On the fourth anniversary of Michael Brown’s killing by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, the state’s governor is facing calls from Brown’s mother and racial justice advocates to reopen the investigation into his death.
Lezley McSpadden and the organization Color of Change are calling on Gov. Michael Parson to appoint a special prosecutor in the case, four years after officer Darren Wilson shot the unarmed black teenager to death on Aug. 9, 2014. The killing sparked weeks of protests that intensified after a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson.
The petition calls McCulloch’s refusal to prosecute “a miscarriage of justice and a complete betrayal of the primary charge for a prosecuting attorney.”
“McCulloch completely ignored standard protocol for a Prosecuting Attorney by enlisting the help of a grand jury to determine the charges against Wilson. It was a setup from the beginning,” the petition says.
In a separate statement, Color of Change President Rashad Robinson said, “We stand with Lezley and tens of thousands of Color Of Change members demanding Missouri Governor Mike Parson reopen the investigation into the fatal shooting of Mike Brown.”
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The casket of Michael Brown sits inside Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church awaiting the start of his funeral on Aug. 25, 2014, in St. Louis. (Photo: Pool via Getty Images)
An independent investigation led by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the FBI concluded Brown’s hands weren’t up when Wilson shot and killed him, as was widely believed at the time, and that many of the witnesses who said so were not credible. The report concluded that Wilson’s use of deadly force against Brown was not “objectively unreasonable,” under the Supreme Court’s definition.
Credible witness accounts, the DOJ said, “all establish that Brown was moving toward Wilson when Wilson shot him. Although some witnesses state that Brown held his hands up at shoulder level with his palms facing outward for a brief moment, these same witnesses describe Brown then dropping his hands and ‘charging’ at Wilson.”
Brown’s death, along with many other police killings of people of color in recent years, has sparked a nationwide discussion on police brutality and systemic racism.
“The pattern of racist violence targeting black people did not begin or end in Ferguson,” Color of Change’s Robinson said, adding that it’s “not a problem that can be solved with piecemeal reforms.”
But he did praise the results of Tuesday’s election in St. Louis County, in which McCulloch, a 27-year incumbent, lost the Democratic primary to local councilman Wesley Bell. Robinson called the result “a step in the right direction,” but said that “there’s still more work to do.”
A grand jury's decision not to indict Darren Wilson in Michael Brown's death sparked nationwide demonstrations, including this one at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24, 2014. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)
Brown’s father, Michael Brown Sr., also expressed hope that the election of Bell ― who does not face a Republican challenger ― would lead to the case being reopened.
“People know that what happened wasn’t right, and this does give another chance at going back to court,” Brown Sr. told the St. Louis Riverfront Times. “We will see.”
In light of the four-year anniversary of Brown’s death, many have come to the site where he was killed to pay their respects.
Michael Brown Sr., family, friends and Ferguson activists rebuild makeshift memorial on the site where Mike Brown Jr. was fatally shot by a Ferguson police officer in 2014. Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of the shooting. pic.twitter.com/I10HlKSmcD
“This is where everyone came together, stood together and stayed together. They hurt together, they persisted together, they loved together. They bonded as family. Hopefully, that love can spread out of here and bring love to all of St. Louis.”
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
JENNINGS, MO - AUGUST 11: Lesley McSpadden, mother of slain 18 year-old Michael Brown speaks during a press conference at Jennings Mason Temple Church of God In Christ, on August 11, 2014 in Jennings, Missouri. The fatal shooting by police of the unarmed teen in Ferguson, Missouri has sparked outrage in the community and set off civil unrest including looting and vandalism. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Police force protestors from the business district into nearby neighborhoods on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: A child uses a rag to shield her face from tear gas being fired by police who used it to force protestors from the business district into nearby neighborhoods on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
CLAYTON, MO - AUGUST 12: Demonstrators raise their hands and chant 'hands up, don't shoot' during a protest over the killing of Michael Brown on August 12, 2014 in Clayton, Missouri. Some reports state that Brown hand his hands in the air when he was shot and killed by a police officer on Saturday in suburban Ferguson, Missouri. Two days of unrest including rioting and looting have followed the shooting in Ferguson. Browns parents have publicly asked for order. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 12: Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton speaks about the killing of teenager Michael Brown at a press conference held on the steps of the old courthouse on August 12, 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. Brown was shot and killed by a police officer on Saturday in suburban Ferguson, Missouri. Sharpton and Browns family were calling for order following riots and skirmishes with police over the past two nights in Ferguson by demonstrators angry over the shooting. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Demonstrators protest next to the spot where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot by police on Saturday on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: With their hands raised, residents gather at a police line as the neighborhood is locked down following skirmishes on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
CLAYTON, MO - AUGUST 12: Demonstrators raise their hands and chant 'hands up, don't shoot' during a protest over the killing of Michael Brown on August 12, 2014 in Clayton, Missouri. Some reports state that Brown hand his hands in the air when he was shot and killed by a police officer on Saturday in suburban Ferguson, Missouri. Two days of unrest including rioting and looting have followed the shooting in Ferguson. Browns parents have publicly asked for order. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 12: Lesley McSpadden (R), the mother of slain teenager Michael Brown, arrives for a press conference on the arm of civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton (L) on August 12, 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. Brown was shot and killed by a police officer on Saturday in suburban Ferguson, Missouri. Sharpton and Browns family were calling for order following riots and skirmishes with police over the past two nights in Ferguson by demonstrators angry over the shooting. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Police refuse to let people leave a neighborhood on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: A child uses a rag to shield his face from tear gas being fired by police who used it to force protestors from the business district into nearby neighborhoods on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Police lock down a neighborhood on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Protesters are forced by police from the business district into nearby neighborhoods on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Demonstrators protest the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown who was shot by police on Saturday on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: A man is helped away after being hit in the face with a rubber bullet as police advance on protestors firing tear gas and rubber bullets to force them from the business district into nearby neighborhoods on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Residents and their supporters were protesting the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Demonstrators protest the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown who was shot by police on Saturday on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Protesters are forced by police from the business district into nearby neighborhoods on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
