Michael Brown was shot and killed by a Cop on Saturday.
There's a new sheriff in this shell-shocked Missouri town.
An officer in the state’s Highway Patrol who grew up in Ferguson, Mo., and
who — like most of the residents — is black, has been tapped to restore order
after four straight nights of violence that have shocked the country.
“It means a lot to me personally that we break this cycle of violence,”
Capt. Ron Johnson of the Highway Patrol said.
Johnson and a contingent of state troopers took over from the Ferguson
Police Department and the St. Louis County Police, who have been widely
criticized for their heavy-handed response to protests over the death of a
black teenager at the hands of a white cop.
In ordering the switch, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said he was seeking a
“different tone” and calm in a town incensed over the death of 18-year-old
Michael Brown.
As night fell Thursday on Ferguson, protesters were allowed to
demonstrate peacefully, absent the volatility of Wednesday night’s clashes
between cops and demonstrators amid clouds of tear gas.
“I think I got their trust and I’ll do everything to maintain that
trust,” Johnson said Thursday night.
And he vowed to a celebratory crowd:
“The gas masks are off. Won’t come back.”
As part of the new openness, Ferguson police officials plan to release
the name Friday of the officer who shot Brown, according to a report.
Brian Schellman, a spokesman for the county police, defended Wednesday’s
use of tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets, and other hardware they’ve
gotten from the Pentagon to keep protesters in line.
“In talking to these guys, it is scary,” Schellman said of the
officers. “They hear gunshots going off, and they don’t know where they’re
coming from.”
But Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said, “We need to demilitarize this
situation.”
Nixon’s move came after President Obama said he was “deeply disturbed”
by the chaos in the St. Louis suburb.
“I know that emotions are raw in Ferguson,” he said. “But let’s
remember that we’re all part of one American family. We are united in common
values, and that includes the belief in equality under the law, respect for
public order and the right to peaceful public protests.”
Obama condemned attacks by demonstrators on police trying to maintain
order in the tense town. But he added there was “no excuse” for police to use
excessive force against demonstrators — or for cops to be “arresting
journalists for trying to do their jobs.”
The President was referring to the arrests of reporters from The
Washington Post and Huffington Post who were detained briefly Wednesday by a
half-dozen cops who stormed a McDonald’s for reasons still unclear.
In New York, Mayor de Blasio said he was “troubled” by the violence in
Ferguson. Noting the lack of disturbances after a Staten Island dad was killed
July 17 when a cop used a chokehold, the mayor said New York has the tradition
“of respecting and properly managing peaceful protest.”
“I’m not an expert on Missouri, but we have a very different reality
here,” he said.
The mayor spoke out after the hacker collective Anonymous posted the
name of an officer the group blames for Brown’s death. The Daily News did not
publish it because there has been no official confirmation that it’s accurate.
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson has steadfastly refused to release
the name of the cop — a six-year veteran witnesses have described as white —
citing death threats as the reason.
Jackson’s decision, however, has incensed Ferguson residents who charge
the officer is benefiting from a double standard. They suspect the chief is
protecting a “bad cop.”
The ACLU on Thursday filed a suit demanding that the St. Louis County
Police release the incident report of Saturday’s shooting.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been consoling the Brown family and is
planning a rally Sunday in Missouri, called on the Justice Department to
monitor the way police are handling the crisis.
No comments:
Post a Comment