Ferguson Case Prompts 'Get Home Safe' Summit
Protesters returned to the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, Monday night. The St. Louis suburb was the site of sometimes violent protests and looting following the Aug. 9 police shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen.
Demonstrators were met by a line of police officers as they called for justice in the case.
The news comes as police are seeking suspects in the shootings of two police officers near Ferguson last weekend. The officers suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Meanwhile, as the fallout continues from Brown's death, one New Jersey congregation is taking action to help protect its members.
The 6,000-member Kingdom Church in the city of Ewing is addressing the fears of African-American families with a focus on prevention.
The church brought together community members and police last weekend for a "Get Home Safe" summit.
"Last year in the city of Trenton we had 41 murders. I spoke at 19 funerals. Each time I spoke, the young man lying in the casket looked just like me," Trenton activist Darren Green said.
"And I gave thought to 'What if we had a program for him?'" he continued. "'What if somebody walked him through life? What if somebody was teaching him the way somebody taught me We as brothers seem to forget that older brothers walked us through life."
The officers emphasized that the street is not the place for debate and encouraged citizens to cooperate and avoid suspicious moves when detained by police.
"You may have instances where somebody says something to you that's demeaning, that's insulting, that you did not feel like was appropriate or necessary. And I know as a man how we want to respond to that," one police officer told those gathered.
"But your mother needs you home," he said. "Your wife needs you home. Your children need you home. And we want you to get home safe because there, that moment, is not the moment to fight it."
Summit attendees left the event with a better understanding of their legal rights and a challenge to change the future for their young men.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the Brown case.
"I happen to have full confidence in both the state and federal systems," CBS St. Louis affiliate KMOX quoted U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan.
"But, to the extent that some people are distrustful, the fact that both the state and the federal authorities are each doing their own investigation should provide some measure of confidence," he said.
