Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency on Monday ahead of the expected grand jury decision in the shooting death of Michael Brown.
In the executive order, Nixon cited a “possibility of expanded unrest” and said that people have the right to protest peacefully but that businesses and citizens need to be protected against damage and violence, CNN reported.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Jay Nixon” author_title=”Missouri Governor”]
This is America. People have the right to express views and grievances, but they do not have the right to put fellow citizens and property at risk. Violence will not be tolerated.
[/quote]
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said National Guard troops will come and serve a secondary role to local law enforcement. If there is unrest, the Ferguson Police Department’s role will be reduced and the city’s police department will not be at the forefront of a response.
Tensions run high as the public awaits the grand jury’s decision in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white police officer in Ferguson in August.
Following Darren Wilson’s shooting of the 18-year-old, police and protesters clashed in the suburb of St. Louis and revived a national debate about how African Americans are treated by law enforcement. For weeks, armed police faced protesters. Hundreds of people were arrested and stores were looted.
The grand jury convened on August 20 to decide whether Wilson, 28, will be indicted for the shooting death of Brown on August 9. The grand jury decision is expected at any time, the Washington Post reported.
The executive order came just hours after dozens of protesters demanding an indictment, marching in the business district of Clayton. Protesters have spent the last few weeks planning acts of civil disobedience if Wilson is not indicted, which is expected to happen.
There have also been news reports that the Missouri chapter of the Ku Klux Klan is distributing fliers warning of “lethal force” against protesters, saying that violent protesters have “awakened a sleeping giant,” the Huffington Post reported.
