As Aug. 9 marked a decade since Michael Brown’s fatal shooting by former Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson, the late teen’s mother, Lezley McSpadden, discussed her ongoing fight for justice. Reflecting on the unfulfilled promises and systemic failures since the 2014 incident, McSpadden voiced her continued frustration with the justice system.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News correspondent and GMA host DeMarco Morgan, McSpadden discussed how her life has been over the past 10 years since her son’s death.
“Emotional, sad, heartbreaking … waiting on the promises made by certain officials — and 10 years later, those promises have just become broken promises,” McSpadden told Morgan during the interview.
EXCLUSIVE: Lezley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown Jr. who was shot and killed by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer, tells @DeMarcoReports that she is still waiting for justice, 10 years later. https://t.co/q48iI01ibj pic.twitter.com/GSAcLbJvV6
— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) August 10, 2024
The grieving mother said one of those “broken promises” was to charge Wilson, who shot at 18-year-old Brown 12 times, with six to eight shots striking him. The pair had an altercation after the teen was accused of stealing cigarillos at Ferguson Market, according to a DOJ report. However, several years later, in 2020, the St. Louis prosecuting attorney decided not to press charges against Wilson.
Brown’s killing sparked nationwide protests demanding justice for the unarmed teenager. His death also gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement, which has since been central to advocating for justice in other high-profile cases involving Black Americans, such as those of Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others.
Over the years, McSpadden has persistently fought for justice for her son while exposing flaws in the justice system. ABC News reported that in July, she joined the nonprofit organization Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and Howard University for a public hearing video conference to urge the IACHR to recommend that U.S. prosecutors criminally pursue Brown’s killing.
“The PTSD is overwhelming. I do have three remaining children. I was very scared and nervous to let them out of my sight for weeks after Mike was killed,” McSpadden said during the video conference call. “I received tons and tons of threatening letters. It got so bad where my lawyers had to look through my mail before I looked through it.”
Kerry Kennedy of RFK Human Rights questioned the state’s efforts over the past decade to combat “racist police violence.”
“We will undoubtedly hear from the state a litany of all the things they have done to address the scourge of racist police violence in this country over the last 10 years, some of which I commend them for doing,” Kerry Kennedy, president of RFK Human Rights, said at the conference. “Is it enough when more people were killed by police in 2023 than any other previously recorded year? The answer is no.”
McSpadden said she hopes to “get it right” this time now that she is a grandmother.
“I’m so proud to be a grandma,” she shared with Morgan. “When I found out, I cried because I felt like God was giving me another chance at getting it right if I got it wrong.”
Ten years later…we take a look back at the shooting death of Mike Brown, Jr. in Ferguson, Missouri. We sit down with Brown’s mother – Lezley McSpadden. Tune in this week on ABC for my exclusive conversation. pic.twitter.com/lJNjRK7nAk
— DeMarco Morgan (@DeMarcoReports) August 6, 2024
‘Happy Birthday MikeMike’ short film drops
Additionally, a new short film Happy Birthday MikeMike, has also been released. McFadden penned a column for The Hollywood Reporter for the film’s release.
The latest in the “1-800 Happy Birthday” project, It was filmed during his St. Louis birthday celebration on May 20 and includes voicemails from Brown’s friends and family “as a reminder of the love that Michael spread in his life – love that continues to reverberate through the world.”
From production company Even/Odd, it was directed by Mohammad Gorjestani.
Watch below:
