On August 9, 2014, white police officer Darren Wilson fatally shot Michael Brown Jr, an un-armed, African-American teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, prompting a series of protests in the city and further afield. It was yet another example of a cop shooting a defenceless black man.
Not content with merely observing the events unfold through media, DeRay Mckesson drove over 800kms from his home in Minneapolis to Ferguson to take part in the demonstrations.