Hands Up, Don't Shoot: Why the Protests in Ferguson and Baltimore Matter, and How They Changed America

Understanding the explosive protests over police killings and the legacy of racism



Following the high-profile deaths of eighteen-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and twenty-five-year-old Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland, both cities erupted in protest over the unjustified homicides of unarmed black males at the hands of police officers. These local tragedies-and the protests surrounding them-assumed national significance, igniting fierce debate about the fairness and efficacy...