In an attempt to stop further looting and rioting, the Missouri governor on Tuesday ordered National Guard reinforcements into Ferguson following a night of violence ignited by the grand jury’s decision to not indict the white police officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said that the violence witnessed last night cannot be repeated. He met with law enforcement to bring in National Guard reinforcements to ensure property and residents are safe in the days ahead, Reuters reported.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Benjamin Crump” author_title=”Attorney for Brown family”]
This process is broken. The process should be indicted.
[/quote]
About one dozen buildings in Ferguson were set on fire overnight and 61 people were arrested for crimes ranging from unlawful assembly to illegal weapons possession and burglary, police said.
Firefighters worked to put out the blackened remains of many businesses on Tuesday morning. The protests on Monday night and Tuesday morning were more destructive than any that followed the August 9 death of Michael Brown. Authorities reported hearing hundreds of gunshots, which temporarily prevented fire crews from working, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Jon Belmar, the St. Louis County police chief said on Tuesday that he was disappointed that he did not see much peaceful protest. He said the police did not fire any live ammunition, the New York Times reported.
The violence played out despite broadcasts from President Obama and others urging for calm and restraint.
“First and foremost, we are a nation built on the rule of law,” Obama said in an address from the White House. “And so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make.”
Police initially held back as the unrest begin immediately following the grand jury announcement. Police returned with force later, regaining control of much of West Florissant and forming a line with armored vehicles to restrict access.
Many businesses in Ferguson went up in flames, including nail shops, a beauty shop, a public storage facility, an Autozone and a Walgreens.
