Washington University students hoping to bring an end to police brutality and social injustice marched through downtown St. Louis with thousands of protesters from across the country Saturday morning.

The march, which was followed by a rally in Kiener Plaza, was part of a series of events, organized under the name “Ferguson October,” that aim to demand justice for Michael Brown, the 18-year-old shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 9. Ferguson October will also include religious events, a hip-hop session and speakers.

Brian Benton | Student Life

A protester yells into a microphone at a rally downtown on Saturday morning. Many Wash. U. students were in attendance at the rally, which came two months after Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Mo, and aimed to protest police brutality, among other social injustices.

Members of St. Louis Students in Solidarity, a group of student activists from local universities aiming for social justice for victims of police violence and racial profiling, organized a group of Washington University students to attend the protest.

Junior Karisa Tavassoli, a member of St. Louis Students in Solidarity, expressed frustration with the University for being quick to congratulate itself for its efforts to discuss Ferguson to date, and with the limited involvement of the student body.

“The administration…hasn’t changed at all,” Tavassoli said. “On the student end, same sort of deal: same students show up to the same events, same students have the same conversations.”

Prominent groups participating included the Organization for Black Struggle, Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, and Hands Up United, among others. However, the protest involved a diverse array of environmental, ethnic, political and urban development groups.

Brian Benton | Student Life

Protesters hold signs calling for the arrest of Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in August. Many students from Washington University attended the downtown rally.

Protestors demanded not only justice for Michael Brown but also changes to the larger problems of policing.

“We are here to make a statement to have justice…change policy [and] the way people are policed,” protester Jawanna Wilkins said.

Protester Lou Downey said that the Ferguson shooting is indicative of a greater problem in the policing system.

“[We are] exposing a whole system where kids grow up with a target on their back,” Downey said.

As part of a “Targeted” awareness day on campus Thursday, students made and wore T-shirts with the words “I am” written on the front and a red target graphic on the back. Senior Quamesha Brown organized the event and said she created the piece of performance art.

“I wanted to do an art piece that was in response to the Ferguson incident,” Brown said. “I thought that this should be an event that encompasses all marginalized groups, so I spread it from just a black-and-white thing to involve…whoever feels targeted, or marginalized in any manner.”

Brian Benton | Student Life

Protesters screenprint shirts at a rally downtown that demanded justice for Michael Brown. The shirts display a common image of two people with their hands up.

Denise Ward-Brown, an associate professor at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, believes that initiatives like Quamesha Brown’s are important for students to help shape their futures. She referenced student protests in the 1960s and the changes that she saw as a result of the protests.

“It’s the duty of students to understand that they will be the leaders of the future and that they have to create a path for themselves—a future for themselves—that is livable [and] that they can step into and be proud of,” Ward-Brown said.

Tavassoli also hopes that getting students involved in activism can help effect change in the University community.

“I think that there’s hope. It might take awhile, but I think that there’s a lot of potential this year for the student body to change. It’s just going to take a lot of time and effort,” she said.

N.J. Fu | Student Life

A large papier-mache sculpture depicts a man with his hands up outside the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis. Saturday’s rally called for the indictment of Darren Wilson, the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.