The parents of Michael Brown, the victim of the police shooing in Ferguson, Missouri, are set to speak at the United Nations human rights conference next week in Switzerland.
Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden will be attending the 53rd Session of the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva on Nov. 12 and 13. The two plan to leave on November 10th.
Brown and McSpadden have made many appearances speaking out against police brutality since the shooting of their son by officer Darren Wilson.
Police have tried to prove that the August 9th shooting was justified because Mike Brown was trying to go for Wilson’s gun. Witnesses have come forward to say that Brown not only made no move for the officer’s gun, but had his hands up in a form of surrender when he was shot multiple times.
The witnesses accounts of Brown being unarmed and non confrontational spurred racial debates and protests around the country.
On the website dedicated to the trip (fergusontogeneva.org), a spokesperson for the family stated that the Browns wanted to take their case in front of a “global community.”
“In the absence of justice from the local, state, and federal government, the family of Michael Brown and Ferguson protesters are ready to take our case before the global community. We have submitted a brief to the United Nations (UN), and we will formally present it on November 12th and 13th in Geneva, Switzerland,” the spokesperson wrote.
A Saint Louis University law professor is helping the family organize the trip and solicit online donations to cover the cost. The Ferguson to Geneva page has a button for donations as well as an option for people who can’t donate but would still like to know more about the movement.
The banner on the website reads “Police violence in America is a human rights issue. Ferguson is an example. Ferguson to Geneva is part of the solution.”
The grand jury must reach decide whether to charge Wilson by January 2015.
