Hands Up United is a social justice activist organization based in Ferguson, Missouri, formed after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer.
[3] Hands Up United rose to prominence when it joined with other organizations to publicly demand the resignation of Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson and mayor James Knowles III.
[15] Following the Shooting of Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio, Hands Up United co-founder Tory Russell noted that Hands Up United was not involved in "the civil rights movement" but the "oppressed peoples movement" which includes people of many different backgrounds including gays and those with low socioeconomic status with goals of improving bias within the judicial, legislative, and educational systems.
[16][17] On November 12, 2014, Michael Brown's parents submitted a prepared statement with Hands Up United, the Organization for Black Struggle, and Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment to the United Nations Committee Against Torture stating that their son's death and the "excessive force by police officers on peaceful protesters" in Ferguson in the weeks that followed violated the principles of the U.N. convention entitled Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
It also urged that the Ferguson Police Department be held responsible for "systematically targeting and harassing residents of color in a predatory and degrading manner".