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 The stuffed animals, flowers, and candles mounded into a memorial
in the middle of the street where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot
and killed by a police officer changes almost daily. Sometimes it
swells with roses or includes a hand-lettered sign of anger over the
teen's death.
It has been a month since the unarmed Brown was shot at least six
times in an altercation with Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.
Crowds no longer gather daily at the site where Brown died, a quiet
street that runs between the Canfield Green apartment buildings. But
the mourning and the protests have both faded into a quiet resolve
that Brown's death not be forgotten.
And for many residents here, that means the memorial must stay.
 "This brother's memorial is going to be here," said David Whitt, 34,
who lives in the area and has volunteered to help keep the memorial
intact despite the fact that it runs directly down the middle of a
regularly traveled road. "People care. It is so peaceful here now."
An orange traffic cone protects one end of the memorial and a sign
at the other warns drivers to slow down.
Brown's death on Aug. 9 sparked weeks of street protests and a
national examination of race relations and police treatment of
blacks. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the
shooting, as is the county prosecutor. And civil rights activists
around the nation are demanding changes in police practices
throughout the country.
Whitt and a small group of area residents have recently taken to
wearing body cameras and carrying larger video cameras, purchased
with donated funds, so they are prepared to document any police
harassment.
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They also cart the cameras with them as they take turns keeping an
eye out for any attempts by authorities to dismantle the memorial to
Brown.
The residents are seeking legal counsel to help them make the
memorial to Brown a permanent feature in the neighborhood. So far,
authorities are keeping their distance and have not challenged the
long line of items that in addition to flowers, candles and toys,
also includes basketballs, T-shirts, ball caps and an American flag.
"I know it is important for the community for there to be something
there," said Ferguson Democratic Committeewoman Patricia Bynes, who
is helping lead a community outreach and education program for black
residents.
"It is a very emotional issue," she said. "But it is in the middle
of the street. We need to work together on some type of more
permanent memorial."
(Reporting By Carey Gillam; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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