‘Burn This B**** Down’: The Emotional Reaction of Michael Brown’s Family

After spending months appealing for calm, Micheal Brown’s family could not hide their anger last night when it was announced that the grand jury had decided not to charge Officer Darren Wilson.

Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden, stood sobbing and screaming on top of a car with her husband and friends outside Ferguson police department.

She wore a button pinned to her chest that read ‘Indict Now’ and a white hat with a photo of her son which called for ‘Justice for Mike Brown.’

While St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch was speaking during a televised statement, McSpadden began to shout out in frustration.

‘Defend himself from what!’ she yelled, when the prosecutor spoke of Officer Darren Wilson, reports the New York Times.

‘They wrong!’ she yelled, pointing toward the police station. ‘You all know, you’re all wrong!’

Although she wore sunglasses, her anger and devastation were clear as tears ran down her face.

‘Everybody wants me to be calm. You know what them bullets did to my son!’

‘They still don’t care!’ she screamed as she threw her arms in frustration. ‘They never going to care!’

She then buried her face in her the chest of the victim’s stepfather, Louis Head, who wore a t-shirt reading: ‘I am Mike Brown.’

He turned around to the incensed crowd and screamed: ‘Burn this b**** down’.

As the roaring crowd began to surge forward, the pair were both whisked away by supporters.

McSpadden had found out the news in a hotel room where she waited with her family and their attorney.

As the announcement time drew closer, McSpadden bowed her head and joined hands with her family, reports USA Today.

‘I know God will prevail. We know it’s in God’s hands,’ she said as she wept.

‘God will have justice no matter what,’ said attorney Benjamin Crump.

It was Crump who took the 7:50p.m. ET call from Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch to relay the grand jury’s decision.

As soon as she heard the news, McSpadden began to scream and cry.

He said McCulloch said he was willing to meet with the family to which McSpadden screamed: ‘I do want to meet with him right now. What do you mean no indictment?!’

Sobbing she ran from the room, with her husband chasing after her.

Crump said the family still has hope that a federal civil rights investigation will hold the officer and the police department accountable.

They will also consider filing a civil wrongful death lawsuit, he said.

‘The family felt the whole process was completely unfair to them,’ he said. ‘Police officers are not held accountable when they kill young people of color.’

The family released a statement immediately after the news via their lawyers which read: ‘We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions.

‘While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change.

‘We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen.

‘Join with us in our campaign to ensure that every police officer working the streets in this country wears a body camera.

‘We respectfully ask that you please keep your protests peaceful. Answering violence with violence is not the appropriate reaction.

‘Let’s not just make noise, let’s make a difference.’

Ahead of the grand jury decision, Michael Brown’s father released a statement Monday afternoon, which read: ‘After the grand jury’s decision, we are asking for 4 1/2 minutes of silence to remember why we lift our voices.

‘We are not here to be violent. We are here in memory of our son.

‘We are here for protection of all children. We are here to support justice and equality for all people.

‘We lift our voices to ensure black and brown men, women, and children can live in this country without being devalued because of the color of our skin.’