More than 50 people gathered at the Secondary Missionary Baptist Church Monday night in Columbia to learn Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson will not be indicted for the August 9th killing of Michael Brown.
Supporters of Michael Brown sang their own renditions of “This Little Light of Mine” and several other songs leading up to the eventual announcement of the “no true bill” ruling from the St. Louis County Grand Jury. Some cried as the ruling came down, most sat frozen still in disbelief. Then they were consoled by the words of Pastor Clyde Ruffin.
“Hope against hope. Without hope we have nothing. We pray for justice but we are always prepared for injustice,” said Ruffin. “Decide what you can do individually and collectively to change the underlying problems. You may not be able to change the outcome of this one tragedy but there are some underlying problems that we all need to be concerned about.”
After learning Wilson would not be indicted, the group then honored the request of Michael Brown’s family with a 4 and a half minute moment of silence. The family chose 4 and a half minutes to recognize the 4 and a half hours Michael Brown’s body lied in the street after he was killed in August.
NAACP Missouri President Mary Ratliff then helped Ruffin lead discussions about how to move forward.
“We’re gonna have to meet with the Governor, we’re gonna have to meet with law enforcement officers. We’re gonna have to sit down at the table and meet and they’re gonna have to give out some new laws of engagement for police officers. This cannot be that they just have the right to kill you, to shoot somebody six times.”
Ratliff also said supporters should march in numbers and make it clear they won’t accept these kinds of rulings. She will be leading a group of supporters in a march Tuesday at 5pm from the Secondary Missionary Baptist Church to the court house.