General background: unarmed black kid killed by police officer while fleeing with eyewitness, riots and peaceful protests following by local community, heavy-handed police response, character assassination of now dead black kid, and so on.

At this point in time, the police officer who killed Mike Brown is protected while he is away on leave. The issue has garnered national attention, including a personal response from the president.

Topics for discussion:
militarization of police
systematic racism
specific attitudes and practices employed by police
media portrayal of these incidents
ongoing public and official reactions

Major news sources: www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/14/ferguson-police-teargas-rubber-bullets-michael-brown
http://time.com/3109154/michael-brow...ghts-ferguson/
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/11/us/mis...-what-we-know/