Summary

On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown Jr. was stopped by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Two minutes later, Michael Brown was lying dead in the street, shot by Wilson. Anger and grief erupted immediately both at the scene and online at the sight of an unarmed young Black man being killed by a police officer without cause. Protestors and activists soon began to organize, seeking answers from the police and decrying the systemic racism of police brutality. Their numbers swelled with surprising speed, chanting "Hands up! Don't shoot!" in homage to the knowledge that Brown had had his hands up when he was killed. The Ferguson protests would become the longest rebellion against police brutality in the country.

Chang then quotes statistics that reveal the harsh reality of police brutality and systemic racism which negatively impacts the lives of Black people across the...