M: Welcome back to Sourcefed, I’m Matt Lieberman. J: And I’m Joe Bereta.
M: Last week, we detailed the ongoing racial tensions in Ferguson, Missouri following the
shooting of Michael Brown, an 18 year-old African American man who was killed by a white
police officer, as well as the ensuing cries of police brutality against protesters and
members of the press. You can click the annotation below to watch that piece. Since then, the
situation has escalated to the point that Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed an executive
order to bring in the National Guard to restore order to the city, which has been rocked by
repeated protests that, over the weekend, led to increasingly intense clashes with local
police, leading to multiple arrests and have left at least one man in critical condition
from a gunshot wound delivered by another outraged citizen.
J: What led us here since Thursday afternoon? Well Thursday night left many in Ferguson
optimistic, after control of the situation was taken away from the St. Louis County Police
and handed to Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ronald S. Johnson, a Ferguson native. He replaced
the SWAT trucks with police cars, and officers walked through the streets of Ferguson side-by-side
with protesters. The peaceful march seemed like a portent of easing tensions.
M: However, this was not to be. Friday morning, Ferguson police released the name of the officer
that shot Michael Brown, one Darren Wilson, as well as a 19 page police report detailing
the incident. As it turns out, Michael Brown was caught on tape stealing a box of Swisher
Sweet cigars from a local convenience store. Dorian Johnson, Brown’s friend who was with
him when he was killed, says that he informed the FBI, Department of Justice, and St. Louis
County Police of this days before the report was issued, and was later cleared of any charges
connected to the robbery. J: However, when Wilson initially stopped
Brown, it had nothing to do with the robbery. The official reason Michael Brown was stopped
by police is because he was in the, quote, “middle of the street blocking traffic”.
It is at this point, upon seeing cigars in Brown’s hand, that Wilson suspected Brown
of any other wrongdoing. In the incident report, Darren Wilson encountered Michael Brown at
12:01 PM. When a second officer arrived on the scene at12:04 PM, Brown was already dead.
M: It is worth noting that Ronald Johnson, who had been responsible for the peaceful
response to the protest Thursday night, was not consulted about the release of this information
to the public. Michael Brown’s family was outraged at what they determined to be a deliberate
attempt to assassinate the character of their son, who they admitted through their attorney
was not a perfect kid. The Saint Louis County Police Officers Association then released
a statement condemning Governor Nixon for removing them from command, saying that bowing
to national pressure has put their lives at risk.
J: That night, the situation quickly fell into chaos. During a protest at the convenience
store that Michael Brown allegedly robbed, a member of the crowd began throwing rocks
and other objects. The police retaliated with tear gas, and all hell broke loose after that.
Three molotov cocktails lit a pizza shop ablaze, and various stores throughout the city were
trashed and looted. Many young citizens, however, took it upon themselves to protect local businesses
from looters, and even more Ferguson natives got up early Saturday morning and cleaned
up the city, trying to maintain some normalcy and pride in their hometown.
M: Alderman Antonio French published a series of tweets shortly before dawn that detailed
the police’s decision not to stop the looting Saturday night. Namely, they felt that the
sight of police enrages citizens, and that intervention would’ve only made the situation
more unstable. Later that morning, Yahoo News published the first photo of Officer Darren
Wilson since he shot Michael Brown one week earlier.
J: That afternoon, Governor Nixon announced a state of emergency in Ferguson, and imposed
a curfew in the city. Anyone who remained on the street between the hours of midnight
and 5am would be in violation of the law. Residents were outraged, and police began
arriving in force on the streets of Ferguson before 10pm, all armed with riot gear and
some even armed with assault rifles. A good portion of protesters and press respected
the curfew, dispersing shortly before midnight. Those who remained were repelled by police,
who threatened members of the press, one of whom was live streaming at the time. This
audio is from that stream.
M: Early this morning, Michael Brown’s autopsy was released. He was shot six times from the
front of his body and twice through the head. One of the bullets entered through the top
of his skull, indicating that his head was bent down at the time of his shooting. It
appears that Brown turned and looked back as he was running away, at which point Officer
Wilson shot him repeatedly. The Brown family’s attorney points out that the 6 foot 4 inches
tall Brown could not have been shot through the top of his head unless he was trying to
surrender at the time. Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered a second autopsy to ensure
accuracy in this sensitive case. In the meantime, school in Ferguson has been cancelled, and
citizens are encouraged to remain indoors as much as possible.
J: As the situation continues to develop, please visit sourcefed.com for more details.
Also, let us know how you feel about this situation in the comments below. I’m Joe
Bereta. M: And I’m Matt Lieberman.