Big Mike: An Amazing Young Life Taken Too Soon
By: Ethan Biando
Tags: Blm, Police Violence, Michael Brown, Tribute, Criminal Justice Reform

Shortly after Michael Brown graduated from Normandy High-school, the 18-year-old graduate, affectionately known as Big Mike, made a declaration in front of his family.

“One day, the whole world will know my name.” he proclaimed confidently.

At the time, his family shrugged this off. Brown was a prolific prankster around his family, a kid with a larger-than-life sense of humor once you got to know him. They assumed this was another one of his light-hearted jokes.

However, eight days later, Brown’s prophecy would chillingly prove to be correct, when on August 9th, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, Brown was shot and killed by former police officer Darren Wilson, while walking home with a friend, Dorian Johnson. Johnson testified that Wilson chased Brown down the street and executed him as he held his hands up in surrender, a claim substantiated by forensic, ballistic, and physical evidence.

Brown’s death brought a national spotlight to the Black Lives Matter movement, and created a wave of civil unrest and an uprising in Ferguson, spawning the now famous rallying cry of “Hands up, don’t shoot.”

His death prompted two DOJ investigations, one of which uncovered a systemic trend in the Ferguson Police Department — the disproportionate arrest of Black citizens for traffic infractions.

When the dust settled in Ferguson, the world was left with an anticlimax. Officer Wilson would be promptly fired from the Ferguson Police Department, and the city of Ferguson would settle a 7-figure wrongful death lawsuit with Brown’s family. Wilson was cleared in two investigations, with both prosecutors concluding that Darren Wilson acted within the law. To this day, Wilson hasn’t been rehired anywhere as a police officer.

The world was left to reflect on the life and legacy of Michael Brown.

He was remembered fondly by friends, school teachers, and family members as a “gentle giant.” They lauded him as a polite, mild-mannered, and funny young man who took his studies very seriously.

Brown was known to arrive on campus early and stay late to get extra help on his courses, an effort that would ultimately pay off — Brown completed over a year of missing credits and successfully beat the odds, graduating from a school known in the education world as a “Dropout Factory.”

Brown was set to begin taking classes on heating and air conditioning repair at Vatterott College, a technical school, just two days after his death on August 9th.

Activists, Ferguson residents, Brown’s family members, and others worldwide recognized Brown as an amazing young life taken too soon — a teenager with immense promise and a bright future ahead of him.

Now, the world collectively ponders the question of what Michael Brown could’ve become had he not been killed by Darren Wilson on August 9th. He could’ve been a part of a myriad of life experiences that many take for granted, such as getting a driver’s license and celebrating a 21st birthday.

At the end of the day, nobody truly knows what happened to Michael Brown except for Brown himself — and he’s no longer here to tell it.

However, society does know how Brown carried himself while on earth.

Michael Brown will forever be known for the immense sense of joy and love he brought to the people around him, the promising future he saw on the horizon, and the catalyst for real, systemic change he became. That will never change.

His spirit and memory will live on for generations.