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| Missouri governor removes St Louis police from Ferguson protest duty | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The governor of Missouri removed the St Louis County police department from the lead role in responding to demonstrations against the killing of an unarmed 18-year-old, as Barack Obama on Thursday added his voice to widespread criticism of a military-style crackdown. | |
| Governor Jay Nixon said that the Missouri highway patrol would take over responsibility for keeping law and order in the town of Ferguson, beset by confrontation since Saturday, when Michael Brown was shot dead by a police officer. | |
| Since then, as the police response had become increasingly aggressive, Ferguson had begun to resemble a “war zone”, Nixon said. | |
| Nixon said he has listened to the concerns of residents. “My message to the people of Ferguson is: these messages have been heard.” | |
| Obama, addressing the confrontations, said that while looting and violence against law enforcement officials was unacceptable, there was “no excuse” for police to use excessive force in response. | |
| “We lost a young man in heartbreaking and tragic circumstances,” Obama said of Michael Brown, shot dead by police on Saturday. “He was 18 years old and his family will never hold Michael in their arms again.” | “We lost a young man in heartbreaking and tragic circumstances,” Obama said of Michael Brown, shot dead by police on Saturday. “He was 18 years old and his family will never hold Michael in their arms again.” |
| Appealing for calm, he said: “Now’s the time for healing, now’s the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson.” | Appealing for calm, he said: “Now’s the time for healing, now’s the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson.” |
| Obama’s comments came after a fourth night of confrontation in Ferguson, where residents of the majority black town of 21,000 people have been protesting against the killing of Brown by an officer from the overwhelmingly white police force. | Obama’s comments came after a fourth night of confrontation in Ferguson, where residents of the majority black town of 21,000 people have been protesting against the killing of Brown by an officer from the overwhelmingly white police force. |
| The response to the protest had been led by the St Louis County police force, which has deployed snipers, armoured vehicles and officers in military combat gear to quell protests on successive evenings since Brown’s death on Saturday. Two reporters, with the Washington Post and the Huffington Post, were arrested on Wednesday night. | The response to the protest had been led by the St Louis County police force, which has deployed snipers, armoured vehicles and officers in military combat gear to quell protests on successive evenings since Brown’s death on Saturday. Two reporters, with the Washington Post and the Huffington Post, were arrested on Wednesday night. |
| Obama condemned the arrest of reporters. “Here in the United States of America, police should not be bullying or arresting journalists who are just trying to do their jobs.” | Obama condemned the arrest of reporters. “Here in the United States of America, police should not be bullying or arresting journalists who are just trying to do their jobs.” |
| The Missouri governor, Jay Nixon said in brief remarks at a community church service that there would be an “operational shift” to law enforcement in a city where demonstrations have raged over the police shooting of Michael Brown last weekend. “I think you all will see a different tone,” said Nixon. | The Missouri governor, Jay Nixon said in brief remarks at a community church service that there would be an “operational shift” to law enforcement in a city where demonstrations have raged over the police shooting of Michael Brown last weekend. “I think you all will see a different tone,” said Nixon. |
| Nixon is expected to announce on Thursday afternoon that St Louis County police will be withdrawn from Ferguson following four nights of clashes with protesters and the repeated firing of teargas and rubber bullets. | Nixon is expected to announce on Thursday afternoon that St Louis County police will be withdrawn from Ferguson following four nights of clashes with protesters and the repeated firing of teargas and rubber bullets. |
| The senior US senator for Missouri, Claire McCaskill, said she had been working to “demilitarise” the situation. She said on Thursday: “This kind of response by the police has become the problem instead of the solution. I obviously respect law enforcement’s work to provide public safety, but my constituents are allowed to have peaceful protests, and the police need to respect that right and protect that right. Today is going to be a new start, we can and need to do better.” | The senior US senator for Missouri, Claire McCaskill, said she had been working to “demilitarise” the situation. She said on Thursday: “This kind of response by the police has become the problem instead of the solution. I obviously respect law enforcement’s work to provide public safety, but my constituents are allowed to have peaceful protests, and the police need to respect that right and protect that right. Today is going to be a new start, we can and need to do better.” |
| McCaskill told reporters that it was her understanding that Nixon would be pulling out the county police, as congressman Lacy Clay told Bloomberg News earlier on Thursday. It remained unclear which agency or force will take control of the Ferguson crisis. | McCaskill told reporters that it was her understanding that Nixon would be pulling out the county police, as congressman Lacy Clay told Bloomberg News earlier on Thursday. It remained unclear which agency or force will take control of the Ferguson crisis. |
| Heavily armed police officers from various forces fired gas canisters, rubber bullets and pepper balls at hundreds of young, predominantly African American protesters for several hours on Wednesday night after bottles were thrown at them from a largely peaceful protest. | Heavily armed police officers from various forces fired gas canisters, rubber bullets and pepper balls at hundreds of young, predominantly African American protesters for several hours on Wednesday night after bottles were thrown at them from a largely peaceful protest. |
| The crowd had gathered in the centre of Ferguson, a suburb north of St Louis, to again demonstrate their fury at the shooting of Brown last Saturday. Police say that Brown was shot after assaulting the officer, but a friend who was walking with him, and witnesses to the shooting, say that he was shot repeatedly while attempting to run away from the struggle. | The crowd had gathered in the centre of Ferguson, a suburb north of St Louis, to again demonstrate their fury at the shooting of Brown last Saturday. Police say that Brown was shot after assaulting the officer, but a friend who was walking with him, and witnesses to the shooting, say that he was shot repeatedly while attempting to run away from the struggle. |
