This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/17/ferguson-protesters-curfew-riot-police

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Ferguson protesters defy curfew to confront riot police Missouri police fire teargas at Ferguson protesters defying curfew
(about 2 hours later)
Police have fired teargas at protesters who defied a Saturday night curfew imposed in the Missouri city of Ferguson, where an unarmed 18-year-old was shot dead by police. Police in riot gear fired teargas at protesters who defied a Saturday night curfew imposed in the Missouri city of Ferguson, where an unarmed 18-year-old being shot dead by a police officer has been followed by a week of street clashes.
About 200 demonstrators in Ferguson ignored an order to return home at midnight made under a state of emergency declared by the state’s governor, Jay Nixon, following a week of violent clashes after the death of Michael Brown.“No justice, no curfew,” they chanted, as they gathered at one end of the main street where unrest has centred since last weekend. Dozens of police officers in riot gear, some carrying assault rifles, were poised at the other end of the street more than half an hour after the curfew came into effect. About 200 demonstrators ignored an order to return home at midnight made under a state of emergency declared earlier on Saturday by the state’s governor, Jay Nixon, after rioting and looting returned to the centre of the city on Friday night.
Nixon announced the measures on Saturday, in an attempt to quell disturbances that have rocked the city since police shot Brown dead a week ago. Seven people were arrested for failing to disperse, according to Captain Ron Johnson of the state highway patrol, who had earlier promised that the curfew would not be enforced by teargas. One man was shot and is in a critical condition, and a police car was shot at.
The move marked another shift in law enforcement tactics which have veered from overtly militarised to inclusive and conciliatory in an effort to contain protests over the killing of Brown, 18, the previous Saturday. Several protesters smashed kerb stones to throw at police, while others threw stones and shouted abuse at a wall of advancing officers. One man threw a Molotov cocktail at a boarded-up Asian restaurant. Other protesters quickly extinguished the flames. “I was disappointed in the actions of tonight,” said Johnson.
Nixon, a Democrat, said the latest measure were necessary after a small group of looters smashed windows, lobbed bottles and ransacked three stores on Friday night. The looters sabotaged not just property but the community’s peaceful protests, he said. Protesters chanted “no justice, no curfew” and “we are Mike Brown” as they gathered at midnight at one end of the street where unrest has centred. Dozens of officers, some carrying assault rifles, were still poised at the other end more than half an hour after the curfew began.
“We must have – and maintain – peace,” he said. “The eyes of the world are watching.” The curfew was scheduled to run from midnight to 5am local time. “I’m here for my people,” said a 25-year-old who would only give his initials as AA. “A man was shot down wrongfully. Why hasn’t the officer been charged? He hasn’t even been charged and you want people to leave the street? What about this child being dead?”
Nixon said the media would be given access to the curfew zone in order to observe it and ensure transparency. After 40 minutes, the police issued repeated warnings over a loudspeaker. “You are violating the state-imposed curfew,” they said. “You must clear the roadway and disperse peacefully. Failure to comply may result in arrest and/or other actions.” Many responded with yelled obscenities.
Captain Ron Johnson of the Missouri state highway patrol, handed responsibility for policing the protests on Thursday when it was taken out of the hands of the St Louis County police, tried to placate angry activists who attended the press conference, held in a church. Eight minutes later, police began firing smoke and gas canisters, sending people running in all directions. One man fell to the ground, apparently incapacitated. Johnson later said that teargas was fired only because police received intelligence that people with guns were on the roof of a barbecue restaurant, awaiting officers.
The curfew did not mean a return to military-style policing, he promised. “We won’t enforce it with tanks,” he said. “We won’t enforce it with teargas.” One man was shot outside the restaurant and was rushed from the area in the back seat of a car. Johnson said his injuries were critical and it was unclear who had shot him. Several shots were fired, some apparently at a police car responding to reports of the injury.
Community leaders who flanked Nixon and Johnson appeared to welcome the move but some residents and outside activists called it counterproductive and feared its enforcement could fuel a new round of mayhem. The shooting prompted most remaining protesters to scatter. Soon after 1am, West Florissant Avenue, the main drag where clashes have raged, was cleared. But several pledged to return on Sunday. “We’re gonna be here every night,” said Jason Ross, 25, who was limping and said he had been burned on his ankle by part of a gas canister. “We’re staying here for justice.”
Earlier, as the clock ticked towards the midnight curfew, hundreds more people had gathered in the street. Some drove through in cars with music blaring, and passengers sitting on the roof or hanging out of windows.
Police started filing in more than two hours before midnight, lining the street and guarding store fronts from potential looters. Several people verbally abused them as they passed.
Heavy rain, thunder and lightning occasionally flashing on the horizon appeared to do little to persuade the mainly young and African American crowd to return to their homes. Few present expressed confidence that the street would empty by midnight.
“They’re letting this all build up,” said Jamal Harris, 23. “They could be out here gradually correcting things, mingling with us. But people are drinking, smoking and getting fired up. It could go down again.”
Observers from Amnesty International, which earlier on Saturday condemned curfews as the tool of dictators, were monitoring the street in bright yellow shirts. Activists from the Black Panthers, Nation of Islam and Christian groups urged people to go home by 11.30pm.
The five-hour curfew marked another shift in law enforcement tactics, which have veered from militarised to conciliatory, in an effort to contain protests over the killing of Brown. Calm appeared to have been restored on Thursday after Johnson implemented a hands-off approach.
However Nixon, a Democrat, said the curfew was necessary after a small group of looters smashed windows, lobbed bottles and ransacked three stores on Friday night. The fresh unrest followed the release by Ferguson police of a report detailing that Brown allegedly shoplifted from a convenience store minutes before his death.
The report, along with stills from surveillance footage, were released simultaneously with the name of the officer who shot Brown, Darren Wilson, prompting lawyers for the Brown family to accuse the police of a strategic “character assassination” to smear their late son.
Looters ransacked the shop from which Brown allegedly stole. Nixon said they sabotaged not just property but the community’s peaceful protests. “We must have – and maintain – peace,” he said. “The eyes of the world are watching.”
Johnson, who was handed responsibility for policing the protests on Thursday when it was taken from the St Louis County police, tried to placate angry activists who attended the press conference, which was held in a church.
The curfew did not mean a return to military-style policing, Johnson promised. “We won’t enforce it with tanks,” he said. “We won’t enforce it with teargas.”