JENNINGS, MO - AUGUST 11: Cornell Williams Brooks, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) speaks during a press conference regarding the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown at Jennings Mason Temple Church of God In Christ, on August 11, 2014 in Jennings, Missouri. The fatal shooting by police of the unarmed teen in Ferguson, Missouri has sparked outrage in the community and set off civil unrest including looting and vandalism. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
JENNINGS, MO - AUGUST 11: Attorney Benjamin L. Crump speaks to the media during a press conference regarding the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown at Jennings Mason Temple Church of God In Christ, on August 11, 2014 in Jennings, Missouri. The fatal shooting by police of the unarmed teen in Ferguson, Missouri has sparked outrage in the community and set off civil unrest including looting and vandalism. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 12: Lesley McSpadden the mother of slain teenager Michael Brown shows a painting of her and her son through her car window as she leaves a press conference held by civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton on August 12, 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. Brown was shot and killed by a police officer on Saturday in suburban Ferguson, Missouri. Sharpton and Browns family were calling for order following riots and skirmishes with police over the past two nights in Ferguson by demonstrators angry over the shooting. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
CLAYTON, MO - AUGUST 12: Demonstrators raise their hands and chant 'hands up, don't shoot' during a protest over the killing of Michael Brown on August 12, 2014 in Clayton, Missouri. Some reports state that Brown hand his hands in the air when he was shot and killed by a police officer on Saturday in suburban Ferguson, Missouri. Two days of unrest including rioting and looting have followed the shooting in Ferguson. Browns parents have publicly asked for order. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Protests Continue In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Women hold signs during a protest of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer, outside Ferguson Police Department Headquarters August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Civil unrest broke out as a result of the shooting of the unarmed black man as crowds looted and burned stores, vandalized vehicles and taunted police officers. Dozens were arrested for various infractions including assault, burglary and theft. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
Protests Continue In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Protestors stand with arms in the air during a protest of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer, outside Ferguson Police Department Headquarters August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Civil unrest broke out as a result of the shooting of the unarmed black man as crowds looted and burned stores, vandalized vehicles and taunted police officers. Dozens were arrested for various infractions including assault, burglary and theft. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
Protests Continue In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: St. Louis County Law Enforcement Officers stand in riot gear during a protest of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer, outside Ferguson Police Department Headquarters August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Civil unrest broke out as a result of the shooting of the unarmed black man as crowds looted and burned stores, vandalized vehicles and taunted police officers. Dozens were arrested for various infractions including assault, burglary and theft. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Arniesha Randall protests the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown who was shot by police on Saturday on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
JENNINGS, MO - AUGUST 11: Lesley McSpadden, mother of slain 18-year-old Michael Brown, is overcome with emotion during a press conference at Jennings Mason Temple Church of God In Christ, on August 11, 2014 in Jennings, Missouri. The fatal shooting by police of the unarmed teen in Ferguson, Missouri has sparked outrage in the community and set off civil unrest including looting and vandalism. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 12: Lesley McSpadden (C), the mother of slain teenager Michael Brown, arrives for a press conference on the arm of civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton (L) on August 12, 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. Brown was shot and killed by a police officer on Saturday in suburban Ferguson, Missouri. Sharpton and Browns family were calling for order following riots and skirmishes with police over the past two nights in Ferguson by demonstrators angry over the shooting. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Protests Continue In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Protestors stand with arms in the air during a protest of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer, outside Ferguson Police Department Headquarters August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Civil unrest broke out as a result of the shooting of the unarmed black man as crowds looted and burned stores, vandalized vehicles and taunted police officers. Dozens were arrested for various infractions including assault, burglary and theft. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 12: Lesley McSpadden the mother of slain teenager Michael Brown shows a painting of her and her son through her car window as she leaves a press conference held by civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton on August 12, 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. Brown was shot and killed by a police officer on Saturday in suburban Ferguson, Missouri. Sharpton and Browns family were calling for order following riots and skirmishes with police over the past two nights in Ferguson by demonstrators angry over the shooting. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
CLAYTON, MO - AUGUST 12: Demonstrators raise their hands and chant 'hands up, don't shoot' during a protest over the killing of Michael Brown on August 12, 2014 in Clayton, Missouri. Some reports state that Brown hand his hands in the air when he was shot and killed by a police officer on Saturday in suburban Ferguson, Missouri. Two days of unrest including rioting and looting have followed the shooting in Ferguson. Browns parents have publicly asked for order. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Marlon Carter, a rap musician from Kansas City, stayed in town after his performance to join a protest over the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was shot by police on Saturday on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 11: Police force protestors from the business district into nearby neighborhoods on August 11, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown who was killed Saturday in this suburban St. Louis community. Yesterday 32 arrests were made after protests turned into rioting and looting in Ferguson. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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