ST LOUIS, (Reuters) – Rev. Al Sharpton and the father of an unarmed black teenager killed by a white officer on Aug. 9 appealed for peace as they led a rally against police violence yesterday, the day before Michael Brown Jr’s funeral in Ferguson, Missouri.
At the rally, which drew hundreds of people to Forest Park in St Louis on a sweltering summer afternoon, Michael Brown Sr was joined by the parents of Trayvon Martin, a Florida teenager shot dead in 2012.
In introducing the slain teen’s father, Sharpton appealed for calm after a week of sometimes violent protests over an incident that has called global attention to the issue of race relations in the United States.
“We don’t want anything tomorrow that will defile Michael Brown’s name,” the civil rights leader said.
Brown Sr, who hesitated for a moment before speaking, thanked the community for the support shown to him and Michael Brown’s mother, who was not present at the rally.
“All I want tomorrow is peace while we lay our son to rest. Please, that’s all I ask,” he said.