People begin to line up to attend the funeral for Michael Brown, Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, in St. Louis. Brown, who is black, was unarmed when he was shot Aug. 9 by Officer Darren Wilson, who is white. A grand jury is considering evidence in the case and a federal investigation is also underway. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

By MONICA DAVEY

ST. LOUIS - During a deeply religious service for Michael Brown, the unarmed African-American teenager shot by a white police officer more than two weeks ago, the Rev. Al Sharpton criticized the militarization of the police and how they had treated Brown while calling on the African-American community to push for change instead of "sitting around having ghetto pity parties."

Sharpton was one of several speakers who sounded political notes during the 2 1/2-hour service and exhorted mourners to work for justice not just for Brown but for others, long after the funeral was over.

The Rev. Charles Ewing, Michael Brown's uncle, said, "There is a cry being made from the ground, not just for Michael Brown, but for the Trayvon Martins, for those children in Sandy Hook Elementary School, for the Columbine massacre, for black on black crime."

On Sunday, the family of Brown had asked for quiet during the funeral, which was expected to draw thousands of people including an array of national, community and political leaders and members of Brown's extended family. The fatal shooting triggered weeks of protests and severe police reaction in Ferguson, where Brown was shot and killed.

Several speakers also echoed pleas from Brown's family that the community refrain from protesting Monday.

The marches in Ferguson have grown calmer and smaller in recent days, and at a rally Sunday, Michael Brown Sr. asked the community to come together Monday.

"All I want is peace while my son is being laid to rest," he said.

The family has discouraged any suggestion that the funeral might mark a renewed eruption of violence. The funeral coincides with the return to school - delayed because of the unrest - of students in the Ferguson area.

Outside the church Monday, one man was selling T-shirts with the slogan "Hands up don't shoot," while another was handing out leaflets for a candidate for a city political position.

The funeral was to be a personal moment of mourning for those closest to Brown, but also, some demonstrators here said, a time of reflection for those who never knew him but have come to view him as a symbol.

Brown, who had just graduated from high school, was shot to death Aug. 9 after a confrontation with an officer, Darren Wilson, along a curving street in Ferguson, a mostly black city where the police force is mostly white. State and federal investigations are underway.