Authorities declare state of emergency in Ferguson as clashes persist, but praise the work of the Nation of Islam and the New Black Panther Party for helping to control crowds and keep the streets clean. In general, the place looks teeming with gentle giants of all kinds. *** By Neil Munshi in Ferguson, Missouri | FTimes The governor of Missouri on Saturday declared a state of emergency in the Ferguson area and ordered a curfew from midnight to 5am. The decision came at the end of a day in which heavily armoured police engaged in a standoff with a large crowd, some of whom looted local stores. The stand-off was fraught, with belligerent teenagers clamouring for confrontation, and militarised police wielding high-powered rifles, which they raised when cars drove toward their line. Police warned citizens to disperse or face further action, before eventually standing down and allowing the crowd to resolve itself. Nevertheless, for some residents the police incursion felt like a betrayal after Mr Johnson, an African American who grew up in the area, took over operations on Thursday and markedly changed the tone of the police response. At a tense press conference that had more in common with a town hall meeting, people shouted questions at Governor Jay Nixon and Captain Ron Johnson of the Missouri highway patrol, who took over law enforcement in the suburban St Louis town after heavy-handed police tactics fuelled clashes earlier in the week. Under questioning about the investigation into a police officer’s shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, which sparked rioting and looting a week ago, Mr Johnson said 40 FBI officers had arrived in town that morning. Their mission was to canvass the neighbourhood where Darren Wilson killed Brown. Mr Johnson praised the work of the Nation of Islam and the New Black Panther Party, which have controlled crowds, directed traffic and cleared the streets each night. Source: goo.gl/4ZMvbt ***
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 10:35:22 +0000