after days of clashes between local police and protesters.
Gov. Jay Nixon said he decided to put the Missouri State
Highway Patrol in charge of security because "at this particular
point, the attitudes weren't improving, and the blocks towards
expression appeared to be a flashpoint."
Lately, the community of Ferguson, which has been the scene
of demonstrations and a strong police response in the wake of
a weekend police shooting that left African-American teenager
Michael Brown dead, has looked "more like a war zone, and
it's not acceptable," Nixon said.
Now, authorities -- who've faced accusations that they've used
excessive force in response to demonstrations -- will be taking
a different tack in an effort to calm tensions, officials said
Thursday.
"We're all about making sure that we allow peaceful and
appropriate protests, that we use force only when necessary,
that we step back a little bit and let some of the energy be felt
in this region, appropriately," Nixon said
Chosen by the state's governor to head up the new security
operation, Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson
said he planned to meet with protesters Thursday.
"We are going to have a different approach and have the
approach that we're in this together," he said.
As groups of protesters grew Thursday night, the
demonstrations were calm.
Some said they were prepared for police aggression, despite
what authorities have promised.
"Gas me, shoot me, I will stand my ground," one protester's
sign said.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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