Gov. Jay Nixon declared a State of Emergency in the Ferguson, Missouri protest area and the imposition of a midnight to 5 a.m. curfew in the area, effective immediately.
“I do hereby direct the Missouri State Highway Patrol, through its Superintendent, to command all operations necessary to ensure public safety and protect civil rights in the City of Ferguson and, as necessary, surrounding areas during the period of this emergency,” Nixon said in his executive order declaring the emergency.
Nixon and Captain Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol took questions during a combative press and community event at Greater St. Mark Family Church in Ferguson.
Both deflected specific questions about how the curfew will be enforced.
Most questions from the audience concerned the investigation into the shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, who was shot repeatedly and killed last Saturday by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, whose name was released only yesterday.
Nixon was asked repeatedly why Wilson had not been indicted.
Eventually, U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay took the microphone to explain that indicting and bringing charges in a state murder case in St. Louis County is not the duty of the governor. It is the responsibility of County Prosecutor Bob McCullouch.
McCulloch, whose father was a police officer killed in the line of duty, has announced no plans to indict or charge Wilson.
McCulloch did criticize Nixon on Thursday for replacing police command at the Ferguson protest site. Nixon replaced County Police Chief Jon Belmar, who had employed militarized SWAT-team tactics, with the Missouri Highway Patrol under the supervision of Johnson, a black man from Ferguson.
Johnson’s community policing strategy was a success on Thursday, a night of relative peace in Ferguson hailed throughout the world.
Then on Friday morning, Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson – who has no command authority in the protest area – released surveillance video said to be Michael Brown roughing up a convenience store owner as he stole a box of cigars. Jackson said the robbery had no connection to Brown being shot by Wilson and that Wilson – who was named for the first time at the same moment this video was released – was not aware of the robbery when he shot and killed Brown.
Wilson stopped Brown while he was walking in a small local street with a friend, telling them to get out of the street.
Wilson is on paid vacation.
“It’s good that Ferguson has a curfew now and the cop who killed Michael Brown is vacationing out of town free to go outside from 12am-5am,” Matt Binder observed on Twitter.
Capt. Ron Johnson appealed to residents to assist in the federal investigation into the shooting of Brown, which is separate from the county investigation. He said 40 FBI agents are going door to door in Canfield Green area where Brown was killed.
A woman at the press event screamed, “If you want peace, charge that police officer with murder.”
Canfield Green resident Sierra Smith told The American the curfew means “guaranteed safety” but was unsure how it will play out.
“I don’t know how it’s going to go at this point,” she said. “As long as people are safe and the protestors are safe, that’s what matters to me.”
Then she left to distribute to school supplies. Area children return to school on Monday.
