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 |  Subject: Curfew expires in Ferguson; 1 person shot, 7 arrested  Sun Aug 17, 2014 8:03 am | |
| FERGUSON, Mo. — Police and protesters clashed for another night Sunday after a couple hundred protesters remained on the streets of Ferguson, Mo., in violation of a curfew that took effect at midnight.
The curfew, put in place by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, was designed to quell ongoing unrest in the St. Louis suburb since the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown.
Brown, 18, was unarmed when he was gunned down in the street on Aug. 9.
The curfew expired at 5 a.m. local time.
In a press conference early Sunday, Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald Johnson said one person was shot overnight and is in critical condition. Johnson, who is also in charge of security in Ferguson, said he couldn't confirm whether the shooting victim was a protester, but said the shooting happened on West Florissant Avenue, one of the main thoroughfares in Ferguson and the scene of protests for the last week.
Seven people were arrested overnight and will face charges of failure to disperse.
Crowds had dwindled significantly leading up to the curfew, but remaining protesters — chanting "No justice! No curfew!" — refused to leave the area. Some stood with their hands up, the emblematic pose used by many protesters to characterize the position witness have said Brown had assumed when he was fatally shot.
"We ready. We ready. We ready for y'all, " people chanted, while others screamed "We are Mike Brown."
About 45 minutes past the curfew deadline, armored tactical vehicles approached the crowd in an effort to disperse those that refused to leave West Florissant Avenue.
"You are in violation of a state-imposed curfew. You must disperse immediately. Failure to comply, may result in arrest," officers spoke through a loudspeaker.
As officers put on gas masks, a chant from the distant crowd emerged: "We have the right to assemble peacefully."
A moment later, police began firing smoke into the crowd of protesters. Officers also carried rifles, gas masks, plastic handcuffs and helmets.
Highway Patrol Spokesman Lt. John Hotz initially said police only used smoke, but later told The Associated Press that they also fired tear gas canisters. He said of police efforts: "Obviously, we're trying to give them every opportunity to comply with the curfew."
Police also brought in armored tanks after learning of some disturbances at Reds Barbecue, a local restaurant. En route, officers encountered a man who flashed a handgun and appeared in the middle of the street as armored vehicles approached the crowd of protesters.
"We had a subject standing in the middle of the road with a handgun," Johnson said, but the man got away.
Johnson said someone also fired at a patrol car, but no officers were injured.
St. Louis Alderman Antonio French, who represents the 21st Ward, said he and other community members pleaded with everyone to obey the curfew.
"Some of the guys didn't want to be told to leave," French said. "There was no convincing them. They wanted to do civil disobedience."
"I was disappointed in the actions of tonight," Johnson said.
Malik Shabazz, a member of Black Lawyers for Justice, said he has been working with a coalition of groups to help disperse crowds and keep the peace in Ferguson for the past several days.
As the curfew approached, Shabazz roamed the street with a bullhorn, encouraging people to leave for their own safety. Many appeared to follow his suggestion. Small crowds were gathered at a bus station waiting to leave the area.
"If we're going to have justice, we must first have and maintain peace," Nixon said of the curfew at a Saturday afternoon press conference. "The eyes of the world are watching."
Margaret Huang, deputy executive director of Amnesty International USA, disagreed with the curfew.
"It's clear that the community doesn't feel heard," Huang said. "It's hard to build trust when the governor won't meet with community members and restricts their movements with a curfew. The people of Ferguson should not have their rights further restricted."
More: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/17/mo-ferguson-curfew-brown-police-shooting/14190517/
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“The state calls its own violence law, but that of the individual, crime.”-- Max Stirner
"Remember: Evil exists because good men don't kill the government officials committing it." -- Kurt Hofmann |
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