For those who lived through it, the outrage caused by the fatal shooting of unarmed black teen Michael Brown on August 9th, 2014 harkened back to the 1991 brutal beating of construction worker Rodney King by LAPD officers. Mr. King was beaten with a baton over fifty times and kicked multiple times. The ordeal was caught on a tape by a witness, and the tape immediately went viral. However, three of the four officers accused of assault with a deadly weapon and use of excessive force were acquitted, which many credit to the incitement of race riots across Los Angeles, during which over 50 people were killed and 2,000 were injured (CNN). 4,000 California Army National Guardsmen were called in to quell the violence and restore order.

There are two competing narratives about exactly what happened on August 9th, but here is what we know: Michael Brown was an 18 year old student who was about to leave for college, Officer Darren Wilson, whom many accuse of murder, is white while Mr. Brown is black, Mr. Brown did commit robbery from a convenience store before the incident, but the Officer Wilson was not aware of that, Michael Brown was shot six times, he was not close to Officer Wilson due to the lack of gun powder residue on his hands, and there is no sign that a struggle occurred (NBC). The Ferguson Police Department claims that Mr. Brown was belligerent after Officer Wilson asked his friend and him to get out of the street, and Officer Wilson tried to leave his squad car, but Mr. Brown pushed the door shut, punched the officer, attempted to take his weapon, and ran after one shot went off (CNN). FPD claims that Mr. Brown turned when Officer Wilson asked him to do so, but then taunted him and rushed at him, which prompted Officer Wilson to shoot him six times. Eyewitnesses claim that there was a struggle, but it was Officer Wilson who instigated the conflict. They claim that Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown while Mr. Brown’s hands were in the air (Live TV Testimony).

Whatever the case, the public has already convicted Officer Wilson. Governor Jay Nixon has called in the Missouri National Guard and imposed a curfew, which has since been lifted. Dozens have been injured or arrested, and national public outrage has only compounded in light of the manner which police officers have chosen to stem the violence. Officers have responded with tear gas, military style combat vehicles, assault weapons, riot shields, and other military grade weaponry (BBC). While looting and rioting have occurred, the majority of the protests have been peaceful, and the measures taken by Governor Nixon are mostly precautionary. However, police response has raised two questions: first, why is the police reacting so harshly, and second, why does the Ferguson PD have military style weaponry in the first place?

These questions could literally be debated for years, but the more important issue to protestors is the influence of race in Michael Brown’s death. Fifty years after the civil rights movement, 86% of the citizens pulled over by Ferguson PD last year were black, blacks were twice as likely to be searched, and twice as likely to be arrested (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

In his remarks to the nation on Monday, August 18, President Obama said there will be both an FBI and an independent civil rights investigation into Brown’s death.

While much attention is focused on Missouri, Brown is the fourth unarmed black male to die at the hands of police in this month alone-forcing both American and global citizens to question the use of unnecessary violence to maintain order in the American police.  President Obama himself said, “There is a big difference between our military and our local law enforcement and we don’t want those lines blurred.”

Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Michael Brown, is on paid administrative leave during these investigations.