Michael Brown, an unarmed teen shot down by police in Ferguson, Missouri on Saturday, Aug. 9, appears to be explicit proof of the relentless and continual assault on men of color by police officers.

That presumption is solidified by the shooting death of a mentally challenged 24-year-old, Ezell Ford, in South Los Angeles, just two days after Brown's. According to Ford's mother, he was lying on the ground and complying with officers when he was shot three times.

The deaths of Brown and Ford have also prompted many to glance back to just a month prior when Eric Garner, an unarmed man selling loose cigarettes, died as the NYPD held him in a prolonged chokehold, despite his pleas for them to stop. The public is also reminded of the loss of 13-year old Andy Lopez. And while he wasn't slain by police offices, many others think of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Brown's death has roused racial tension and ignited a frenzy of action in Ferguson: riots, rallies, looting, protests, marches, public mourning and general unrest throughout the area.

The aftermath has resulted in at least four injuries and 47 arrests. Police have reportedly rained tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets upon the heads of both rioters and peaceful protesters, filling the streets with smoke bombs. On Wednesday evening, protesters tossed Molotov cocktails toward officers who blazed through the streets in armored vehicles with "high-caliber automatic weapons" affixed to them.

Police wore riot gear and wielded crowd-control stun grenades as they waded through tear gas and protesters, demanding that anyone filming the hectic event to turn off their cameras. SWAT officers also briefly detained reporters, Wesley Lowery of The Washington Post and Ryan Reilly of The Huffington Post, in a McDonald's, where police roughly handled, held and then released them without charge.

The chant, "Hands up! Don't shoot!" rose against the violence, referencing Saturday's fatal shooting, where Brown was shot after an officer accosted him, leading to a physical altercation between the two. Brown then ran away after being shot once. He eventually stopped and put his hands up. But he was struck with more bullets.

Police and witnesses disagree on the series of events. Nonetheless, at the conclusion of the struggle, Brown was dead, and his body would remain in the middle of the street for hours, as neighbors looked on in horror.

The Twitter campaign #IfIWereGunnedDown has spawned from Brown's death, stemming from the media tendency to use disparaging photos of victims in order to make them seem more violent or hostile. In Brown's case, news reports featured a photo of Brown with two fingers extended, which could be construed as the peace sign or a gang sign. Contributors to the online campaign post two photos of themselves: a relaxed photo where they are drinking or smoking with friends and another photo where they are graduating from school or dressed professionally.

‪#‎JusticeForMikeBrown is also trending on Twitter, where contributors ask others to stand in solidarity with protesters demanding justice on behalf of the late teenager.

Brown's parents demand justice for their son, also, but they insist that Michael would not want the violence that's occurring on the streets of Ferguson.

The unrest caused by Brown's death has drawn more than 500 officers to the streets, and the reaction to police has been less than positive, as many demonstrators believe that police in the area exact violence against people of color with impunity.

As of Thursday, Aug. 14, the St. Louis Police are being asked to retreat and will no longer be involved with the policing of Ferguson, according to Huffington Post. The FBI began a civil rights investigation on Monday to determine whether the fatal shooting by the unnamed police officer was a blatant act of aggression, as alleged by spectators.

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