Rapper Pharrell Williams Speaks Out Passionately About The Death Of Michael Brown
Rapper Pharrell Williams has spoken out about the death of Michael Brown and the grand jury decision not to indict the police officer who shot and killed him.
Williams says that there is no answer to what took place in Ferguson, Missouri, where Michael Brown, 18 and unarmed, was shot by officer Darren Wilson back in August, reports The Telegraph.
“I’m heartbroken over the news of no indictment in Ferguson. Let’s all pray for peace,” Williams said after hearing the verdict.
“My feelings have been the same since that boy was murdered. Everyone is heartbroken. It’s another unarmed teen gunned down, so I mean, what are we going to do with it all, what are we going to do about it? “It hurts, that hurts. He’s a human being, he’s gone – that hurts,” Williams added.
“It’s not really about what I think, it’s about what you’re gonna do,” Williams replied to be asking if he supported what protesters were doing in Ferguson.
In an interview with Ebony Magazine, Williams responded to questions about the convenience store video that purportedly shows Michael Brown stealing cigarettes before his run in with Darren Wilson on August 9, reports Philly.com
“It looked very bully-ish; that in itself I had a problem with. Not with the kid, but with whatever happened in his life for him to arrive at a place where that behavior is OK. Why aren’t we talking about that?” he said.
“The boy was walking in the middle of the street when the police supposedly told him to ‘get the f–k on the sidewalk.’ If you don’t listen to that, after just having pushed a store owner, you’re asking for trouble,” Williams then added.
Williams believes that Wilson should be punished for his use of excessive force.
“I believe that [the] Ferguson officer should be punished and serve time. He used excessive force on a human being who was merely a child. He was a baby, man. If you don’t listen to that, after just having pushed a store owner, you’re asking for trouble. But you’re not asking to be killed. Some of these youth feel hunted and preyed upon, and that’s why that officer needs to be punished.”
Darren Wilson, the officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, resigned from the police force over the weekend. The resignation was effective immediately.
“I have been told that my continued employment may put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk, which is a circumstance that I cannot allow,” Wilson said in his resignation letter released late Saturday.
“It was my hope to continue in police work, but the safety of other police officers and the community are of paramount importance to me. It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal,” the letter read.
