White police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in August, gaining national attention and sparking debates over institutional racial disparities and police officers’ use of force.
In November, a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson, so the case would not be brought to trial.
The decision spurred nationwide protests and demonstrations, some of which turned violent.
In Madison, students held a silent vigil outside a Badger basketball game to bring UW together over concerns of human rights.
Students and community members also responded with a march ending at a police station, where protesters held “Black Lives Matter” banners and spoke against police brutality.
Issues from the Ferguson case were echoed in New York, where another grand jury decided not to bring charges against a white police officer who killed Eric Garner, a black man, after putting him in a chokehold.
