The facts surrounding the murder of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old resident of Ferguson, Missouri, gunned down by Darren Wilson, a Ferguson police officer, are not entirely known ? but enough is known that it's quite justified to characterize it as cold-blooded murder. Thanks to Brown's family, an autopsy has revealed that of the six shots fired by Wilson, five were survivable, but the sixth ? which entered through the top of his head ? was not. Although the evidence is not yet conclusive, the forensics ? and the testimony of eyewitnesses ? point to the fatal shot being fired as he was falling to the ground with his hands up in the classic posture of surrender.

Yet regardless of the circumstances surrounding his death, the significance of this event lies in the reaction to it ? from the people of Ferguson, and, most importantly, from local, state, and federal authorities.