One week after a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager, Gov. Jay Nixon announced Saturday that he declared a state of emergency for Ferguson, and put a midnight to 5 a.m. curfew in place. The curfew follows another night of looting and damage to area storefronts.
Nixon praised 80 cities around the country that have held demonstrations to call for justice in the Brown investigation. But, he said that the world is now watching how Ferguson is handling the reaction to Brown’s death and the investigation into the shooting.
“If we are going to achieve justice, we must first have and maintain peace. This is a test. The eyes of the world are watching. This is a test of whether this a community -- this community, any community -- can break the cycle of fear, distrust and violence and replace them with peace, strength and, ultimately justice. It will not happen over night."
The press conference turned testy when Ferguson residents began shouting questions and accusations at the governor and Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson who is leading security operations in the city. Perhaps drawing the biggest cheer from the residents was when one attendee shouted a demand to take the Ferguson Police Department off of the investigation.
Johnson also added some details about what happened Friday night, including that three officers were injured, authorities were unable to respond to 911 calls during looting in the middle of the night, a single can of tear gas fired by one officer at looters and protesters, and the FBI had 40 agents canvassing the area looking for more witnesses.