adopt a National Plan of Action on Racial Justice.
- Prohibit racial discrimination in all its forms in federal and state legislation, including indirect discrimination, covering all fields of law and public life.
As a result of our experiences, and in memory of my son, my wife and I will work to ensure no other family or community has to experience what we have.
We will work to promote nonviolence, peace, and understanding, and to improve human rights and social justice policies to unite governments around the world to eliminate the human rights violations that result from racial profiling and police violence in an effort to prioritize, protect, empower, and strengthen the value and dignity of life for all people, especially men and women of color and their children.
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Anonymous
I am a VCU student and your son's case and the issue of police brutality inspired me to participate in a march that my university had on campus. That march in turn sparked an interest for myself and many others to write about the issue of police brutality in our english class. I just want to say keep advocating and pressing for justice because like many other cases everyone knows about it and talks and then suddenly stops and moves on as though it never happened but I think after another incident it shouldn't stop everyone should continue to talk and spread the word about the issue of police brutality until it is solved.
RRR
What exactly is "Indirect Discrimination" and who defines it? Why do I believe the answer would the ACLU defines it?
Anonymous
I am a VCU student and I just want to say that your son’s case inspired me to participate in a march on campus that was dedicated to police brutality. That march in turn allowed me and many others to write about the issue of police brutality and Michael Brown case in our English class. I just want to say keep advocating and pushing for justice don’t stop. Many times people will talk about an issue and press for justice and then stop like it never happened. There are many are supporting the cause right now and don’t stop until the issue police brutality is solved.
Wanxia Liao
Well, at least the victimized Black people would have a chance to speak at UN on the US' human rights violations. The other "silent minorities" with no political power will have no chance to have their voice heard at UN.
The UN #HumanRights bodies only selectively hear human rights complainants’ voice on political considerations. An example: while vigorously hearing the human rights complaints from the #Chinese against #China, these #UN bodies turn away human rights complaints from the same Chinese against the Western countries like #USA, #Canada, etc. to cover up for these countries. I know at least 3 Chinese in US and Canada who brought human rights complaints to UN against the US and #Canadian governments, but all of their complaints were turned a blank eye on by the UN.
My experience with UN probably is the most dramatic. In 2004, The Office of "High Commissioner for Human Rights" (HCHR) of UN, then headed by Louise Arbour, a former judge of Supreme Court of Canada, seized all the complaints I sent to UN's various human rights bodies, and returned them to me, in violation of the UN's human rights complaint procedures. I then brought a Complaint against this HCHR and the Secretary of the Human Rights Committee, Mr. Markus Schmidt to the President of UN General Assembly. But my Complaint was transferred back to the HCHR by Secretary of the President's Office, Tony Gallagher of the USA, without consulting with any officials of the President's Cabinet.
When I protested to the HCHR on grounds of conflict of interests, “Secretary” of the Human Rights Committee, Mr. Markus Schmidt called me and told me that he was "assigned" to my case by the HCHR, and "you don't expect this Office will assist you". Please see the letters that I wrote to the HCHR for details.
Obviously the UN’s human rights bodies are not accessible to people like me, whose human rights complaints are against the Western powers and who do not belong to a politically powerful and active ethnic groups such as the Blacks.
1992, I successfully challenged a White supremacy theory at University of Toronto, got retaliated, complained to a human rights commission, the commission forced me to testify under the testimony requirement of Canadian law. I was then charged and convicted for my testimony for “threats”, contrary to the testimony immunity provided by that law. The Commission did so in conspiracy with the U of T, and U of California. I lost everything in life for it. Then the civil courts in US and Canada joined the oppression, covered up all the true crimes against me. Google my name. If I were as powerful as the Blacks, I would do the same!
Anonymous
Mike Brown's parents have responded the way I hope my parents would if this happened to me. Their strength in pursuing justice without vengeance, and to the highest courts on the planet, is nothing short of incredible.
Wanxia Liao this is absolutely not the time or the place to promote your own cause. Please take it to a different forum.
Sam Houston
Well Mr. Brown, if you had done that, then you boy would have steamrolled over you on his way to attack the Police Officer. It would have been better had you done so before your son assaulted the Police Officer or how about when he robbed that store shortly before? Would you have stood between your son and that small frame clerk that you son violently attacked? Even better, maybe you should have stood between your son and pot or between him and the Hood?
Anonymous
Did not hear him say;
Pants Up! Don't Loot!
Anonymous
Then, as his father, you should have raised him better--not to steal or to assault cops. When will blacks stop acting like thugs and start acting like civilized human beings?
Anonymous
Too bad neither he nor MB's "mother" cared to raise the gentle giant with any kind of respect for society or authority. I feel no empathy for these absentee "parents." Maybe some for the grandmother who was viscously beaten by the "mom" and her thug cohort for hocking T-shirts.
Anonymous
As a life-long resident of St. Louis, I can tell you Michael Brown got what he was asking for. If you are stupid enough to beat on a police officer, you are stupid enough to get shot. I think it is called "natural selection". Brown was a thug. The black people running around yelling racism and intolerance are just proclaiming in public the level of their self-delusions. The more they protest, the more ridiculous they look. BTW, the public has raised about $500,000 for Brown and over $1,300,000 for Officer Wilson. Not everyone can be fooled.
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