PAGEDALE, Mo. — The St. Louis region continues to rally behind the Ferguson police officer injured during a protest that marked 10 years since Michael Brown Jr.'s death.
Officer Travis "T. J." Brown suffered a life-threatening brain injury on Aug. 9 after being knocked to the ground during a protest. He's remained in a coma since then.
Support has flooded in for Brown, and the GoFundMe campaign created by his family to help cover medical expenses had raised nearly $148,000 as of Friday morning.
The Drink House, located at 6746 Page Ave. in Pagedale, will host the In the Line of Duty Benefit for Ferguson Officer Travis Brown on Saturday. The event goes from 7 p.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday and will include a 50/50 raffle with mandatory takes and a silent auction.
“T.J.’s a community-oriented police officer and that’s what we need in our St. Louis areas,” said Pagedale Police Chief Anthony Huckleberry, who’s spearheading the benefit for Brown and his family.
“We stand with the Ferguson Police Department definitely. It was a horrible incident,” Huckleberry added.
There is a $10 entry donation for general admission, and VIP access, which includes complimentary food while supplies last, is $25. All proceeds will go toward Officer Brown and his family.
“We got a lot of money donated that helped us put on this event. We are going to do a fundraiser where people can enter in a raffle, a silent and we will have a V-I-P dinner. A lot of the proceeds will go to the Brown family,” Huckleberry said.
“We are praying that Officer Brown will have a full recovery and that he’s back to work soon.”
The benefit is sponsored by Vail Brothers Burgers, Affinia Healthcare, Ethical Society of Police, A'Deans Kitchen & Catering and Beyond Housing.