Missouri Gov. declares State of Emergency
The Governor of Missouri, Democrat Jay Nixon, has instituted a state of emergency for the entire state over fears that Darren Wilson, the officer accused of killing Mike Brown in August, will not be indicted on murder charges by a grand jury.
The governor's executive order initiating the state of emergency explicitly cited the ongoing investigation into the death of Michael Brown and the possibility of unrest after the grand jury's announcement as the justification for the state of emergency.
The order also cited the need to protect citizens and businesses from "violence and damage." Some stores were looted during the protests that followed Brown's death. Images of a burned out QT gas station have become icons of the turmoil rippling through Ferguson and surrounding metropolitan St. Louis. Part of the order created a central command of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, St. Louis County Police Department, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The central command will have jurisdiction wherever it may see fit, and other police forces can be called on to support the central command's efforts. The executive order also activated the Missouri National Guard and took control of policing the protests away from the Ferguson police. The policing of Ferguson is now the responsibility of the St. Louis County Police Department. The actions of the local Ferguson police in response to protests over Brown's death only heightened tensions and made Brown's death an international incident. The police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters. They also arrested journalists who were clearly credentialed. The police also took off their badges and other markings, making them impossible to identify, and possibly enabling abuses.
The executive order will expire on its own after thirty days have passed. The governor may expand the duration of the order at his discretion.
