‘Y’all do justice.’ Andrew Brown Jr.’s family says farewell at emotional funeral.
Friends and family gathered Monday to lay to rest the body of Andrew Brown Jr., but civil rights leaders said the work must go on to get justice for the Black man fatally shot by sheriff’s deputies last month.
Brown’s death has sparked controversy and loud but peaceful protests in this northeast North Carolina town.
In his eulogy, the Rev. Al Sharpton told those gathered in Elizabeth City’s Fountain of Life Church not to confuse this celebration of Brown’s life with the determination to get justice in this “disgraceful and shameful” matter.
“Too often we come to funerals of people that are unjustly brought to death and act like this is a natural occurrence,” Sharpton said. “We are going to celebrate him, but we are not going to excuse the fact that we shouldn’t have to be here to do this.”
Sharpton said before arriving at the funeral he heard someone on talk radio say, “I hope Al Sharpton doesn’t come here and start something.”
“Y’all do justice,” Sharpton said, “otherwise I’ll be back over and over and over again.”
The family of Brown has the history of the civil rights movement, the love of a worldwide community of advocates, the law of the land and God himself on its side, preachers said during the emotional two-hour funeral.
A choir of at least a dozen people assembled for the service set the tone with a triumphant anthem, backed by a praise band that brought many in the congregation to their feet. Late in the service, a saxophonist for Horton’s Funeral Home walked in playing Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You. “
At the end, the choir sang Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” as Brown’s son Khalil Ferebee and others in the family remained on the front row of the sanctuary, among the last to leave.
Horse-drawn carriage
Brown’s body was paraded down Ehringhaus Street inside a horse-drawn carriage, then switched to a hearse at a Popeye’s along the route to the church.
A red carpet was rolled out for Brown’s casket, which was brought into the invitation-only service flanked by Sharpton and the Rev. William Barber II. The cart carrying the black-and-chrome casket bumped over paving stones on the way inside, making a sound like a drum tapping.
About 100 people sat inside the church sanctuary as the family filed in and the casket was placed in front of the stage. The church soon filled nearly to its capacity of about 550 people.
Mourners were seeking solace for the loss of a member of the family and community, and also for the anxiety created by the circumstances of Brown’s death. As a pastor read from the Bible’s Book of John, a few murmured, “Amen” and “Yes, Lord.”
Members of the family were called to the stage and invited to speak, which several did. Ferebee, the eldest of Brown’s seven children, seemed to struggle at first. He then said his father would have loved the gathering that was held in his honor, though Ferebee wished it had not had to happen.
Speaking for himself and his family, Ferebee said, “We just got to hold it down, do what he would want us to do in life.
“I love you, Pops.”
‘He had a right to live’
Sharpton said the issue is not who came to town, but why they came to town.
“Andrew Brown Jr., if he did wrong, bring him to court,” Sharpton said, “but you don’t have the right to bring him to his funeral.”
The challenge of these times is “how we’re going to deal with policing in America,” Sharpton said mentioning the names of other Black men and women killed by police this year.
He asked how it is legal to shoot a man in the back and call it self defense. And he called for the release of police body-camera footage of the incident and for those involved to be held accountable.
“I come in Jesus’ name to stand up for a Black man that might’ve had a record, but he had a right to live his life,” Sharpton said. “And in Jesus’ name I’m going to stand up for Andrew Brown, for George Floyd and for all that God gave life to.”
Sharpton introduced Barber as his friend of a quarter-century and “a strong gladiator.”
On the printed program, Barber’s role was to offer some final words of comfort, which he did by reminding the family that Brown had lived up to the meaning of his name, which Barber said was “courage.”
“Your daddy was a man,” he told Khalil and Jha’rod Ferebee and the other children. “Let that comfort you.”
Barber noted that support for the family has and will come from around the country, from places and people the Browns don’t even yet know. He said Brown’s death has brought people together and is inspiring activism in those who haven’t before stood up.
“What somebody meant for evil, God is going to use it for good,” Barber said. “His body is dead but his spirit is rising.”
Barber said that spirit would walk with marchers in the street and help build a movement for justice.
