Members of the NAACP on Saturday plan to march more than 120 miles in seven days from Ferguson to the Missouri Governor's Mansion.
The march is titled "Journey for Justice: Ferguson to Jefferson City." It is in response to the grand jury's decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for killing Michael Brown Jr., 18. It will start at 7 a.m. Saturday at the Canfield Green Apartments in Ferguson.
"The NAACP stands with citizens and communities who are deeply disappointed that the grand jury did not indict Darren Wilson for the tragic death of Michael Brown Jr.," Cornell William Brooks, NAACP
president and CEO, said in a press release. "We stand committed to continue our fight against racial profiling, police brutality and the militarization of local authorities."
Added Nimrod Chapel Jr., president of the Jefferson City chapter: "It (the march) is a natural outgrowth of the extreme disappointment that many people have from the prosecutor's handling of this case.
"The failure of this prosecutor to indict Darren Wilson, or request an independent prosecutor to convene and present evidence to the grand jury, further undermines the already diminished public trust in the criminal justice system at work in Ferguson, and worse the criminal justice system in Missouri as a whole."
According to the news release, the march's purpose is to call for new leadership for the Ferguson Police Department, and for new reforms in police practices and culture both locally and nationally.
Brooks also said Brown's death and the actions of the Ferguson Police Department are systemic of overaggressive policing common in minority communities. He said the NAACP and allies will not stand down until there is accountability and justice for the cases of police misconduct that have ended countless lives.
The NAACP expects buses to relieve marchers. The marchers will also provide nightly teach-ins and rallies that are free and open to the public, as well as welcome any new participants along the way, according to the release. The speakers at the teach-ins will discuss the criminal justice system, possible changes and reforms to review police actions, the high incarceration rate of African-Americans, and Missouri's prolific history of racial profiling, Chapel said.
Anyone interested in participating in the march can email [email protected] or get more information at the Jefferson City NAACP's Facebook page. NAACP officials hope to provide a place to sleep and food for anyone who marches, but they are still working on the logistics. Everybody is welcome to join, Chapel said.