Curfew declared in Ferguson
Governor announces state of emergency after another night of looting
FERGUSON, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Saturday in this roiling St. Louis suburb and imposed an overnight curfew, telling a group of shouting residents that order must be restored after days of protests over the killing of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer.
The governor’s extraordinary action came as the lawyer for a key witness described the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown as an execution-style slaying. Attorney Freeman Bosley Jr. said Dorion Johnson, a friend of Brown’s, has told the FBI that Officer Darren Wilson confronted the two because they were walking in the middle of the street.
Wilson cursed at the pair and ordered them onto the sidewalk, Bosley told The Washington Post. When they refused to comply, he said, the officer grabbed Brown’s throat through the window of his cruiser, pulled out a pistol and shot him. Wilson then chased Brown, shot him in the back and shot him five to six more times as Brown’s hands were raised, Bosley said.
The account, combined with Nixon’s declaration, made for another day of chaos and confusion in this small community, which has been whipsawed for days as police initially put down protests in a paramilitary fashion, then vowed cooperation with demonstrators and are now cracking down again.
With tensions rising, it was unclear how authorities would enforce the midnight-to-5 a.m curfew and whether it would stop the rioting that resumed late Friday, with protesters looting stores and clashing with police wearing riot gear and deploying tear gas.
Capt. Ronald Johnson, the state highway patrol command- er newly in charge of security in Ferguson, said Saturday that the curfew would be enforced through communication, not force. “We will be telling people, ‘It’s time to go home,’ ” he said.
But hours before midnight, hundreds of police officers were massing in a parking lot near the scene of the demonstrations that have wracked Ferguson for days, igniting a national debate about race and justice in black communities.
There were also signs that the federal civil rights investigation into Brown’s killing is intensifying. Nixon said the probe is being “beefed up,” with additional FBI agents canvassing the area over the next few days. Agents were passing out cards Saturday encouraging residents to come forward with information about the shooting.
Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. had criticized the use of force against demonstrators earlier this week, and it was unclear Saturday how federal officials — who are monitoring a state investigation of Brown’s death — would react to Nixon’s curfew.
The anger still coursing through the community was visible at Nixon’s news conference Saturday. The governor said he had signed an executive order imposing the extraordinary measures in an effort to find a balance between the protesters’ First Amendment rights and the community’s safety.
Noting that most protesters Friday night had been peaceful, Nixon said he “cannot allow the ill-will of the few to undermine the goodwill of the many, while putting the people and businesses of this community in danger.”
“This is not to silence the people of Ferguson,” Nixon said, “but to address those who are drowning out the voice of the people with their actions. We will not allow a handful of looters to endanger the rest of this community.”
But after his opening remarks, Nixon quickly lost control of the crowd, with the images being recorded for a television audience.
“You need to charge that police with murder!” one person yelled. Others demanded to know how the curfew would be enforced. “Going to do tear gas again?” someone asked.
Nixon began answering that “the best way for us to get peace” was for everyone to go home and get a good night sleep, when another resident interrupted him, shouting, “We don’t need sleep. We need justice!”
The crackdown was triggered by the wild scene on the streets of Ferguson late Friday night and into Saturday morning. In the main stretch of downtown, which had been tranquil the day before, at least four businesses were looted, and reporters were threatened by a small group of rioters. Police deployed tear gas and flash grenades — which dispersed many but seemed to only further incite the angriest among the crowd.
Yet the renewed protests apparently were triggered by the actions of the authorities, who have been wrestling for days with how to balance public safety with the right of demonstrators to assemble.
Ferguson police Friday had named Brown as the prime suspect in a convenience store robbery that occurred just before the shooting, and they released a video of the robbery. The footage showed someone they identified as Brown towering over and menacing the store clerk, images that were circulated nationwide and drew a sharp rebuke from Brown’s family.
As has been the case the morning after each night of violence, residents took to the streets Saturday to help businesses owners clean up broken glass and other signs of destruction. Business owners and workers were upset both at the looters and also at the state highway patrol. They said officers did not intervene during the looting and had not offered any help afterward, with cleanup or investigating the incidents.