Protesters in the St. Louis area and other U.S. cities are warning of escalating tensions as a grand jury considers indicting a white police officer in the shooting of an unarmed black teenager.
The panel could act any day in the case of Officer Darren Wilson, who in August killed 18-year-old Michael Brown of Ferguson, a St. Louis suburb. The death sparked weeks of civil unrest.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has activated the state National Guard in anticipation of more violence if the grand jury declines to indict Wilson, and the FBI is warning law enforcement in the U.S. to prepare for protests and attacks. Riots, looting and arson followed the acquittal of police in the beating of motorist Rodney King in southern California in 1992.
Related: Missouri Calls Up National Guard Ahead of Brown Decision
Without an indictment, protesters in Ferguson and other cities will take to the streets in “hot spots” to show displeasure and to call on the U.S. Justice Department to investigate, said Elizabeth Vega, 47, a St. Louis artist who has been demonstrating since Brown was shot.
“We’re organizing, and we are organized,” Vega said. “You can count on peaceful, but very vigorous and determined civil disobedience.”
Protest Havens
Demonstrators want better oversight of law enforcement, including outside investigations of shootings, body cameras on officers and better statistics on incidents, Vega said.
If there’s an indictment, demonstrations will follow “because people are happy,” said Michael McPhearson of St. Louis, executive director of Veterans for Peace, a part of the Don’t Shoot Coalition.
“If there’s not, people will express frustration and anger,” McPhearson said.
Organizers are establishing “safe spaces” where protesters may rest or get supplies when they gather after the decision near places such as the Ferguson Police Department and prosecutor Robert McCulloch’s office in Clayton, McPhearson said.
Activists criticized Nixon’s decision to activate the National Guard in anticipation of unrest and to declare an emergency with a “unified command” of police agencies.
Building Tension
While the Democratic governor said the actions will anticipate any contingency, they’re putting the community more on edge, McPhearson said.
“That’s not de-escalating people’s emotions,” he said. “If you’re a supporter for Michael Brown or not, it just creates more tension unnecessarily.”
Civil-rights activist Al Sharpton also has criticized Nixon and has said he plans to be with the Brown family in Ferguson when the grand-jury decision is announced.
“We will continue to fight for justice, and stress in a balanced way that we must have nonviolent protests but police accountability,” Sharpton said in a statement last week.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning law-enforcement agencies across the U.S. that the decision “will likely be exploited by some individuals to justify threats and attacks against law enforcement and critical infrastructure” such as electrical facilities or water-treatment plants, according to ABC News.
“This also poses a threat to those civilians engaged in lawful or otherwise constitutionally protected activities,” according to ABC’s account of an FBI intelligence bulletin.
Going National
Vega said there are “40-plus cities that are going to be in solidarity with us” when the decision is announced, and some U.S. law enforcement agencies are making preparations.
“The Chicago Police Department will always protect residents’ right to free speech and peaceful assembly,” Martin Maloney, a spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement.
Atlanta police have met with law-enforcement agencies throughout the area, colleges and universities and the public transit system to coordinate a response, spokesman Carlos Campos said.
“We are monitoring the grand-jury proceedings to ensure we have ample time to prepare,” Campos said.
Police are prepared to make arrests if protests turn violent, he said.
“We must prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” he said.
For Related News and Information: Missouri Activates National Guard Ahead of Grand Jury Decision Missouri National Guard on Alert for Ferguson Unrest, Nixon Says Ferguson Police Seen Failing to Learn From Errors of Past Riots Top Stories: TOP
To contact the reporters on this story: Mark Niquette in Columbus at mniquette@bloomberg.net; Elizabeth Campbell in Chicago at ecampbell14@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stephen Merelman at smerelman@bloomberg.net Alan Goldstein
Press spacebar to pause and continue. Press esc to stop.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/11h12wm
No comments:
Post a Comment