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| Darren Wilson supporters rally while police lead Ferguson NAACP march | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Supporters of Darren Wilson, the white police officer who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Michael Brown on 9 August, after which the town of Ferguson was hit by protests, riots and looting, on Saturday staged a rally outside a St Louis pub. | Supporters of Darren Wilson, the white police officer who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Michael Brown on 9 August, after which the town of Ferguson was hit by protests, riots and looting, on Saturday staged a rally outside a St Louis pub. |
| During the rally, a statement was read to the crowd by an unidentified woman who said she was speaking on behalf of the Support Darren Wilson online campaign. The woman, wearing mirrored sunglasses, eye black and a baseball cap, criticized the media for what she said was “a strong bias” against Wilson’s supporters. | During the rally, a statement was read to the crowd by an unidentified woman who said she was speaking on behalf of the Support Darren Wilson online campaign. The woman, wearing mirrored sunglasses, eye black and a baseball cap, criticized the media for what she said was “a strong bias” against Wilson’s supporters. |
| Events over the past two weeks have focused national attention on racial divides and tensions in Ferguson and the wider St Louis area. In Ferguson on Saturday, Ron Johnson, the state highway patrol captain who was brought in after criticism of tactics applied by local police, walked at the front of a march organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Johnson, who is black, and St Louis county police chief Jon Belmar, who is white, helped to carry an NAACP banner. | |
| Later in the day a White House official said President Barack Obama had ordered a review of the distribution of military hardware to state and local police, out of concern at how such equipment was used during the racial unrest in Ferguson. | |
| “We have no desire to engage in the negativity and hate which has paralyzed Officer Wilson’s ability to pursue justice,” said the unidentified woman at the Darren Wilson rally, adding that many supporters of Wilson had received death threats. The woman said that contrary to media suggestions, Wilson supporters were not affiliated with hate groups, though “we respect each individual’s first amendment rights in this country”. | |
| The woman said Wilson supporters would now be more vocal in his defense. | The woman said Wilson supporters would now be more vocal in his defense. |
| “We will not hide, we will no longer live in fear,” she said. “We ask this question: can justice ever be attained if one side’s supporters are living in fear of speaking out?” | “We will not hide, we will no longer live in fear,” she said. “We ask this question: can justice ever be attained if one side’s supporters are living in fear of speaking out?” |
| After the speech, many of those supporters lined up along Chippewa Street to wave signs of support for Wilson towards oncoming vehicles. Many were eager to speak. | After the speech, many of those supporters lined up along Chippewa Street to wave signs of support for Wilson towards oncoming vehicles. Many were eager to speak. |
| Lee Whitson, of St Louis, said he was present to protest “injustice going on in Ferguson and other cities”. He pointedly criticized the looting that occurred after some of the early protests regarding Michael Brown’s death, calling such actions “inhumane terrorism”, and found fault with the media’s handling of the case, calling it one-sided and driven by profit. | Lee Whitson, of St Louis, said he was present to protest “injustice going on in Ferguson and other cities”. He pointedly criticized the looting that occurred after some of the early protests regarding Michael Brown’s death, calling such actions “inhumane terrorism”, and found fault with the media’s handling of the case, calling it one-sided and driven by profit. |
| Whitson also had strong words for Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, who has called for the “vigorous prosecution” of Wilson, calling such comments “ludicrous” and contrary to the spirit of “innocent until proven guilty”. | Whitson also had strong words for Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, who has called for the “vigorous prosecution” of Wilson, calling such comments “ludicrous” and contrary to the spirit of “innocent until proven guilty”. |
