Updated Aug. 25, 2014 12:42 p.m. ET
Crowds gathered in St. Louis for the funeral of Michael Brown, the teenager whose killing sparked days of protests in Ferguson, Mo. WSJ's Dan Frosch joins Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero with a live report from the funeral. Photo: Getty
ST. LOUIS—Thousands packed a Baptist church here Monday in the Missouri heat to remember Michael Brown, whose shooting by a police officer in a nearby suburb sparked days of protests and brought national attention to the often tense relationship between police and young blacks.
The mostly black crowd that gathered for the teenager's funeral sang along with a choir to "Every Praise," by Hezekiah Walker, at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church. The mood was more celebratory than somber, in the tradition of what's called a "homegoing" service in black Baptist churches.
Hands clapped and arms waved in unison throughout the sanctuary. Elderly people, many of whom came by themselves, stayed seated, nodding to the music. Young people and children also crowded the church, with some dancing as music echoed through the building. One young man wore a red shirt with an image of a person holding his hands up, a pose demonstrators have struck in recent weeks to illustrate their belief Mr. Brown was surrendering at the time of his shooting.
Robert Cohen/Press Pool
A special section at the front of the church was roped off for well-known ministers and politicians from across the country, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.), who is from St. Louis. Monday's service was nationally televised, and Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a eulogy. Several Obama administration officials attended, including Marlon Marshall, deputy director of the White House's office of public engagement and a St. Louis native who went to high school with Mr. Brown's mother.
"Michael Brown does not want to be remembered for riots," Rev. Sharpton said. "He wants to be remembered as the one that made America deal with how we are going to police in the United States."
The service began with family members of Mr. Brown, who spoke of their anger over his death and called for people in the crowd to get more involved in the political process. The casket of Mr. Brown, who was shot and killed by police on Aug. 9, sat in front of the pulpit, and even though protests on the streets of Ferguson, Mo., have ebbed in recent days, calls for justice remained strong among mourners.
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"You see so much injustice going on in our communities," said Shirley Minter, 66 years old, who came to show her support for Mr. Brown's family. "Michael Brown was an innocent black man on his way home. And to be shot down like that is very disturbing."
The Brown family called for a day without protests on Monday, saying they want to bury their son in peace. On Sunday night, Mr. Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., briefly addressed a crowd that had gathered in St. Louis's Forest Park for a rally, asking for a day of calm.
It has been more than two weeks since the 18-year-old, unarmed black teenager was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson. There are conflicting accounts of what happened that day, with St. Louis County police saying Mr. Wilson was pushed into his car and assaulted in a struggle over his gun before shooting Mr. Brown. A lawyer for the family has disputed this account.
A grand jury is meeting to determine whether Mr. Wilson, who hasn't spoken publicly, will face charges.
Even as the streets of Ferguson have been quiet in recent days, Mr. Brown's death has continued to unmask the fraught relationship between black residents in the St. Louis area and police, which has become emblematic of similar racial divisions around the country. In Ferguson, while a majority of the protesters were peaceful, police clashed with demonstrators on several nights, and some local businesses were looted and burned.
"My grandson is about Mike's age," said Mary Norfolk, 71 years old, who had come to the funeral by herself and said she knew Mr. Brown's family. "He didn't have to get shot down like that."
Lesley McSpadden arrives on Monday for the funeral of her son Michael Brown. Getty Images
Write to Dan Frosch at dan.frosch@wsj.com and Melanie Trottman at melanie.trottman@wsj.com
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