Michael Brown's mother accused in armed robbery of Ferguson vendors selling t-shirts commemorating her son's death

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[h=1]Michael Brown's mother accused in armed robbery of Ferguson vendors selling t-shirts commemorating her son's death[/h]

• Lesley McSpadden, 34, was in a group of up to 30 people during 'attack'
• Approached Michael's mother-in-law Pearlie Gordon, 54, and two others
• She told them they could not sell 'Justice for Michael Brown' t-shirts
• McSpadden's mother, Desureia Harris, then began to rip down the items
• More than $1500 in merchandise and $400 in cash was also stolen
• Tensions flared in Ferguson on Wednesday as protests began again
• Many wore Guy Fawkes masks for the global 'Million Masks March'

 

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Michael Brown's mother has been named as one of the 'attackers' who assaulted and robbed vendors selling t-shirts commemorating the youngster's death.
A report from Ferguson police identified Lesley McSpadden, 34, as one of a group of up to 30 people that ran into the tent and ransacked the stall in the Missouri city on Saturday October 18.
Pearlie Gordon, 54, Brown's mother-in-law, and two men were selling 'Justice for Mike Brown' merchandise when the subjects 'jumped out of vehicles and rushed them' during what police are classifying as an armed robbery.

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Investigation: A report from Ferguson's police department identified Michael Brown's mother Lesley McSpadden, 34, as one of a group of up to 30 people that ran into the tent and ransacked the t-shirt stall

 

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According to the document obtained by the Smoking Gun, Gordon told police that McSpadden approached her and said, 'You can't sell this s****.'
In response, Gordon reiterated that she was Michael's mother-in-law and said that unless McSpadden had a patent with her son's name on it, she would continue to sell the merchandise.
Then McSpadden's mother, Desureia Harris, began to rip down t-shirts hanging on a line, Gordon told officers.


While doing it she said: 'You don't know my grandson like that.'
Then other members of the group joined in and also began 'tearing her booth apart.'
Gordon told the authorities that she was repeatedly struck in the head and knocked to the ground.
More than $1500 in merchandise and $400 in cash 'was stolen by unknown subjects' who managed to escape before police arrived.
A witness who saw the alleged assault while waiting at a red signal said that she saw subjects 'punching' the t-shirt vendors.
The investigation into the incident - which has been classed as an armed robbery - is ongoing.
Two days ago it was announced that McSpadden and the slain youngster's father Michael Brown Senior would be speaking at a human rights conference in Switzerland.

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Embrace; McSpadden attended a get out the vote rally at Greatest St. Mark's Family Church in Ferguson, Missouri, this week ahead of the mid term elections

 

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They are scheduled to address the 53rd Session of the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva on November 12 and 13.
With the help of a Saint Louis University law professor, they have set up an online page, dubbed 'Ferguson To Geneva'.
It comes nearly 14 weeks after the pair's 18-year-old unarmed son, who is black, was gunned down by white officer, Darren Wilson, in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson.

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Activists: Two days ago it was announced that McSpadden and the slain youngster's father Michael Brown Senior (left) would be speaking at a human rights conference in Switzerland

 

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The shooting on August 9 triggered a national debate on race relations and months of violent demonstrations, with many protesters claiming the teenager was shot because he was black.
Police have said Brown, who was 6ft 4ins and 300lbs, was killed in a scuffle after Wilson told the teenager and his friend to move out of the street and onto a sidewalk.
They claim the victim was trying to go for Wilson's gun; however, witnesses, including the friend, told the press that Brown had his hands up and was surrendering when he was gunned down.
Brown Sr and McSpadden, who have campaigned since their son's death, will leave for Geneva on November 10, the family's attorney, Anthony Gray, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Activists have asked for advance notice before prosecutors announce whether a Ferguson police officer will face charges in the shooting death of Michael Brown.

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Demonstration: Tensions flared again in Ferguson on Wednesday night ahead of the grand jury decision. One protester was arrested for failing to disperse following a protest

 

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They said the can help prevent widespread violence if they have 48 hours to prepare for protests.
Members of the Don't Shoot Coalition said at a news conference that they want to 'de-escalate violence without de-escalating action' once a grand jury decides whether to indict Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, for the August 9 shooting of Brown, who was black.
The coalition represents more than 50 organizations including union workers, clergy, anti-war activists and black empowerment groups. Its members are leaders of the protests that erupted across the region after Brown's death and have continued in the three months since.
Demonstrators on Wednesday criticized the use of tear gas, riot equipment and armored vehicles by county and local police in the early days of the protests. The heavy initial response led Gov. Jay Nixon to summon the National Guard and temporarily put the Missouri Highway Patrol in charge of Ferguson crowd control.

 

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Stand off: Police and protesters, many wearing Guy Fawkes masks, face each other at the Ferguson police station once again

Ed Magee, a spokesman for St. Louis County Attorney Bob McCulloch, who is overseeing the grand jury investigation, met with McPhearson and attorney Denise Lieberman earlier Wednesday and said the coalition's request for 48 hours' notice of a grand jury decision is 'being considered.'
The grand jury was expected to hear evidence in Brown's case until mid-November, but McCulloch said Tuesday night that its work could continue for several more weeks.
Brown, 18, was unarmed when Wilson encountered him walking in the street with a friend.
A scuffle ensued and Brown was shot multiple times. Witness accounts of what happened varied, with some saying they saw Brown raise his hands as if in surrender.

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Defiant: A protester in a Guy Fawkes mask helps to block traffic outside Ferguson police station

 

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'After the verdict, no matter what it is, people are going to pour into the street — either in celebration or in rage,' said Montague Simmons, chairman of the Organization for Black Struggle. 'It's in the best interest of the public, the police and elected officials who control the actions of the police to work together to protect the rights of people to engage in civil disobedience and expression of their First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly.'
Organizers have created 19 'rules of engagement' they want police to follow, including calls to treat protesters as 'citizens and not enemy combatants.'
County police Chief Jon Belmar earlier this week reiterated that police do not intend to impede peaceful dissent but said he wouldn't take anything off the table when asked about the use of tear gas and other tactics.
'I have a responsibility...to make sure that everybody walks out of this on the other end,' he said.

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Injured: A woman whose foot was run over by a passing car amid the 'Million Mask March' is helped into the Ferguson fire station to seek medical attention

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Symbolic: A man wearing a bullet ridden shooting range target raises his hands in surrender during protests outside the Ferguson police station

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Blockade: Police hold up their riot shields while others grip batons while standing in a line

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Dispersal: Lt. Jerry Lohr of the St. Louis County Police Department attempts to clear protesters from the roadway outside the Ferguson police station