ABC screenshot
Newly released video shows Michael Brown, 18, graduating from Normandy High School in St. Louis, Mo., wearing a dark-green cap and gown, accented by his red stole. There are haunting correlations between the video and the #IfTheyGunnedMeDown Twitter movement that inspired users to tweet “proper” images of themselves next to perceived “thuggish” ones.
The video, originally obtained by ABC News, was taken at the ceremony days before he was gunned down by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.
By contrast, as the news station notes, the only other known video allegedly of the teen is surveillance video showing a young black male in a convenience store where he allegedly shoved a worker while taking off with some cigars. Brown was identified as the prime suspect in that shoplifting, which occurred shortly before he encountered Wilson and was shot at least six times on Aug. 9.
Also on The Root: “#IfTheyGunnedMeDown Shows How Black People Are Portrayed in Mainstream Media”