On the Fairfax Campus, students participate in a “die-in” demonstration in solidarity with the people of Ferguson, Mo., joining protests across the country raising awareness of police conduct. Photo by Alexis Glenn

On December 1st 2014, students of George Mason University staged a peace protest known as a “die-in” on their Fairfax Campus in support of Michael Brown, the Ferguson teen who was maliciously shot by officer Darren Wilson earlier in the year. About 150 students took part of the protest put together by seniors Christina “Liz” Lee and Donna Smith. Held for 15 minutes, students lay on the ground to bring light and raise awareness about police conduct in America, specifically towards African Americans and people of color. Surprised by the output, Lee told Sudha Kamath an in-school journalist for GMU that “The turnout is absolutely amazing, we just put this together in 24 hours. Everyone was more than willing to participate. This situation is not just about Ferguson… or black and brown… this happens in Fairfax… D.C. …  Virginia… Maryland.” Seeing this event forehand, it was a confirmation that people from all walks of life could come together and stand for a common cause.

As the event ended I interviewed Brandy Asher, a female African American student who took part of the protest. We discussed the reasons; these types of protests are needed to bring light to the unjust treatment of African Americans by police officers throughout the country. Also giving her opinion on Michael Browns death and verdict, Brandy gave a great insight to what change can happen if everyone comes together to fight for a positive cause.

The video below shows a fraction of the fifteen minutes that George Mason Students took part of the peaceful protest known a “die-in”.

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The events that took place concerning the death of Michael Brown have been shrouded in doubt ever since his controversial shooting on the 9th of August. Social media has provided an avenue, allowing people from all walks of life to freely share their side of the story, turning Michael Brown’s death into a global phenomenon. On August 11th, two days after the death of Michael Brown word had spread causing the virality of its story. Social media giants, Twitter and Facebook had become the catalyst of this movement. Hashtag #MikeBrown became the link to a plethora of interpretations and opinions through a simple click of a button. On Twitter hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown became a worldwide trending topic. According to the Desert News exert “Everything you need to know about the situation in Ferguson, Missouri” the hashtag  was used to “decry what they viewed as Brown’s unfair portrayal in the media, using contrasting photos of themselves in accomplished settings with more juvenile pictures.” This was just one of the many social protests made possible by social media and various platforms.

To get a better insight into this movement I conducted an impromptu interview with Jason Gold, a devoted teenager supporting the hashtag through Twitter. In my interview with him through Twitter, Jason stated that “Young Black Men our being advertised to the public in a negative light”. He was astonished with the way African Americans were being framed through mainstream media outlets. Throughout the interview, Gold told me further of frustrations with the medias framing of African Americans stating that “This is has to stop, for America and its people to move in the right direction.” My interview with Jason was a great an example of how social media has and will play an important role in the protest and development of issues around the world.

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Several eye witnesses and by standers came forward and were interviewed in the days following Michael Browns death.  Two construction workers who happened to be about fifty feet away from Darren Wilson as he shot to kill Michael Brown described the shooting as brutal and unnecessary stating that Michael Brown had his hands up as he was penetrated by several shots from Wilson’s gun. Another witness Michael Brady came forward and was interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper on August 20th, approximately a week and half after Brown’s death. Brady told Cooper, that he recalled seeing a “tussle” which lasted for about 10 seconds between Wilson and Brown. He claimed that Brown was running away from Wilson’s car, as he shot several times untimely leading to his death.  As several more witnesses came into the public eye, word of Brown’s Death slowly escalated into a global headline by use of social media.

To get another view on what possibly took place that day, I interviewed Robert Baker an African American student currently attending George Mason University (GMU). We discussed his thoughts on the event that took place that fateful day. He told me that it was unjust for Michael Brown to have been shot due to the fact his hands were up. Also expanding on the fact that peoples claim that Brown was armed was also armed was ridiculous, Baker explained how African Americans are causally stereotyped when it comes to issues of violence or death.

In the video below, you can see a firsthand reaction by the witnesses of Michael Browns death.

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While some protestors of Michael Brown’s death showed remorse for his death by protesting peacefully, others showed their concern by hitting the street with racially fueled anger leading to violence throughout the city of Ferguson. Upon this happening, a statement was released asking for several autopsies’ to be done to bring Brown justice stating:

"To the extraordinary circumstances involved in this case and at the request of the Brown family, Attorney General Holder has instructed Justice Department officials to arrange for an additional autopsy to be performed by a federal medical examiner,” Justice Department Spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement released Sunday. “This independent examination will take place as soon as possible. Even after it is complete, Justice Department officials still plan to take the state-performed autopsy into account in the course of their investigation.”

As violence ensued, the state of Missouri instated a curfew to get people off the streets. With the use of smoke, tear gas and ‘non – lethal weapons’, police enforced this curfew with little regard for the people protesting peacefully among the violence. Chris Dwight a freelance photographer who attends George Mason University in Fairfax Virginia, told me about his brief stint in Ferguson overseeing the protesting taking place in the city. Dwight explained how rather than protesting, some citizens are vandalizing locally owned businesses further bringing despair to their own community. He went on to say that, he wouldn't call these people “protesters” but rioters using Michael Browns death as an excuse to cause violent uproars within their city. As our brief interview ended Dwight was avid about his support for the more peaceful protests, stating it was the only way to truly bring justice to Michael Brown and the people of Ferguson.

In the video below, Vice News an independent online based news stations shows the uproar of the people of Ferguson and the violence taking place in search of answers of too why Michael Brown was shot dead in their streets.

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