Spurred by conflicting reports after the shooting of Michael Brown, New York City-based community organizer and activist Jesus Gonzalez took a trip to Ferguson, Missouri.
Gonzalez told WNYC’s Amy Eddings that he drove 17 hours to Ferguson with six of his friends on Friday. One of those friends attended school with a cousin of Brown and introduced Gonzalez to members of the the Brown family.
“The reception was so warm and they were so happy that we drove all the way from New York to come in solidarity with their family and with the protesters,” said Gonzalez. “We arrived to prayer; we arrived to folks who are mourning — a family that invited us to dinner the next day and left us with prayer.”
Correction: During his stay in Ferguson, Jesus Gonzalez met and had dinner with Mike Brown’s extended family. The audio of the interview and the article above have been edited to reflect that.