| The officer, a member of the 53-strong Ferguson city force, has not been named and the police have declined to offer a detailed timeline of what happened. The lack of information being made public has seemed only to inflame the protests. | The officer, a member of the 53-strong Ferguson city force, has not been named and the police have declined to offer a detailed timeline of what happened. The lack of information being made public has seemed only to inflame the protests. |
| Several members of the crowds who fled Ferguson to escape the crackdown, a city with a population that is two-thirds black, told the Guardian on Wednesday night that they felt under fire from a militarised and almost unanimously white police force. | Several members of the crowds who fled Ferguson to escape the crackdown, a city with a population that is two-thirds black, told the Guardian on Wednesday night that they felt under fire from a militarised and almost unanimously white police force. |
| However, the city force was defended by mayor James Knowles, who said that they were “under a great deal of stress” and dealing with “a lot of unlawfulness”. | However, the city force was defended by mayor James Knowles, who said that they were “under a great deal of stress” and dealing with “a lot of unlawfulness”. |
| “I can’t second-guess these officers,” Knowles told MSNBC. “They are the professionals. They have learned from many years of dealing with these incidents across the nation. We’re just going to have to try our best to maintain order, and we ask the citizens to help us comply with that.” | “I can’t second-guess these officers,” Knowles told MSNBC. “They are the professionals. They have learned from many years of dealing with these incidents across the nation. We’re just going to have to try our best to maintain order, and we ask the citizens to help us comply with that.” |
| Responding to criticism of the police tactics, Brian Schellman, a spokesman for St Louis County police, said on Thursday that commanders on the ground had authorised “whatever force was necessary for the situation”. | Responding to criticism of the police tactics, Brian Schellman, a spokesman for St Louis County police, said on Thursday that commanders on the ground had authorised “whatever force was necessary for the situation”. |
| “Luckily for both sides, there’s been no lethal force used,” Schellman told the Guardian. “But what has been used is things like molotov cocktails. Those are deadly weapons. So the police response to the molotov cocktails was less lethal munitions. We’re not using deadly force when a deadly force molotov cocktail was used on us.” | “Luckily for both sides, there’s been no lethal force used,” Schellman told the Guardian. “But what has been used is things like molotov cocktails. Those are deadly weapons. So the police response to the molotov cocktails was less lethal munitions. We’re not using deadly force when a deadly force molotov cocktail was used on us.” |
| Schellman could not confirm that any molotov cocktails or bottles had actually struck any officers. “But does that make it OK for people to throw? I don’t know,” he said. “To me it doesn’t. It doesn’t make it OK. To say ‘It doesn’t really matter because they didn’t hurt any of the officers’, we can’t think like that. | Schellman could not confirm that any molotov cocktails or bottles had actually struck any officers. “But does that make it OK for people to throw? I don’t know,” he said. “To me it doesn’t. It doesn’t make it OK. To say ‘It doesn’t really matter because they didn’t hurt any of the officers’, we can’t think like that. |
| “So, do we have to wait until one of our officers gets hurt? That’s the big question here.” Asked if he meant that the answer was “No,” Schellman said: “Absolutely.”Speaking late on Wednesday night at the police command centre, Schellman said officers had used “as much restraint as we could given the situation”, adding: “We have not had any violent uses of force ... no gunshots, no using batons in an aggressive manor, and no civilians injured.” | “So, do we have to wait until one of our officers gets hurt? That’s the big question here.” Asked if he meant that the answer was “No,” Schellman said: “Absolutely.”Speaking late on Wednesday night at the police command centre, Schellman said officers had used “as much restraint as we could given the situation”, adding: “We have not had any violent uses of force ... no gunshots, no using batons in an aggressive manor, and no civilians injured.” |
| There was growing anger on Thursday at the arrest of two journalists, detained as they were working in a McDonald’s near the scene of the protests. | There was growing anger on Thursday at the arrest of two journalists, detained as they were working in a McDonald’s near the scene of the protests. |
| “That behavior was wholly unwarranted and an assault on the freedom of the press to cover the news,” said Washington Post executive editor Martin Baron about the arrest of reporter Wesley Lowery. “We are appalled by the conduct of police officers involved.” | “That behavior was wholly unwarranted and an assault on the freedom of the press to cover the news,” said Washington Post executive editor Martin Baron about the arrest of reporter Wesley Lowery. “We are appalled by the conduct of police officers involved.” |
| The Huffington Post called the arrests, including that of its reporter Ryan Reilly, the result of police militarization that is “now beginning to affect press freedom”. | The Huffington Post called the arrests, including that of its reporter Ryan Reilly, the result of police militarization that is “now beginning to affect press freedom”. |
| The reporters were seen being loaded into an unmarked police van. They were later released without charge, apparently after the intervention of the Ferguson police chief. | The reporters were seen being loaded into an unmarked police van. They were later released without charge, apparently after the intervention of the Ferguson police chief. |
| Separately, the Guardian witnessed teargas being shot directly at a camera crew with al-Jazeera America. Photographs later showed police officers dismantling al-Jazaeera’s broadcasting equipment after the crew fled. | Separately, the Guardian witnessed teargas being shot directly at a camera crew with al-Jazeera America. Photographs later showed police officers dismantling al-Jazaeera’s broadcasting equipment after the crew fled. |