The shooting death of Michael Brown ignited a firestorm in Ferguson, Mo. Yet again, protesters who knew nothing but what the liberal media prattled on about accepted the story of a “gentle giant” gunned down by racist cops at face value, even after an investigation found that the officer acted in self-defense.

Now, years later, protesters are still lashing out. Their target these days is the store that Brown robbed before the fatal shooting.

You see, surveillance video of the incidence showed Brown robbing the store and shoving the cashier. This, apparently, is just unconscionable.

Protesters believe that the surveillance clip mischaracterized Brown and that the store should have done more to say so. Recent protests at Ferguson Market have been strong enough to close the store the first week, Jay Kanzler, an attorney for the store, said Saturday when the store was open again.

Police said there had been no arrests.

In an effort to move forward, Kanzler said, he was part of a formal meeting Aug. 17 at Ferguson police headquarters that included Michael Brown Sr., state Rep. Bruce Franks, D-St. Louis, activist Anthony Shahid and attorney Anthony Gray, who listened by telephone. The protester group had the following requests:

• Address Michael Brown Jr.’s character.

• Close the store for three days on the anniversary of his death.

• Create a scholarship in his name.

• Find ways to interact and give back to the community.

• Stop selling Dormin, a sleeping capsule, and other items that can be misused to get high.

• Retain a black-owned security company to protect the store.

“It seemed like everyone in the room was open to working it out,” Ferguson Police Chief Delrish Moss said. “It was a friendly, robust discussion.”

Kanzler said the store ultimately agreed to all of the requests by Wednesday, other than closing the store for three days. Instead, he said, the store would close on the anniversary of Brown’s death and provide a free barbecue the day before.

In a letter, with jointly agreed-upon language, to protest leaders that were at the Aug. 17 meeting, Ferguson Market said it recognized there was a “perception that it played a role in fostering negative opinions of Michael Brown Jr. post-August 9th,” and it wanted to restore relationships with the community. “The Market understands that this perception has hurt the relationship it has enjoyed with many of its customers for years. It is hopeful that the Market can restore those relationships by taking meaningful steps to eliminate this perception.”

But in recent days, Kanzler said, protest leaders told him that they weren’t interested in going through with the agreement anymore and that the only thing that would resolve the matter was if the store was sold to them. He said formal offers hadn’t been made.

I mean, that’s what this really is. It’s a case of extortion. They gather outside the store, trying to drive away business, and they say they will continue to do so unless he sells.

Extortion, plain and simple.

Disgusting.

Remember when the left thought victim-blaming was bad? Well, it still is, unless it’s leftist-supported causes doing the victim-blaming. After all, the store was the victim of the robbery. Why are they being blamed for what happened afterward?

No one made Michael Brown rob the store or assault the clerk. No one made Brown attack the police officer. That’s all on him.

Even if you discount the officer’s claim of what happened, the video shows Brown robbing the store. These protesters are expecting what? The store to say, “Oh, he was a good boy who didn’t do nuffin’?”

Well, he did. All the store did was turn over video showing it.

And now these protesters want to destroy someone’s business over it. They want him to sell his business to them, probably at a substantial loss. If it happens, expect the store to be closed within the year.

I hope it doesn’t, though. This kind of activist-extortion has got to end, and this is as good a place as any.