After 2 nights of tension, peaceful protest in Ferguson
FERGUSON, Mo. — Police outnumbered protesters in Ferguson overnight, signaling the demonstrations around the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death could be starting to fade.
The crowd of around 100 demonstrators late Tuesday was mostly calm and peaceful. Occasionally a few people would march or chant, but they spent most of several hours milling around and chatting with one another. It was a far cry from the violence and tension that marred the previous two nights.
Still, St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger on Wednesday extended the state of emergency for at least another day. The declaration that began Monday gave St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar authority over security in Ferguson. Stenger said in a statement that the state of emergency has helped keep the peace.
Larry Miller, organizer of the protest group Ferguson Freedom Fighters, said it was clear the latest round of demonstrations was dying down. He wasn’t convinced much had been accomplished.
“We already know what needs to be happening is not happening,” Miller said. “We’re still bothered over the killing of Mike Brown because we still need police reform, criminal justice system reform.”
A tense moment came Tuesday when a few dozen people briefly blocked traffic. But several officers in riot gear, along with St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, quickly moved to break it up.
Police said they made no arrests.
The St. Louis suburb has seen demonstrations for days marking the anniversary of Brown’s killing on Aug. 9, 2014. Brown, a black 18-year-old, was fatally shot by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. A St. Louis County grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice cleared Wilson, but Brown’s death spurred a national “Black Lives Matter” movement.
The events had largely been peaceful until Sunday night, when gunfire erupted and 18-year-old Tyrone Harris Jr. was shot by officers after they said he fired at an unmarked police van. Harris is hospitalized in critical condition and has been charged with 10 felonies.
St. Louis County police on Tuesday released a 13-second clip of security camera footage they say shows Harris minutes before he fired at plainclothes officers. The clip shows a person police identify as Harris grabbing a handgun from his waistband and running toward a parking lot, police say in response to the other shots being fired.
Harris’ father, who disputed the police account Monday, said Wednesday that he expects his son to survive. Tyrone Harris Sr. declined to discuss the shooting or his son’s condition, citing the advice of his attorney, whom he would not identify.
The gunfire and Harris’ shooting set the city on edge and had protest leaders worried that tensions would escalate.
Belmar said the de-escalation over the past two nights was largely due to police work that has been learned in Ferguson since last August.