On August 9, 2014, two lives intersected within the working class neighborhood of Ferguson, MO. The lives of white police officer, Darren Wilson, and black high school graduate Michael Brown, came together for just a few minutes on that summer afternoon. And three minutes and at least six shots later the altercation was over, but the fallout from that event was just beginning.

Protests started the very next day. A candlelight vigil led to a flood of people in the streets of Ferguson chanting “No justice, no peace”. Police responded in riot gear with rifles and shields. The rioting and general unrest continued. For days after, businesses were looted, protestors were arrested, tear gas was dropped, and the entire world learned Mike Brown’s name. On August 16^, 2014, a week after the fatal shooting of the unarmed teenager, the governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon, declared a state of emergency and set a curfew for the entire area. Two days later the National Guard was deployed to Ferguson. On August 21, the National Guard was withdrawn and 12 days of protests and unrest began to wane.

Mike Brown’s death in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri was the light to a match that sparked a powder keg of racial and class tensions. The event resonated with people because it was indicative of the mistreatment of the minority community in the area. While the details of the altercation are still being debated, the message it sent was clear. The actions were racially motivated and the handling of the death showed the black community that they should be afraid of the people who are supposed to protect them.

According to statistics by Brown University, St. Louis is the ninth most segregated metro area in all of America. Ferguson specifically has changed remarkably over the past two decades as the White population dropped from 73% to just 29% since 1990. In the same time frame, the black population has grown from 25% to 67%. Despite this shift in demographics, the town’s police force remains mostly white. Only 3 police officers out of 53 are black. Both the police chief and the town’s mayor are white. What these numbers really add up to is the growing sense of persecution based solely on skin color. In 2013, 519 people were arrested in Ferguson. Of those 519 individuals 483 were black, according to the Missouri Attorney General.

The city’s name which is now recognizable and versed internationally was relatively unknown at the beginning of the summer. The people in Ferguson were working class Americans. Despite problems and difficult economic times they labored on. And in the year 2014 Mike Brown’s death was the first reported homicide. The first homicide committed by the police in broad daylight on a Saturday afternoon.

Ferguson teaches us that even a peaceful suburb can erupt. How thousands can explode into action and protest based on the right fuel. Who do we choose to protect us? Who do we choose to lead us? And how can we make sure all lives are valued? The democratic ideal of America fails when we are marginalized, when our voices are silenced, and when our sons are shot in the street. Ferguson now represents racial discrimination. Even if we’ve never been to Ferguson, we know it all too well.