Michael Brown’s Father: ‘I’m Still Hurting’

Today is a heavy day for Ferguson, Missouri residents. It marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic and untimely death of 18-year-old Michael Brown who was shot and killed in the streets during a confrontation with police.

Events to honor the memory of the fallen teen were held in Ferguson on Saturday, including a parade in Ferguson led by Brown’s father, Michael Brown Sr., who spoke out, telling the world that his family’s wounds have not yet healed.

“At the end of the day, I still lost my boy,” he said. “I’m still hurting. My family’s still hurting.”

Marchers, a drum corps and local drivers joined in on the five-mile route to Normandy High School where Brown once attended. Protests picked up after dark as hundreds marched outside Ferguson’s police department.

Brown Sr. went on to say that time has not healed his wounds.

“My strength is in my beard,” Brown Sr. told CNN. “It’s almost 1 year old. Every strand of hair means something” A father in mourning, he says he stopped cutting it on August 9, 2014 — the day his son died.

“I think of him every single day,” he adds.

Brown Sr. continues to hope that the his son’s memory will spark change. But has anything changed? As part of their coverage of the anniversary of Brown’s death, VICE News reports that at least 1,083 Americans have been killed by cop since August 9, 2014, according to comprehensive research and data collected — an average of nearly three people a day.