| Another Wilson supporter, Jeremy Arnold of neighboring Fairview Heights, Illinois, stood on the sidewalk watching drivers blast their horns in support. Arnold said he was at the rally to back law enforcement, and expressed concern about a rising tide of antipathy toward police as a result of the case. | Another Wilson supporter, Jeremy Arnold of neighboring Fairview Heights, Illinois, stood on the sidewalk watching drivers blast their horns in support. Arnold said he was at the rally to back law enforcement, and expressed concern about a rising tide of antipathy toward police as a result of the case. |
| “There’s a lot of cop hate out there,” he said. | “There’s a lot of cop hate out there,” he said. |
| Like Whitson, Arnold felt strongly that Nixon’s comments were prejudicial. “He needs to be voted out in 2016,” Arnold said, adding that Brown supporters had “disowned their cause by looting”. Arnold drew a parallel to the Wilson rally, which he described as peaceful. | Like Whitson, Arnold felt strongly that Nixon’s comments were prejudicial. “He needs to be voted out in 2016,” Arnold said, adding that Brown supporters had “disowned their cause by looting”. Arnold drew a parallel to the Wilson rally, which he described as peaceful. |
| Arnold acknowledged that the facts in the case are still in dispute, but still voiced support for Wilson. | Arnold acknowledged that the facts in the case are still in dispute, but still voiced support for Wilson. |
| “I definitely think it was justified,” he said. “Brown shoved a store clerk, and went for [Wilson’s] gun. The officer has a right to protect himself.” | “I definitely think it was justified,” he said. “Brown shoved a store clerk, and went for [Wilson’s] gun. The officer has a right to protect himself.” |
| Senior police officers lead NAACP march in #Ferguson to demand justice for Michael Brown pic.twitter.com/YkNTRr0mdH | |
| More than 1,000 people turned out for the NAACP-organised march in Ferguson. The presence at the head of the march of the two senior policemen, Johnson and Belman, was controversial among some of the marchers, who carried signs demanding that the officer who shot Michael Brown be put on trial. | |
| A white woman held a sign reading: “Arrest Darren Wilson.” An African American man nearby held another, expressing discontent that Wilson was not detained: “If I killed a man I wouldn’t be on vacation.” | |
| One of the protesters, who gave his name only as Walter G, said he had been in the army and added that the attitude of some of the police in Ferguson reminded him of men in combat. | |
| “I was in Vietnam. Some of the cops here think they’re in Vietnam. Their adrenaline gets all pumped up and they just want to pump bullets into a corpse,” he said. “I like the people in this community. I like living here. It’s just these asshole cops.” | |
| Other protesters took the presence of the police officers at the head of the march as a sign of progress. | |
| “They’re trying to make up for what they did at the beginning when they came out in riot gear and attacked the people,” said Clive Mitchom, a 67 year-old resident of Ferguson. “They’re trying to make it look like they’ve changed. I hope they do.” | |
| But Mitchom said he was worried that so many white people in St Louis were giving their support, and their money, to Darren Wilson. He said it did not give him confidence that Michael Brown would get justice. | |
| “There’s always been whites who care about social justice but we’ve always had a certain number that don’t,” he said. | |
| Money raised by Saturday’s St Louis rally in support of Wilson will be added to online fundraising efforts that have so far raised more than $300,000. The first GoFundMe page to be set up in aid of the officer raised $234,000; by Saturday evening, a new Wilson /Shield of Hope GoFundMe page had raised $71,000. | |
| A GoFundMe page set up to memorialize Michael Brown had raised $201,000. | A GoFundMe page set up to memorialize Michael Brown had raised $201,000. |
| Missouri governor Nixon arrives at #Ferguson march, stays less than 10 mins pic.twitter.com/lUd6YTFGZD | |
| In Ferguson Missouri’s governor, Jay Nixon, arrived at the end of the march and stayed less than 10 minutes. He shook a few hands, until he was confronted by an African American woman who said she was a mother who feared that too many black children were killed by the police. She demanded to know when Nixon was going to remove Wilson from the police force. The governor turned away without answering her. | |
| Johnson did not comment at the end of the march, other than to say he did not expect to attend Brown’s funeral on Monday. |
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