“The Holy Ghost is going to stand with you until the truth comes out,” Barber said.
A community mourns
Outside the funeral, mourners wore memorial T-shirts with at least half a dozen designs: “Long Live Drew,” “Justice for Andrew Brown Jr.” and “I AM Andrew Brown Jr.”
A plane flew overhead pulling a banner: “Andrew Brown Jr., never forgotten.”
Linc Brooks drove back to his hometown, traveling from Rocky Mount, where he retired as a police officer.
“Andrew Brown represents everyone in the community,” Brooks said. “You don’t have to know him personally. We’re fighting the same fight.
“Even if the officers get a court date, it won’t be any relief. The cameras will go away. The people will leave. The family will be lonely again.”
The celebration of life followed a small open-casket viewing of Brown’s body at Horton’s Funeral Home in Hertford on Sunday and another larger public viewing Sunday at the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City.
“The message that I interpret is everything is in God’s hands,” said Michael Harrell, Brown’s 67-year-old neighbor. “And through God’s hands the truth and every justice will be served.”
Elizabeth City Councilman Darius Horton, also a funeral director, released 11 doves as Brown’s rose-covered casket entered the hearse after the service.
Bridgett Floyd, George Floyd’s sister, exited the service alongside attorney Ben Crump. Her brother’s killer in Minneapolis was convicted of murder charges hours before Brown died.
“We feel the pain this family is feeling,” she said. “It’s not different. We’re tired. We’re very tired. The policeman is supposed to protect and serve. ... If that means we have to get up each morning and put on the boots to fight, that’s what’s going to happen.”
‘You’re part of us’
Floyd and her brother Terrence also spoke during the service, sharing their support, anger and pain for the Brown family with others who’ve lost loved ones at the hands of police.
“To the family, we with y’all,” Terrence Floyd said. “Not just now … but at the low, we want to be there too, when everybody’s not around. You’re part of us, man.”
Monica Wright, the sister of Daunte Wright, who was killed during a traffic stop in Minneapolis in April, said she’s outraged that this happened again.
Tenicka Shannon, the mother of Fred Cox, who was killed at a funeral service at a church in High Point last year, said she and her husband will be there for the family even when the crowd leaves.
Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, who was killed by a New York police officer, gave her love to the family and promised to always be a friend to them because “it doesn’t get easier.”
Carr also called for changes in policing in Black communities, saying “where we live shouldn’t determine if we live.”
“We all gotta be on the battlefield … we have to let them know that we’re not going to take this no more,” Carr said. “We gotta make America uncomfortable by standing up.”
National spotlight on Brown’s death
Brown, 42, was shot and killed by officers of the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office on April 21 as they attempted to serve a warrant on drug charges. The incident happened less than 24 hours after Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted of the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man.
At the Brown funeral, Crump said they thought the George Floyd verdict meant that these “unnecessary, unjustifiable killings of Black men” would stop. He told the family that they are here to fight on behalf of Brown.
“And because Andrew cannot make the plea for justice, it is up to us to make the plea for justice,” Crump said. “It is up to us to make the plea for due process … it is up to us to make the plea for his constitutional rights ... it is up to us to make the plea for transparency and demand that these videotapes be released.”
An independent autopsy commissioned by the family showed Brown was shot 5 times, with a fatal bullet wound to the back of his head, attorneys said.
The case brought national attention to Elizabeth City as protesters have marched through the streets nearly every night since the shooting. They’ve said this shooting is another example of excessive force by police against Black people and demanded more transparency and accountability from law enforcement. Three officers involved remain on leave until investigations are complete and four are now back on active duty.
Brown’s family members, attorneys, media organizations and protesters have called for authorities to release body camera footage that shows what happened the morning deputies killed Brown outside his home.
Last week, a state Superior Court judge denied official requests to make the videos public, though he allowed family members to view more of the footage.
The court will reconsider releasing the footage after an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation and a decision on potential criminal charges.
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 12:06 PM with the headline "‘Y’all do justice.’ Andrew Brown Jr.’s family says farewell at emotional funeral.."
