Missouri gov. declares state of emergency ahead of Ferguson verdict
The governor of Missouri declared a state of emergency on Monday ahead of the anticipated grand jury decision surrounding Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson and the potential protests the verdict may bring to that city and others.
Citing what he called the "possibility of expanded unrest” ahead of the impending verdict, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said in a declaration on Monday that the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will operate as a Unified Command “to protect civil rights and ensure public safety in the City of Ferguson and the St. Louis region."
A grand jury is expected to announce any day if they will charge Wilson with the August killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager.
"In the days immediately following Michael Brown's death, peaceful protests were marred by senseless acts of violence and destruction," Gov. Nixon said last week."That ugliness was not representative of Missouri, and it cannot be repeated.”
In addition to declaring a state of emergency, Nixon issued an executive order which in turn has activated the Missouri National Guard to assist local law enforcement.
Due to the periods of unrest that Ferguson and the St. Louis region have experienced in the wake of Brown’s death, Nixon said the state of Missouri will be prepared to respond “appropriately” in order to protect citizens and local businesses from “violence and damage.”
“I further order that the Unified Command may exercise operational authority in such other jurisdictions it deems necessary to protect civil rights and ensure public safety and that other law enforcement agencies shall assist the Unified Command when so requested and shall cooperate with operational directives of the Unified Command,” the governor wrote in the executive order.
State of emergency in #Ferguson must not be used to violate human rights, including the right to peaceful protest. @GovJayNixon
— AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) November 17, 2014
The move follows Nixon's decision to put the National Guard on standby in order to ensure it can support police officers and rapidly respond to any reports of violence. Elaborating on where the Guard fits into the governor's latest action, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay suggested on Monday that it will not be the primary force at any protest.
“The way we view this, the Guard is not going to be confronting the protesters and will not be on the front line, interacting directly with the demonstrators,” the mayor said.
Nixon, meanwhile, said the executive order was needed to provide for an orderly and effective response to whatever decision the grand jury announces.
"As part of our ongoing efforts to plan and be prepared for any contingency, it is necessary to have these resources in place in advance of any announcement of the grand jury's decision," the governor said in a news release, according to local KSHB News. "These additional resources will support law enforcement’s efforts to maintain peace and protect those exercising their right to free speech."
Last week, the governor said it was necessary for the state to avoid the kind of confrontation that occurred following Brown’s death.
"In the days immediately following Michael Brown's death, peaceful protests were marred by senseless acts of violence and destruction," he said. "That ugliness was not representative of Missouri, and it cannot be repeated.”
It's unclear how exactly the grand jury will rule, as competing accounts of the fatal incident have surfaced. Some witnesses say Brown was surrendering to Wilson when he was shot, while others, including Wilson, say Brown had confronted the officer and went for his gun.
Even with no decision, some demonstrators have taken to the streets. A crowd of protesters staged a peaceful rally in St. Louis on Sunday, marking 100 days since the tragedy. Protesters laid down on chalk outlines representing shooting victims, pretending they had been killed.
