Ferguson violence 'heartbreaking'
November 25, 2014
Speaking on Tuesday in the aftermath of renewed violent protests, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon vowed to boost the number of National Guard troops in the town of Ferguson in an attempt to quell any possible violence.
"Lives and property must be protected. This community deserves to have peace," Nixon said as he told reporters that 2,200 National Guard troops would be deployed to the area on Tuesday, tripling the number of troops out the night before. "The Guard team will be positioned and ready to act at a moment's notice if challenges arise."
He described Monday night's clashes as "heartbreaking."
Riots, looting and arson broke out shortly after Monday's announcement by St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch that a grand jury had decided not to indict Darren Wilson, the white police officer who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Michael Brown,18, on August 9.
The clashes, which occurred despite calls for calm by Brown's family and US President Barack Obama, led to scores of arrests and the destruction of about a dozen buildings.
Authorities questioned
Ferguson's Mayor James Knowles on Tuesday was critical that action had not been taken soon enough on Monday night.
"The decision to delay the deployment of the National Guard is deeply concerning," Knowles said. He also told reporters that police officer Darren Wilson remains on administrative leave.
Though he has not spoken publicly since the killing, Wilson's side of the story came across in his testimony to the grand jury, which was released shortly after the verdict.
"I felt like a 5-year-old holding on to Hulk Hogan," he said as he described a struggle with Brown from inside his police car.
Protests were held in other US cities without any major disturbances reported.
Representatives for Brown's family have denounced the grand jury process, calling it unfair.
"This process is broken. This process should be indicted," Brown family lawyer Benjamin Crump told reporters. He also called for new rules requiring police to wear body cameras.
Brown's killing has sparked impassioned debate in the US about race relations and police tactics.
se/jr (AFP, Reuters, AP, dpa)