Ferguson

From the Stars and Stripes:
"Ferguson businesses torched in overnight protests"

Smoke billowed from burned-out buildings and sidewalks were strewn with broken glass in Ferguson, Missouri, following a grand jury's decision not to indict a white police officer in the killing of an unarmed black 18-year-old in one of America's most racially charged cases in recent years.

Firefighters doused the blackened remains of some businesses Tuesday morning and at least one building was still ablaze. Some Ferguson stores that weren't burned had smashed display windows, but the streets of the St. Louis suburb were mostly clear. Monday night's destruction appeared to be much worse than protests after August's shootings, with more than a dozen businesses badly damaged or destroyed. Authorities reported hearing hundreds of gunshots, which for a time prevented fire crews from fighting the flames. There were 61 arrests in Ferguson overnight, many for burglary and trespassing, St. Louis County Police spokesman Brian Schellman said. There were 21 arrests in St. Louis, where protesters broke some store windows along South Grand Avenue, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said. Gov. Jay Nixon issued a statement saying he was calling in more National Guard troops to assist law enforcement in Ferguson, but he didn't say how many additional troops or how long they would remain. The violence erupted despite pleas for calm from President Barack Obama and the family of the victim Michael Brown after prosecutors announced the officer faces no state criminal charges. About 10 St. Louis-bound flights were diverted or canceled Monday night because of concern about gunfire being aimed into the sky, a Lambert-St. Louis International Airport spokesman said, but the restrictions expired at 3:30 a.m. The Justice Department is conducting a separate investigation into possible civil rights violations that could result in federal charges, but investigators would need to satisfy a rigorous standard of proof in order to mount a prosecution. The department also has launched a broad probe into the Ferguson Police Department, looking for patterns of discrimination.

 

 

^ Whether you agree with the judgment or not the one thing almost everyone can agree on is that those that looted and burnt things last night are criminals. People who disagree with the law or how things are done in this country have a right to show that disgust peacefully. The majority of people who feel wronged instead resort to violence and that just shows their ignorance. They loose any credibility they once had when they start destroying things and hurting/killing people. In cases like this the police, National Guard and if needed the military are right to come in and stop them through whatever means. I got the above picture from Facebook and it sums up how stupid the looters are. It would be something different if people are non-violently, peacefully protesting and then the authorities came in with guns blazing. That wasn't the case here. People, in general, do  not think before they act and are prone to violence to get what they want. It takes a better person to not use violence to show their disgust. ^

 

 

 

 

http://www.stripes.com/news/us/ferguson-businesses-torched-in-overnight-protests-1.315776