Governor Jay Nixon: Ten days ago, a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, in broad daylight. Since then, the world has watched a community become engulfed in grief, anger, fear, at times, violence.
For a family mourning the loss of a son, it has been a profound personal tragedy. For Ferguson and our entire nation, it has ripped open old wounds that have festered for generations, and exposed difficult issues that communities across our country must still resolve.
But amid all the pain, distrust and anger, we’ve also seen tremendous acts of grace, courage, and kindness as the people of Ferguson try to maintain peace while they call for justice for the family of Michael Brown. In Ferguson people of all races and creeds are joining hands to pray for justice. Teenagers cooking meals for law enforcement officers, community leaders demonstrating courage and heroism throughout the night in standing against armed and violent instigators, volunteers coming out to pick up littered neighborhoods. They are the faces of Ferguson. They are the faces of this region. They are the faces and soul of Missouri.
For them, for the family of Michael Brown, for all the parents who have had their sons taken from them much too soon, and for all the children dreaming of a brighter and better future, we have a responsibility to come together and do everything we can to achieve justice for this family, peace for this community, and have the courage to address the problems that have divided us for too long. Real problems of poverty, education, and race.
So how do we do that?
First, we must protect the people of Ferguson. The officers of the Missouri Highway Patrol, St. Louis County, St. Louis City, and other jurisdictions are united in working valiantly to protect the public, while at the same time preserving citizens’ rights to express their anger peacefully.
As we’ve seen over the past week it is not an easy balance to strike. And it becomes much more difficult in the dark of night when organized and increasingly violent instigators take to the streets intent on creating chaos and lawlessness.
But we will not be defeated by bricks and guns and Molotov cocktails. With the help of peaceful demonstrators, pastors, ommunity leaders, Captain Johnson and law enforcement will not give up trying to ensure that those with peace in their hearts are not drowned out by those with senseless violence in their hands.
Second, a vigorous prosecution must now be pursued.
The democratically elected St. Louis County prosecutor and the Attorney General of the United States each have a job to do. Their obligation to achieve justice in the shooting death of Michael Brown must be carried out thoroughly, promptly, and correctly. And I call upon them to meet those expectations.
Finally, once we have achieved peace in Ferguson and justice for the family of Michael Brown, we must remain committed to rebuilding the trust that’s been lost, mending what has been broken, and healing the wounds we’ve endured.
This is hard. Nothing about this is simple. We won’t always get it right, but we’re gonna keep trying. Because Ferguson is a test, a test not just for the people of this community, but for all Americans. And it’s a test we must not fail.
Last week I met with and prayed with the mother of Michael Brown. She’s lost a son who she can never bring back. But what we can do is work together to ensure that Michael Brown’s death is not remembered as the tragedy that sparked a cycle of violence and distrust, but rather marks the beginning of a process of healing and reconciliation.
So I ask that we continue to stand together as we work to achieve justice for Michael Brown, restore hope and peace to the streets of Ferguson, and march together toward a future of greater opportunity and understanding for all of us.
