On August 13, 2014, Ferguson Police
Department (FPD) and St. Charles County Sheriff’s
Department (SCCSD) dressed in riot gear fired rubber bullets
and tear gas at Ferguson, Missouri residents protesting the death
of 18-year-old Michael Brown. An officer from the Ferguson Police
Department allegedly
shot Brown to death on August 9.
But by the night of August 14, things looked very different in
this small Missouri suburb after the governor took security duties
out of the hands of FPD and SCCSD and handed it over to the
Missouri
State Highway Patrol (MSHP).
“We are going to have a different approach and have the approach
that we’re in this together,” said Capt. Ronald S. Johnson of
MSHP at a press conference. Johnson
walked with protesters and posed for pictures with them later
in the day.
While the atmosphere was free of a militarized police presence,
and the mood of protesters was borderline celebratory, the
resentment towards the Ferguson Police Department was
palpbable.
Protesters told Reason TV that Brown’s death was in
line with a pattern of harrasment from police in the St. Louis
area, ranging from excessive tickets and fines to overly aggressive
officers. Many also said that the show of quasi-military force in
response to the protest may have damaged the relationship between
the people and the police beyond repair.
“We are not at war here. This looked like the demilitarized
zone,” says protester Earling McAllister Thomas.
Watch the video above. Appoximately 3 minutes. Produced by Zach
Weissmueller and Paul Detrick.
Click the link below for downloadable versions, and subscribe to
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